Got a new Luger today

[Bill_in_VA]

I came home today to find a new Luger on my doorstep: a 1918 Erfurt. It appears to be all matching with the exception of the magazine (which still appears to be an Erfurt magazine. And to be fair, it was advertised/sold as "all matching except the magazine.") It has a fair amount of light pitting/speckling throughout the finish, but to my eyes it appears to have a fair amount of the original blue finish, and to not have been refinished; likewise the strawing. The grips are solid with no chips or cracks, and also seem to match the rest of the gun.

My one concern is with the barrel; specifically, the first digit of the serial number is a re-strike/over-strike and the witness marks don't line up. On the other hand, it appears that the numbers stamped on the barrel do have halos (including the re-struck one.) Any ideas? Likewise any comments on my assessment? Any and all comments welcomed.

FWIW, I paid $950; I think I did OK.

[Bill_in_VA]

[Bill_in_VA]

[Bill_in_VA]

[DavidJayUden]

Me thinks you done fine. The numbers appear imperfect but original, as is the finish. A nice old warhorse.
dju

[Edward Tinker]

Bill, looks like a nice honest piece. Might clean up with some TLC?

Ed

[ithacaartist]

Is that a Navy front sight?

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Is that a Navy front sight?

Doesn't look like it to me David.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

Doesn't look like it to me David.

John,
From a thread a few weeks back, discussing a Navy which had the (improper) Swiss/1900/'06 style front sight installed, I remember someone pointed out that a Navy sight would not have serrations on the top of the angled rear portion. (Mind you, now, I'm not talking about the sight block. A Navy's would be squared at the back, not ramped and serrated, yes?) I enlarged the posted pic, and the top third of the blade isn't serrated--that's what got me goin'... Were such sight blades installed on other non-Navy variations?

[George Anderson]

The sight on Bill's pistol is a standard WWI P08 sight.

[Bill_in_VA]

I'm a relative newcomer to to the world of Lugers, so I don't have much to compare this front sight to, but I my one and only alphabet Luger has the same style of front sight (shape and partial serrations), and my LP.08 has the same shape, but the serrations run all the way to the tip.

[Norme]

Hi Bill, AS George has said, the 5.5mm tall partially serrated sight blade is correct for a 1918 P08. The earliest P08's, 1909 to 1913, were equipped with a lower 5.0mm partially serrated blade, but most of these guns were retrofitted with the taller blade. Artilleries all had 5.0mm sights, partially serrated in 1914, and fully serrated from 1915 onwards.
Regards, Norm

[ithacaartist]

Thanks George. Here's what I was talking about above http://forum.lugerforum.com/showpost...76&postcount=5 . Now that I've actually looked these threads up I think I may have it straight because 1) the pic linked above shows that Navy sight base is ramped and serrated. 2) the discussion about the height of the sight base points out that, due to the .5 mm higher base of the Navy sight--compared to the P.08, the blade itself would be 0.5 mm shorter than the standard blade. At this point I'll shut down the smoke emanating from my derriere.

So, to clear up the fully-serrated versus mostly-serrated issue, would Navies be expected to sport only the partly-serrated blades, and the P.08 might have either?

Finally, is the top tip of the blade indicative of anything--whether it's radius-ed or pointy?