A Study...

[Ron Wood]

I donâ??t try to judge the finish on a Luger from photos, it is a waste of time. I am more than willing to question mechanical or configuration discrepancies from photographs, and blatant finish problems (e.g. lack of halos on military Luger barrel numbers) but I have given up on evaluating nuances. Depending on how it was photographed the picture can enhance or detract from the actual condition of the gun. PIA photos always look pristine, but in the case of this Luger I would wager that viewed first hand it would look considerably less minty. If you want to get a better feel for the actual appearance of the piece look at the shot of the forward frame well and observe the finish on the top of the frame rails.

I have a high-resolution graphics monitor and even with that I am not prepared to attempt to judge the authenticity of any of the finish, markings or machining. Pete says the safety polished area looks too narrow and Dwight says it appears to be polished beyond the edges of the millingâ?¦too narrow?, to wide?, just right?â?¦darned if I can tell. And if anyone can see to the bottom of the checkering on those toggle knobs to tell for sure if there is any rustâ?¦wow.

I agree with Dwight that it seems odd for a Swiss cross to show up on a commercial barrel this late in production, but those pesky little crosses do show up in odd places, e.g. on the first 200 or so 1900 American Eagles and again on some in the 8000 range. Still it is cause for caution, as is the lack of proofs. Legitimate Lugers without proofs do show up from time to time, but added to all the other anomalies of this piece it sets off warning bells.

I think Pete made a very good observation, just stated it wrong. The sear bar is not strawed, but the portion of the grip safety that blocks the sear is strawed, and that is a sure sign of someone getting â??carried awayâ?� with refinishing. Whether the whole gun is refinished or just â??touched upâ?� is hard to say, but this part has been fooled with, no doubt about it.

IMHO the piece is â??almost OKâ?�, but not enough so to justify a $5,550 price tag, not even close. Iâ??m not convinced that it is â??appropriately pricedâ?� even if I was sure it was in original condition. But, by the same token I am having a bit of trouble adjusting to the $5K-$10K prices of other dealers and the trend toward $3K for nice condition but otherwise common Lugers.