Black widow or fake

[wworker]

I thought black widow lugers started in 1942.

Here's a link to an auction that wasn't bid on too much.


http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=75538507

[Edward Tinker]

Two statements:

1) There is no seperate black widow variation, so hard to say when it started...

2) There might be a considered black widow "type" by collectors, but I did not know there was a distinct date?


Ed

PS: In the FAq it states;
22) Black grips first came out when?

The black plastic grips did not come out until June of 1941 to the best of my knowledge, so anything before is a replacement. There were NO original black plastic grips issued with a 1940 Luger. No black plastic bases either, as they are all replacements when found with these models -- or have been added lately.

[MikeP]

"Black Widow" is a marketing term which appeared years ago to describe what was then considered sort of "last ditch" non-collectable lugers.
It has been rumored to have been spawned in Arizona.
Many feel it described the BYF 41's with black grips and mag bottoms.

[Lugerdoc]

As has been mentioned above, some BP grips were used as replacements late in the war. I once picked up a WW1 Erfurt PO8 that was liberated by a WW2 vet with early brown plastic Kreighoff grips. TH