New to Luger

[ithacaartist]

Welcome to the forum, Felino.

You have come to the right place to get answers about your Luger.

In the pics, it appears refinished to me. The pistol has a soft, rounded presentation indicative of buffing. The overall dullness is the sign of its having been blasted by glass beads or other medium. Grey is also the wrong color! The grips look nice, but they are not original to the gun. The full serial number would ordinarily appear on the frame, below the barrel, and again at the base of the barrel. A gun destined for the military would display the last two digits of the serial number in obvious places on the outside surfaces of the parts. Commercial small parts were numbered similarly, but the numbers placed discreetly on the bottoms and back sides of the parts. The takedown lever is serialized in the military style, the side plate is not. This indicates that replacement of parts has occurred, in particular the takedown lever, if this started its life as a commercial. Its condition puts it into the shooter category, I'm afraid.

Barrels are measured overall, from muzzle to the face of the bolt. Yours is the standard 4"/ 100 mm length--there's just more of it screwed into the receiver/barrel extension that is not visible.

"Germany" stamp was required for export into the United States, and could have been applied at a later date than manufacture, I believe.

Restoration is something that would not be such a great investment. It might be coaxed into looking prettier, but it will never again be in original condition. And money spent getting t it that way would likely never be recouped. It would be like installing $4,000 tires and rims on a $600 car.

However, in my opinion, there is no such thing a a bad Luger, even if it's not collectible. I'd recommend keeping it just the way it is, as a remembrance to your late brother, if he enjoyed owning it, or passing it to another family member who might appreciate it as it is--and be able to legally possess it. It is very likely that it will shoot just fine, and would be an excellent starter gun for someone who wanted to understand their function and maintenance.

I hope this little bit of info has been helpful...and if I am mistaken in some aspect, we'll get help from some of the other members. I salute your newly-discovered appreciation for this gun, its beautiful design, its ergonomics, its quality of fit (ordinarily one would say "and finish" at this point but...) and workmanship. Luger history and development are immensely intriguing, as well. Enjoy your time here.