LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Two new Swiss

Pete Ebbink · 04-14-2005, 10:54 PM

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the photos of some very nice Swiss lugers. As you may know...it is difficult to tell from a few photos if a gun is original finish or not. The best thing is to travel with your guns to shows or other Swiss collector's homes to compare your lugers with other Swiss lugers.

Here are my impressions on your M1906 Swiss-DWM :

1. The polished area under the thumb safety is not as cleanly and well defined as DWM quality. Might be evidence of a rework.

2. The top of the pin through the toggle nobs is not "in the white". May indicate some rework.

3. It might just be the photo or lighting, but the photo showing the "6310" on the shoulder of the barrel has some odd blue coloration.

4. There is the green verdigris (typically picked up from holsters with corroding rivots) on parts of the wooden grips, the fluted area of the thumb safety lever, and along the left side toggle knob. You might want to clean off the verdigris.

5. The fire-blue color of the sear seems to be a little off in color.

6. The small cross on the left side of the barrel would typically have some "bits of white" when stamped on a blued barrel. Yours is blued and may indicate a rework.

7. If your pistol is a rework, it seems like an old one; as it shows evidence of some wear, oxidation, patina.

Here are my impressions of your M1906 W+F Bern :

1. The bottom edges of some of the serial numbers along the front of the frame seem to have lost some depth/definition; possibly lost with rework.

2. The pin on the top of the toggle knob is driven down too deeply. Not sure if the Bern arsenal would leave it as such on a military pistol.

3. The word "Bern" along the top of the toggle seems to have lost some depth/definition; especially compared to the other stampings.

4. The rear lanyard "staple" has a deep gouge or two that seems to be blued-over. This might indicate a rework as well.

5. It might be your photos/lighting effects...but this pistol seems a little too "blue" to be a Bern finish.

6. The magazine is Bern and numbered correctly in the correct orientation.

7. The right side of your frame/receiver have some "extra" small crosses. I have been told by a couple of Swiss collectors that these are the marks of rework cycles through a Swiss arsenal. But I have no documentation to support this "theory".

8. There are some coarse sanding/grit lines along the finish of various areas that seem to indicate rework with no follow-up of sanding/polishing with finer grit afterwards. This might indicate a rework as well...possibly not Bern rework.

For example, around the take-down lever and even on the take-down lever :

Regards,

Pete...

04-14-2005, 10:54 PM	#3
Pete Ebbink User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The USA Posts: 5,919 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Hi Bob, Thanks for the photos of some very nice Swiss lugers. As you may know...it is difficult to tell from a few photos if a gun is original finish or not. The best thing is to travel with your guns to shows or other Swiss collector's homes to compare your lugers with other Swiss lugers. Here are my impressions on your M1906 Swiss-DWM : 1. The polished area under the thumb safety is not as cleanly and well defined as DWM quality. Might be evidence of a rework. 2. The top of the pin through the toggle nobs is not "in the white". May indicate some rework. 3. It might just be the photo or lighting, but the photo showing the "6310" on the shoulder of the barrel has some odd blue coloration. 4. There is the green verdigris (typically picked up from holsters with corroding rivots) on parts of the wooden grips, the fluted area of the thumb safety lever, and along the left side toggle knob. You might want to clean off the verdigris. 5. The fire-blue color of the sear seems to be a little off in color. 6. The small cross on the left side of the barrel would typically have some "bits of white" when stamped on a blued barrel. Yours is blued and may indicate a rework. 7. If your pistol is a rework, it seems like an old one; as it shows evidence of some wear, oxidation, patina. Here are my impressions of your M1906 W+F Bern : 1. The bottom edges of some of the serial numbers along the front of the frame seem to have lost some depth/definition; possibly lost with rework. 2. The pin on the top of the toggle knob is driven down too deeply. Not sure if the Bern arsenal would leave it as such on a military pistol. 3. The word "Bern" along the top of the toggle seems to have lost some depth/definition; especially compared to the other stampings. 4. The rear lanyard "staple" has a deep gouge or two that seems to be blued-over. This might indicate a rework as well. 5. It might be your photos/lighting effects...but this pistol seems a little too "blue" to be a Bern finish. 6. The magazine is Bern and numbered correctly in the correct orientation. 7. The right side of your frame/receiver have some "extra" small crosses. I have been told by a couple of Swiss collectors that these are the marks of rework cycles through a Swiss arsenal. But I have no documentation to support this "theory". 8. There are some coarse sanding/grit lines along the finish of various areas that seem to indicate rework with no follow-up of sanding/polishing with finer grit afterwards. This might indicate a rework as well...possibly not Bern rework. For example, around the take-down lever and even on the take-down lever : Regards, Pete...