tnak,
I was going to write something but lugerholsterrepair did such a good job that I decided to change what I was going to say. Jerry really knows his leather. From looking at your pictures it look like the stock is a repro. The grips look repro too. The flap over the top of the holster looks too new.
The gun looks good but hard to tell if a real pro restored it from the pictures. Some restorers are very good and its hard to tell from the pictures. One of the first things that I look at when I see a very nice Luger is the Locking Bolt. Your picture is blurry so I cant tell. But this part is a difficult part to restraw because of its size and odd shape. But very good restores have ways to get around that.
Look at the front of the frame and under the barrel and see if the serial numbers have a little metal reform around the outside of the letters. This is called the "halo" effect. When the numbers are punched on the frame and barrel, the metal reforms to give this effect. When a gun is restored, this reformation of the metal is removed in the process. Also look at the size of the numbers and compare them to a known authentic artillery Luger to see if the size is the same. There should also be some proof marks on the barrel. A replaced barrel might have the serial numbers but rarely have all the proof marks.
Run your fingers along the top of the rear toggle to see if an old rear sight has been filed off. This can sometimes require a delicate touch.
Look at the bore of the barrel. See if the wear corresponds to the general condition of the outside of the gun and the grips.
On snail drums, I cant say very much because I don't have one. But I have been told to be careful because there are some Japanese repros out there that look pretty good. I'll open the next thing up for discussion. But I think that someone told me that the Nambu uses a snail drum that looks simular to the Luger snail drum but won't work in a Luger. But take my opinion here with a grain of salt.
I personally feel that if a real pro restorer did his job and has not altered the gun in any way, then the gun is OK. But some people feel otherwise. I have seen some dealers take a restored Luger and wipe it with a leather belt on the high spots to remove the "new in box" look. Its all a matter of opinion. But even my opinion changes when you began talking about the super expensive and rare Lugers. Then mostly, I don't want a restored Luger. As far as Lugers go, a 1917 artillery Luger is not considered a super expensive, rare Luger.
Big Norm
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