[mrerick]

Part of "Luger University" is book study (buying the reference books, and actually reading them)... and part of it is actually handling genuine Lugers and examining them closely.

This is why I still attend some of the better gun shows as well as local ones. I help with fund raising for a state gun rights group, so generally attend the shows regularly and visit tables, often encountering Lugers - mostly bad mixed parts or manipulated pistols. Those dealers don't like me if they are misrepresenting the Lugers, but it's always an education.

I carry a magnifier, good light and PDF copy of the Sturgess Red book on a tablet for reference.

Always evaluate a Luger as a whole. Look at all it's characteristics, not just the halos you may encounter around one area or another.

It is possible to fake halos in a number of ways, but it's generally possible to detect that fakery. Detecting that is a combination of their appearance, and their context with the appearance of the rest of the Luger.