most reliable luger? what year?

[suum cuique]

Originally Posted by Vlim

Generally speaking: 1937-1945 are the best years for Mauser pistols. (army contracts bled dry in 1942, but some assembly of parts was done in 1945-1948).

Worst metallurgy is probably that of the stainless steel US made copies.

Early lugers can be a tad on the 'soft' side, they didn't control the surface hardening as well as in later years, although the steel quality was excellent overall.

Had the pleasure of shooting a Mauser from the early 1940s that had been in the river for some 30 years. It's still going strong today after thousands of rounds were fed through it since.

Vlim,
was rust a big issue after 30 years in water?