Possible acquisition, advice needed

BreakerDave · 06-13-2006, 06:26 PM

Thanks for the welcome to the Forum. -The luger I am looking at is a 1940 Code 42 with a FXO magazine. It supposedly has an excellent bore and grips (no million dollar chip).

I guess the thing about the spotting is that what I am saying is what the salesperson is telling me. I have seen some photos of the gun and there is only one photo that depicts the spotting. There is some spotting on the rail on the gun's right side and there looks like there was some spotting on the right side of the frame near the post of the takedown latch. There appears to have been an attempt to clean this area up. At first glance, I (and a friend) thought the marred finish was the result of errant punch strikes but the salesperson was convinced that this was from an attempt to clean up spotting.

I spoke to my gunsmith and he said that spotting or freckling are like tiny pits in the finish. Without looking at the gun, he was hesitant to say if they could be removed / minimized. He cautioned that even if I was able to get the spot out it might leave behind something akin to a watermark in the finish as a tell-tale mark that something had been buffed out.

I am tempted to post the link but I don't want it to seem like I am attacking the company or their judgment. I'm trying to learn the standards by how I should be grading this firearm. I understand that the company's view is old, military firearms need a bit of leniency in grading. However, it seems to me that it is difficult to say something is 95% blue yet it has many places where there is minor spotting. Wouldn't spotting take the grading down?

I know the question of value is largely dependent on what the two parties (buyer & seller) agree to. What I'm willing to pay maybe different from what someone else might be willing to pay and both may vary from what the seller is willing to accept. I know the seller is absolutely inflexible about his price. I'm not an expert but it seems high to me. I suppose if I had Donald Trump's money I wouldn't care about paying a premium for the gun that seems to be a decent example of an early WWII Luger. Of course, I don't have Donald Trump's money so I'm reluctant to throw out money just so I can get a piece that on the whole appears to be decent.

06-13-2006, 06:26 PM	#3
BreakerDave New User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for the welcome to the Forum. -The luger I am looking at is a 1940 Code 42 with a FXO magazine. It supposedly has an excellent bore and grips (no million dollar chip). I guess the thing about the spotting is that what I am saying is what the salesperson is telling me. I have seen some photos of the gun and there is only one photo that depicts the spotting. There is some spotting on the rail on the gun's right side and there looks like there was some spotting on the right side of the frame near the post of the takedown latch. There appears to have been an attempt to clean this area up. At first glance, I (and a friend) thought the marred finish was the result of errant punch strikes but the salesperson was convinced that this was from an attempt to clean up spotting. I spoke to my gunsmith and he said that spotting or freckling are like tiny pits in the finish. Without looking at the gun, he was hesitant to say if they could be removed / minimized. He cautioned that even if I was able to get the spot out it might leave behind something akin to a watermark in the finish as a tell-tale mark that something had been buffed out. I am tempted to post the link but I don't want it to seem like I am attacking the company or their judgment. I'm trying to learn the standards by how I should be grading this firearm. I understand that the company's view is old, military firearms need a bit of leniency in grading. However, it seems to me that it is difficult to say something is 95% blue yet it has many places where there is minor spotting. Wouldn't spotting take the grading down? I know the question of value is largely dependent on what the two parties (buyer & seller) agree to. What I'm willing to pay maybe different from what someone else might be willing to pay and both may vary from what the seller is willing to accept. I know the seller is absolutely inflexible about his price. I'm not an expert but it seems high to me. I suppose if I had Donald Trump's money I wouldn't care about paying a premium for the gun that seems to be a decent example of an early WWII Luger. Of course, I don't have Donald Trump's money so I'm reluctant to throw out money just so I can get a piece that on the whole appears to be decent.