Luger Definitions~

[Dwight Gruber]

Getting back on topic, after the pointless e-book digression.

Welcome to my soap-box.

“Reblue” means that the surface bluing has been replaced, often without regard to the originally appropriate method (rust blue or chemical salt blue). Its corollary is “re-straw”, replacing the surface strawing of appropriate parts.

“Refinish” is an imprecise, often deceptive description which combines more than one type of surface modification (chemical or physical), in unspecified combination, without regard to craftsmanship. “Arsenal refinish” is a meaningless and deceptive marketing term, intended to increase value by implying that work was done by some official or approved entity.

“Re-work” is a meaningless description, thoughtlessly used as a catch-all to indicate post-manufacture maintenance, or repair or replacement of unspecified parts.

“Refurbish” is another meaningless term, generally inclusive of the concepts embodied in “reblue”, “refinish”, and “rework”.

“Restored” is almost always a marketing deception or collection aggrandizement, used to increase the value or status of a Luger pistol. It implies bringing the surface of the pistol to original, factory-finish condition. It is meaningless when used alone. To properly describe a pistol as “restored” one should ideally know (and report) the gun’s pre-restoration condition, and the identity of the craftsman performing the work is required.

--Dwight