I am not one for believing that original is better. You have to think that a Luger is a tool and not a showpiece. Keeping mine in top shape means more than it does to keep it original. I bought mine as a shooter but still if I had any collector gun that I take to the range I would still change the barrel. My safety means more to me than collector value. Just remember it is cheaper to replace a barrel than an eye or a finger. Plus I keep my Luger ready for home defense so the fact that it has to function perfectly 100% of the time is more important to me. The one thing I have been taught over the years is you can't keep everything 100% original and still keep them running. Eventually they will need maintenence. As far as barrel condition and replacement goes. Milage will vary here. Accuracy does degrade with the barrel pitting, but it might not be noticable enough to care. I lived long enough with military personal to know that condition of your barrel means everything in a life and death situation. To me if you can't get a clean patch while cleaning then it is time to look at the barrel. It might be something as easy as running a good bore paste thru to clean it up or something as complex as a barrel change. Chances are with an 84 year old gun I would rather have piece of mind with a new barrel. But I guess that's just me. I guess I spend more time shooting and cleaning my guns then looking at them and dusting them. I am an avid shooter, not a collector. But that's just me. Thanks Arvin
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