Help - need ID on this one - maybe Bulgarian?

markbritt · 12-14-2009, 10:43 PM

Just picked up this luger the other day. What caught my eye was the lack of a stock lug and lanyard loop. It was full of grease and needed a good cleaning. First thing I noticed is a small machined area under the safety. If you look close, you can see what appears to be an "O" and possibly a "b"? The barrel, slide and frame and most of the other parts are matching. The trigger plate, extractor and firing pin are not. The slide has an #82 stamped underneath it. I took it apart and it looks like it has been reblued - but the fine edges are not worn down and look sharp. The toggle train is all matching with #82 stamped on all 3 pieces.

Couple of questions:

The grips are solid and well done - could these be original?

Could this be a Bulgarian? If so, can the machined area be restored or is it best to leave as is?

Since it appears to be reblued, were the trigger, safety lever, mag release, etc strawed?

What would be the approximate worth?

Any idea of the year of manufacture?

Any help you can shed on this would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

LugerVern · 12-14-2009, 11:27 PM

Yes, looks like a Bulgarian, many were defaced shortly after importing.

Restoration would be expensive and I doubt that it would be worth it. In the end you will still have a seriously messed with gun and that will lower the value.

It's a nice looking gun and will make a fine one to shoot.

Vern

EricW · 12-15-2009, 01:01 AM

The grips look like the Italian reproductions Pete describes here http://luger.gunboards.com/showpost....95&postcount=7

Ron Wood · 12-15-2009, 01:20 AM

Ditto all of the above. The frame is a 1908 Bulgarian and the grips are Italian repros (which happen to be very good quality grips by the way). The receiver and toggle train may be original to the frame but they have also been scrubbed of any Bulgarian markings. It is beyond restoration. You would probably have to pay 10 times what it is worth to have it authentically restored and it still wouldn't be worth much more than it is now. As to year of "manufacture", probably post 1960s when a bunch of surplus Bulgarian pieces were brought into country and mostly sold off as parts. The parts you mentioned were originally strawed and it would add a nice touch to the appearance if you had them re-strawed (you could even do it yourself). Very nice looking gun and probably a dandy shooter.

Mike B · 12-15-2009, 03:52 AM

Just my 2 cents. You might check the extractor. If the Bulgarian extractor is still in place, it is probably worth half as much as the pistol. You will be able to recognize it as a Bulgarian extractor by the Cyrillic marking instead of the German lettering. Also, with the grips removed, you should see a hole in the lower part of the frame to accomodate the lower lanyard loop which was common only to the '08 Bulgarian.

Mike

markbritt · 12-15-2009, 08:42 AM

Thank you for the information. I did check the extractor and it has German writing on it and it was one of the parts that is non-matching. Thanks for the history and I appreciate it. Looks like it will be a great shooter. Considering it only ran me $550.00, I think that was a deal anyway.

Mark

HuntMaster · 12-15-2009, 10:00 PM

As somone once told me, any Luger picked up in that price range is an excellent buy. Nice looking pistol, hope you enjoy it.

12-14-2009, 10:43 PM	#1
markbritt User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 240 Thanks: 5 Thanked 48 Times in 22 Posts	Help - need ID on this one - maybe Bulgarian? Just picked up this luger the other day. What caught my eye was the lack of a stock lug and lanyard loop. It was full of grease and needed a good cleaning. First thing I noticed is a small machined area under the safety. If you look close, you can see what appears to be an "O" and possibly a "b"? The barrel, slide and frame and most of the other parts are matching. The trigger plate, extractor and firing pin are not. The slide has an #82 stamped underneath it. I took it apart and it looks like it has been reblued - but the fine edges are not worn down and look sharp. The toggle train is all matching with #82 stamped on all 3 pieces. Couple of questions: The grips are solid and well done - could these be original? Could this be a Bulgarian? If so, can the machined area be restored or is it best to leave as is? Since it appears to be reblued, were the trigger, safety lever, mag release, etc strawed? What would be the approximate worth? Any idea of the year of manufacture? Any help you can shed on this would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks, Mark Attached Thumbnails

12-15-2009, 01:01 AM	#3
EricW User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: CA, USA Posts: 62 Thanks: 4 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	The grips look like the Italian reproductions Pete describes here http://luger.gunboards.com/showpost....95&postcount=7 __________________ I'm looking for a D suffix DE154 G Date mag. The closer to #457d the better PM me if you have one you are willing to sell, trade, or if you have a lead

12-15-2009, 01:20 AM	#4
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,035 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,242 Times in 1,719 Posts	Ditto all of the above. The frame is a 1908 Bulgarian and the grips are Italian repros (which happen to be very good quality grips by the way). The receiver and toggle train may be original to the frame but they have also been scrubbed of any Bulgarian markings. It is beyond restoration. You would probably have to pay 10 times what it is worth to have it authentically restored and it still wouldn't be worth much more than it is now. As to year of "manufacture", probably post 1960s when a bunch of surplus Bulgarian pieces were brought into country and mostly sold off as parts. The parts you mentioned were originally strawed and it would add a nice touch to the appearance if you had them re-strawed (you could even do it yourself). Very nice looking gun and probably a dandy shooter. __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

12-14-2009, 11:27 PM	#2
LugerVern User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 563 Thanks: 1 Thanked 34 Times in 27 Posts	Yes, looks like a Bulgarian, many were defaced shortly after importing. Restoration would be expensive and I doubt that it would be worth it. In the end you will still have a seriously messed with gun and that will lower the value. It's a nice looking gun and will make a fine one to shoot. Vern

12-15-2009, 03:52 AM	#5
Mike B Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Louisiana Posts: 979 Thanks: 1 Thanked 272 Times in 100 Posts	Just my 2 cents. You might check the extractor. If the Bulgarian extractor is still in place, it is probably worth half as much as the pistol. You will be able to recognize it as a Bulgarian extractor by the Cyrillic marking instead of the German lettering. Also, with the grips removed, you should see a hole in the lower part of the frame to accomodate the lower lanyard loop which was common only to the '08 Bulgarian. Mike

12-15-2009, 08:42 AM	#6
markbritt User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 240 Thanks: 5 Thanked 48 Times in 22 Posts	Thank you for the information. I did check the extractor and it has German writing on it and it was one of the parts that is non-matching. Thanks for the history and I appreciate it. Looks like it will be a great shooter. Considering it only ran me $550.00, I think that was a deal anyway. Mark

12-15-2009, 10:00 PM	#7
HuntMaster User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 69 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	As somone once told me, any Luger picked up in that price range is an excellent buy. Nice looking pistol, hope you enjoy it.