Black Widow

[merc]

I have read that the "Black Widow" is just a name that dealers attached to the Lugers that were made with black plastic grips, because there was not sufficient good wood to make quality stocks, and they were blued instead of straw finished.
Is this true and if so does that mean they are not necessarily rare?

[Mike B]

Merc,
What you are saying is correct. The term "Black Widow" was coined by a well known Luger dealer/collector. They do seem to bring more money than a like Lugers with wood grips. I would guess this is because only a very small percentage were fitted with plastic grips. This has been an ongoing discussion for many years. As far as the bluing is concerned, the early Lugers were rust blued. This is a very time consuming process. When the second world war broke out, the bluing process was changed to a less time consuming process.

Mike

[Edward Tinker]

Originally Posted by merc

I have read that the "Black Widow" is just a name that dealers attached to the Lugers that were made with black plastic grips, because there was not sufficient good wood to make quality stocks, and they were blued instead of straw finished.
Is this true and if so does that mean they are not necessarily rare?

yes, as Mike said, this is true.

have you had a chance to read the FAQ?

FAQ= Frequently asked questions