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Originally Posted by Mikeinmi
Besides the lugs being ground off what do I have. Since they were ground off does it have no collector value? Should I just send it off to Thor and have it turned into a nice shooter? Thanks
Mikeinmi
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It will always be classified as a shooter due its drastic departure from the condition in which it left the factory. All shooters are not equal in value, however. Restoration costs usually eat up any potential increase in shooter value, so it's more of an emotional decision than a economic one, so the decision to fix it back up is subjective, to say the least.
My first Luger is also an artillery, otherwise all original and matching, with a very nice finish-- with its lug ground off. GT was able to supply me with the back half of a grip frame, from which I can section out the appropriate area and install it on the Arty frame after the damaged area is excised. It should take a bit of TIG or micro-welding, then restoring the surface, and finally a touch-up of the involved work area's finish afterwards. I've seen pics of some of Thor's jobs in which he blended only the damaged portions of the finish to match the rest, and very nicely...so it's certainly possible.
Here's a link to the description of a guy's enterprise in which he builds up the area sufficiently with weld and then mills out a replacement lug where it should be, at $475 a pop.
https://www.lugerforums.com/threads/...oration.40729/ Reconciling the finish would be next, and a further expense, so you can see what I mean about its needing to be a labor of love.