Significance Of Cosmoline...?

[Pete Ebbink]

Just wondering about the significance of cosmoline and its implied claim to a pistol's authenticity ?

I have seen a few lugers advertised as still being packed full with cosmoline. And awhile back, a fellow e-mailed me, excitedly, when his new luger came home and it was found to be full of cosmoline (assupmtion here, I think, was that it was believed to be factory-original cosmoline...).

Here are my questions :

O. What the heck is cosmoline made of ?

1. What value does the presence of cosmoline demonstrate ? That is, does the presence of factory-original cosmoline add to a collection grade pistol ?

2. Can you tell "old" cosmoline from "new" cosmoline ? (i.e. given that fact than Brownell's advertizes the stuff for sale...).

3. Do you folks recommend the use of cosmoline as a modern-day method of laying-up a luger for a long period of storage?

4. What are the risks of leaving cosmoline in a luger for a very long time ? If any...?

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />