Help looking for 1st Luger

[Edward Tinker]

A few answers;

Straw is where it has been fire-blued, this is only done on certain years (pre-1936 or something like that).

You can get a WW2 for "less" than $1500 if you look around.

Here is an answer on Black Widows, not a true variation BTW:

Q:What is a "Black Widow" Luger?
A:Typically a 41 or a 42 dated chamber Mauser, toggle coded "byf" with black plastic grips (on about 20% of them). This was simply a marketing tactic employed, and the phrase was coined by Ralph Shattuck (he tells me). It really worked. These guns have a black salt blued finish, black grips, and all blued (black color) small parts (trigger, safety lever and take down lever). Some of the 1940 vintage (a very few), and 41/42 Lugerâ??s had them also, but primarily the "byf" with black grips are a "Black Widow". This was an American invention, and had no German basis at all! German collectors say "Huh?" sometimes, when you mention the term! Written by Thor

FGS never "dipped" any of the guns. This was done by the East Germans and Russians to preserve them.

BUY a collectable gun, so it rises in value, unless you plan on shooting it often, then buy one that is a shooter, reblued, etc, as a rep piece.

Buy luger books, and learn, unless you just have money laying around, $1500 bucks is a bit of money....

Ed