Faked, refinished and boosted Lugers.

[Ron Wood]

I have heard the term "boosting" a few times and the context then was "touching up" thin blue, such as at the muzzle, frame rails and side plate to give a few more per-cent rating for the gun (i.e. boosting it from 95% to 98%). The same goes for enhancing the straw on the small parts. Unfortunately, this is becoming almost commonplace and more and more folks are getting pretty good at it. The straw is usually easy to spot, the blue is somewhat more difficult. If you have any question, take the piece out into the sunlight and look for inconsistancy in the color of the blue on any given part. Not always 100% effective but just one more check.