1917 long barrel

[man-o-war]

Have original 1917 Luger with long barrel and carved sheath/stock.
Gun shoots like a sniper! It's family heirloom

Anyone know more information like rarity, how desirable it is, or the approximate value of this piece ?

Thanks in advance


















Sorry some pics were hard to get clear enough closeups



Numbers are matching throughout

[DavidJayUden]

Definitely an interesting Luger.
What can yo tell us about how it came into your family and any known history of the gun?
Thanks for sharing, and I'm certain that opinions will soon follow.
dju

[man-o-war]

Been reading the site and learning about markings and history, fascinating to say the least.

My grandpa killed German officer and took it off him during "Thessaloniki Front" offensive in the southern Balkans near Kosovo, October 1918. He has used it in WW2 against Germans as well, and later put away and my dad inherited it, then I got it as gift from my father.

[DavidJayUden]

I'm assuming that it is a standard Artillery model Luger with an 8" barrel. The sling swivel has been added along the line, and the gun, or at least parts, have been re-blued. The stock/holster is unclear to me, whether it is a modified Mauser C96 holster or a special made item for the Luger. I checked by coupling my artillery into a C96 stock, and while it will not go in, the length MAY be sufficient, very close. However the stock attaching iron is way different, so I'm guessing that it was a stock/holster mfg. for an artillery Luger. We see these from time to time but I'm not certain if their pedegree has been proven.
I'd be interested in seeing close-ups of the stock nose and the attaching iron, including numbers.
And again, thanks for sharing.
dju

[man-o-war]

I will get some close up photos and put them up in few days, was not really sure what to focus on other than the obvious numbers and stamps. I will ask family and try to learn more, but from what I have been told all my life it's a war trophy and it even spent number of years in "museum of liberation" in the town where grandpa was born and that his troops liberated on their way up towards Belgrade

The barrel is 8" long, and it has this brownish hue in the finish towards the front half, different that the hue on the rest of the gun. It's hard to capture with crappy cell phone cam

[sheepherder]

How is the sling loop attached to the grip frame??? Screwed, riveted, other??? Does it swivel???

Looks like it might be a Mauser holster-stock hogged out in places to accept the Artillery Luger and with Luger attaching iron...But there were prototype Luger holster-stocks (that looked different) and this could be a variation...

Interesting item, to be sure...Whatever it is...

[man-o-war]

I will put up more pics so we can figure it out

Does not look like Mauser stock since broom handle Mauser would never fit into it due to lack of space for square front mounted magazine. If anything, it might be able to be modified for c96 potentially

I will closely check on swivel lug and also stock mounting hardware, but it fits and locks up tight and alignment between barrel and stock is perfect and aiming feels right and natural

[swampsavage]

It's rather obvious, from looking at the picture of the interior, that the stock was made expressly for the Luger. If the provenance you describe is correct, historically, you have a real treasure. I will be looking forward to any more information to surface about this piece.

[alanint]

Although the stock is possibly factory made. The crude interior adaptation for the Artillery Luger is not. No German company would allow such crude routing and hand scrapping to pass inspection.

[JTD]

I believe it is a c96 stock made to fit a luger. Luger itself is parts gun that apears to be refinished, renumbered, and modified with the swivel.

[man-o-war]

Thanks for everyones input!

Does anyone have closeup of c96 stock insides? Were original c96 stocks carved from single piece of wood or laminated?

[DavidJayUden]

single piece.
dju

[CAP Black]

Dear Crnaruka:
Your holster is very interesting. If you look at a book on Lugers by Datik (sp) which was published in the 1950's you will find a picture of a wooden holster that closely resembles yours. It was offered to the public in Luger advertisements. A couple of years back I did a thread on one that I have. A better reference is contained in that prior thread. It has the same configuration as yours but is crafted nicer on the interior; with green felt lining. The experts said it looks phony and said the green felt wouldn't be proper. I have since found green felt as a lining in carrying cases for 1900's carbines as sold and in use. I've seen other Luger cases - even presentation cases - lined with green felt. Read that thread and you will get a better understanding of what to expect and get a feel for the various opinions.
thanks
Jack

[mrerick]

Sturgess on page 946-948 discusses a couple of Bavarian design wooden holster stocks for the Artillery Luger. It talks about the Bavarians testing these stocks in the 1912 timeframe. Blueprints are also shown illustrating the design. The version 1 was shaped similar to your stock, with the grip of the Luger extending outside the stock when stored inside the stock.

- - - -

Separately, is there a NFA Short Barreled Rifle issue with this combination of stock and Artillery Luger? I don't think that there is a specific exemption for this combination.

Marc

[kubel]

Originally Posted by mrerick

Separately, is there a NFA Short Barreled Rifle issue with this combination of stock and Artillery Luger? I don't think that there is a specific exemption for this combination.

Marc

Good question. I have a C96 Bolo with the wooden holster/stock and it hasn't been a problem (yet). I see them for sale all the time in this configuration and nobody mentions SBR registration as a requirement to own them.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by CAP Black

Dear Crnaruka:
Your holster is very interesting. If you look at a book on Lugers by Datik (sp) which was published in the 1950's you will find a picture of a wooden holster that closely resembles yours.
Jack

Datig does show a holster-stock on pg 179 but it is more 'parallel', not tapered like the OP's. Datig's looks more like a Mauser holster-stock in that regard. Datig even states that it is 'Mauser Type' and that it is 8"...

[alanint]

In my opinion this pistol stock combination would be an issue for BATF. These is not enough solid documentation to back up that this is a genuine historical pairing.

[man-o-war]

No batf jurisdiction where gun is

I got some pics of the stock mounting bracket. Wood is walnut.









There is no numbers or markings on the stock lug

The worn out finish on the part mentioned few posts above has 66 marked on it

The magazine has no markings on the wooden butt

[alanint]

The sling swivel on the pistol goes a long way towards explaining the hole in the exact same spot in a recently featured pistol on the site.

[man-o-war]

Originally Posted by alanint

The sling swivel on the pistol goes a long way towards explaining the hole in the exact same spot in a recently featured pistol on the site.

Forgot to mention, swivel lug does not rotate, and best I can tell its threaded into the frame.