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mrerick · 01-15-2018, 09:50 AM

You'll benefit from having a copy of the forum's FAQ PDF document. It's free, and contains quite a bit of useful reference information.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121

You may find that the Luger will clean up nicely. Some of these 1939 "42" code Mauser Lugers had a very thin looking - almost translucent Bluing. I have one of these. Mauser was just a couple of years into moving from Rust to Salt bluing, and they were under pressure in 1939 to ship more guns more quickly. I expect some of the process changes worked better than others.

If your Luger is all matching (except for the magazines) and you have an original period correct magazine, the pistol is probably worth more than $1000, but we'll need a good look at it.

Take your pictures in shaded natural sunlight, and don't use flash. It tends to wash out the finish in photos.

The original holster adds a couple of hundred in value to the rig, and a marked tool in the tool pouch would add another hundred or so.

You can use well oiled 0000 steel or bronze wool on an oiled surface to help stabilize any active red oxide rust you find. I use sharpened bamboo chop sticks to get dirt out of grooved and corner areas. Proper cleaning and some preserving gun oil will help appearance. Don't store it in the holster - these can accumulate moisture and lead to corrosion. Carefully remove the grips before cleaning things. Be careful of the screws too, they have a unique thread pattern and you don't want to gall the screwdriver grooves.

Welcome to the fourm!

Marc

01-15-2018, 09:50 AM	#1
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,920 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,135 Times in 1,518 Posts	You'll benefit from having a copy of the forum's FAQ PDF document. It's free, and contains quite a bit of useful reference information. http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121 You may find that the Luger will clean up nicely. Some of these 1939 "42" code Mauser Lugers had a very thin looking - almost translucent Bluing. I have one of these. Mauser was just a couple of years into moving from Rust to Salt bluing, and they were under pressure in 1939 to ship more guns more quickly. I expect some of the process changes worked better than others. If your Luger is all matching (except for the magazines) and you have an original period correct magazine, the pistol is probably worth more than $1000, but we'll need a good look at it. Take your pictures in shaded natural sunlight, and don't use flash. It tends to wash out the finish in photos. The original holster adds a couple of hundred in value to the rig, and a marked tool in the tool pouch would add another hundred or so. You can use well oiled 0000 steel or bronze wool on an oiled surface to help stabilize any active red oxide rust you find. I use sharpened bamboo chop sticks to get dirt out of grooved and corner areas. Proper cleaning and some preserving gun oil will help appearance. Don't store it in the holster - these can accumulate moisture and lead to corrosion. Carefully remove the grips before cleaning things. Be careful of the screws too, they have a unique thread pattern and you don't want to gall the screwdriver grooves. Welcome to the fourm! Marc __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.