Brent,
I don't know what you mean by a 1908 first issue. You may be confusing a 1908 with a 1906 navy. The 1908 navy only had a commercial and a military. The 1906 had a first issue, a first issue altered, a second issue and a commercial.
Your navy may have not been reblued entirely. It may have only been spot touched up. I'd really have to see the gun to tell. Its really is more important to look at the markings, the edges on the rails and so forth to see in there has been any metal removal.
Some restorers are artists at restoring Lugers. These guys remove only minute amounts of metal. Then there are other guys who should be shot for messing up a good gun.
The very first thing that I look at when I examine a Luger for restoration is the Locking Bolt. Its a small, irregular shaped part that is difficult for an amatuer to keep the flat flat and the edges champhered. Then I look for evidence of a buffing wheel (rounded edges on serial numbers and proof marks and so forth). Then I look at the bore. Does the wear on the bore match the wear on the rest of the gun? A minty, bright bore on the well used gun may indicate a rebarreling. Look at the size of the lettering of the serial numbers. Of course you should always make sure that the number do in fact match. The is a small thing that sometimes is forgotten. There is a lot to learn in checking out an expensive Luger. Mistakes can be costly. Fortuately, it sounds like you paid an excellent price for your gun.
Big Norm
|