New guy questions

[mrerick]

Hi Jeff,

Let me also add my welcome.

While the books may seem expensive, it costs even more to make mistakes buying Lugers for collection or even just for shooting. I call that "Luger Unversity"...

At local gun shows in my area (SouthEast NC) I regularly see grossly overpriced Lugers that are not considered collectible because of mis-matched parts, refinishing or other problems. They are presented as collectible, but are really not. They are priced way above a reasonable price. I mean $3500 for one not worth $1000... Buyer beware. That's expensive "tuition"...

At the last show, I finally saw some beautiful and collectible examples at a dealer's table, but priced at least 2x their value. The nice part of this was that I was able to closely inspect them and have a nice discussion with someone that knew Lugers well. I didn't buy anything, but we both enjoyed the visit over the table.

Try to attend shows where people that collect and sell Lugers show up, and just have a good look at what is being offered or shown. Don't buy anything, but take the time to observe what a Rust Blued finish looks like, versus the Salt Blued guns. Look at aged "Straw".

The books offer detailed reference photographs so that you can see what's "right" about variations. For example, when did the "Mauser Hump" first appear, and what did the rear of the receiver ears look like in WW-I guns versus later Lugers. These things are documented in the books.

I think that Ed's advice about deciding what specific period and variations to focus on is right on... After making that decision, that's what you study.

These are amazing firearms. It's also quite an experience to acquire and own a few...

Marc