[Italy] Found a Luger on a lake bottom.

[John Sabato]

Welcome to the Lugerforum... Your English is quite good. Much better than my rusty Italian...

The Luger that you have found appears to be the result of a collision with an artillery or mortar explosion.

Despite the physical damage, the condition of the metal seem to be very good for being under water for a very long time.

Without a complete serial number, the history we can tell you about this Luger is limited.

If there is a 4-digit serial number on the front of the frame above the trigger guard, then we can tell you a bit more about this gun. Can you please show a photo of this area in sharp focus? With the complete serial number we can probably tell you exactly what year it was manufactured.

From what I see in the photo, and from what you have told me, this gun was a police Luger because there is evidence that it had the sear safety, and magazine safety typical of that model.

S/42 on the toggle indicates that this pistol was manufactured by Mauser, approximately sometime from 1936 to 1939. If the trigger, magazine release and safety lever appear to have been blue like the rest of the pistol, then the gun was made after the change from straw parts sometime in 1937, if the parts appear to have been "strawed" or yellow in color, then the pistol was made before the middle of 1937.

The stamped numbers on the grip are a unit number, which unfortunately, I do not have a reference to tell you which unit, but it would most likely be a German police unit.

I think your Luger would look good mounted on a wood plaque as a wall decoration. A very unique war souvenier...

I hope this information has been helpful.