Baby Luger for sale on Gun Broker

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Evan Duke

I haven't received it yet ,but my evaluation from just looking at the pictures tends to make me think that this was a re work of a Swiss Bern Luger.

I think several of us would still be interested in a detailed pictorial, especially of the frame. There have been several smiths make 'baby' Lugers, cutting & welding/brazing the cut pieces together after removing a section of the frame. Thor has posted an excellent pair of pictures on how he did his. John Martz has also done some this way, as well as Eugene Golubstov.

Besides sectioning the frame, the recoil spring and recoil spring guide must be shortened, and the magazine sectioned & re-bottomed. Grips shortened too, of course.

As an amateur fabricator and general all-around busybody, I like to compare the pros & cons of how each smith did the modifications.

Knowing how others approach a project helps me to learn how they apply their knowledge and experience. This helps me to do the same.

There's dozens of ways to skin a cat. I like to see how others do it, and learn from them to be a better catskinner.

[Ron Wood]

This little gun is my pride and joy, and one of my favorite Lugers. It is a full-house John Martz creation...a M1900 baby that has not only been cut down, it has been converted to a coil mainspring as well. A true gunsmith work of art.

[Ron Wood]

This is the one I have been fiddling with for 30 years and still haven't finished it.

[Vlim]

Evan. The pistols are discussed in our book 'The Parabellum is Back - 1945 - 2000'. Mauser set up tooling in the 1970s and produced them again. Your baby is made out of a postwar Parabellum as a feasibility study for a commemorative version. The handwriting on the magazine is most likely that of Prof. Dr. Rolf Gminder, then manager of small arms production at Mauser.

[Evan Duke]

Vlim, thanks for the info. I received the pistol on Saturday. I don't believe that it has ever been fired.

[hayhugh]

Looking forward to seeing photos and more info...........

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by hayhugh

looking forward to seeing photos and more info...........

+1 !

[Vlim]

Your pistol was made in July 1974 and received an 'Original Mauser' toggle description.

The first prototype was made in May, 1974 and got the 10.000101 serial, with a toggle with Mauser banner, but without 'Original' text.

The pistols were initially numbered as follows:
I = 10.000101
II = 11.000101 (your pistol)
III = 10.000001
IV = the reference pistol.

The original document describing the production of these pistols is dated on the 2nd of August, 1974.
A progress document dating from the 31st of July, 1974 indicates that the 4 pistols were made as prototypes for possible sales by Renato Gamba in Italy.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

This is the one I have been fiddling with for 30 years and still haven't finished it.

Maybe you should put your baby up for adoption...

[Ron Wood]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Maybe you should put your baby up for adoption...

Nah, I have grown quite fond of the poor little beast...even unfinished it pleases me. The work I have done is kinda neat.

[sheepherder]

What happened to the baby for sale on GB??? Did the sale fall through???

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I hate to say it, but IMO Eugene has gotten the proportions and the correct donor Luger to make an appealing 'baby' (or pocket) Luger...

http://www.lugerman.com/Pages/SamplePages/Work_22.html

There is no way I could ever afford one, and I couldn't wait that long even if I could afford it...But it just looks "right"...

[DonVoigt]

Rich,
You could make one yourself!

As I did with a lot of help from my friends!
This bbl is 2.75", I think maybe Eugene's is a half inch longer? I think I like the slightly longer bbl better myself.

Jim Solomon has the frame now, to make a set of simple "normal" checkered grips without border.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

This bbl is 2.75", I think maybe Eugene's is a half inch longer? I think I like the slightly longer bbl better myself.

I think you're right about the barrel. Blowing it up on my scanner, I get 3 1/8" from his web site pic. But in another thread, Ron says the early 'babies' were made from shortened fat barrels...IIRC, Navy fat barrels...(I might have not remembered that correctly)...