1937 S/42

Have a chance to buy a 1937 S/42.All matching,even the mag.!No renumbered parts.Import mark,Century.Ex.thruout.New to Lugers,Good price?.TIA.

[John Sabato]

How much blue remains, how much strawing on the trigger, safety, takedown lever, etc.? What type of grips and what condition are they in? Are there any other accessories? Holster? Takedown tool? Cleaning rod? Capture papers?


Need more info to make a price judgement. Give us these details and one of us will venture a best guess...


A serial number range would also be helpful in the format


27XX a - where the XX is for the last two digits, and the letter 'a' stands for the lower case letter on the front of the frame below the serial number...


-JS

[Thor]

check the import stamp, if it is very deep, you might consider another. I would say $400-$500 Thor Make sure the firing pin, hold open and yes Marvin, the breech block have a matching number too, and if they dont try to negoiate the price down as it is mismatched (if applicable) Thor

[Thor]

Since it is an import chances are it is dip blued too! But I occasionaly see some strawed parts mixed into the imports, primarily the ejector.

[Big Norm]

What everyone says is true. The serial number is necessary because early 1937's had strawed parts and late 1937's had blued parts. Its hard to give good ESTIMATES without knowing more. Do the grips have a chip off of it at the saftey lever? Do they show wear? Do the straps show wear? More information needed but the gun could be worth even more. Shooters go for the price previously mentioned. But even that price is a safe price without more information. Having a matching mag is a good sign for an unseen gun. Sometimes we get excited when we see a gun we want and we overlook something that someone who does not care would see in a heart beat. I have a few examples of that.

Bug Norm

[Marvin]

panpat56,


I have seen one import marked Luger with no dip blue and this was only a few weeks ago. It was at least 95% and looked great until I took it apart and the firing pin and holdopen were not matching. What a bummer because when I first looked at this pistol it was sold; then the big letdown with the import mark and the mis-matched parts.


Anyway, you need to check and verify that it is not an East German post war rework. many of these seem to have "matching" magazines. I don't know what is being asked for the pistol, but be careful and don't get burned in the deal. The TOP dollar for an original finish, import marked pistol should be in the MAX $600 range. Keep us posted and provide more info if possible.


Marvin

[Frank]

Marvin, I totally agree. Many of the imports have "matching" magazines that were matched to the pistol at the importers, not at the factory. Be Careful !!!

[Big Norm]

Geez! I hope that we are not scaring this guy off. Maybe we are giving him too much information and we are drowning him. There has got to be a way to help someone without overfilling the bucket. I know that one of the reasons I started with imperial lugers was that the nazis di not have a chance to screw around with bluing, strawing, toggle markings, different types of magazines and so on. I had a guy who knew his lugers but he was so arrogant about it that I forced myself to read everything I could and only used him as a final second opinion. And I stuck to the imperial lugers. After eight years, I am still trying to learn more about the nazi era lugers. I am getting better a spotting redone guns but the Kreighoffs are still hard to get. There are many guys trying to monkey with the guns so that they can get a few extra dollars on a faked gun. I saw an artillery luger at the Ohio Gun Collectors show two shows ago that have naval markings on the rear strap that I immediately saw as recently etched in. The guy was asking $2000 for it because of the markings. I wanted to tell him off but didn't. But he sure acted sincere. There are also reportedly, two guys in Florida and one in Cincinnati who are faking Kreighoffs. One of the is doing a number on 1944's. I hear that he does a good job but his bluing stinks. The National Automatic Pistol Collectors Assn(NAPCA) is constantly warning their members of these cottage industry fakers. A few have recently been arrested in Frorida by the BATF for other resons but there are still a lot of them out there. I know a restorer who has a few guys coming to him to take the import markings off and to reblue the guns. The trick here is to look at the ring at the front of the barrel to see how much metal was turned off of the barrel. Compare it to a known authentic luger and you will see a big difference. But these guys are selling these guns as mint guns at big prices.

Big Norm

[BILL]

Hi Norm, it is one part of the hobby that is tough. There have been Luger collectors for many years and I honestly believe that some never planned on selling their 'prize' pieces so they didn't find it objectionable to make them more 'interesting'. This included anything from stamped grip straps to little handwritten notes that they 'found' in the bottoms of holsters (telling just how the vet pried this pistol from the dying Colonel's fingers). Some of this, I am sure, was done in ignorant innocence. The problem is that after the alteration is made it becomes a part of that Luger's history. Often a fabricated story is even passed on (usually involving an officer). Years later the serious collector approaches someone at a gun show who believes that what he has is the real deal (since he bought it thinking that it was genuine). In my early days I was quick to point out anything that I was sure wasn't authentic. Now there is so much 'stuff' out there that it sometimes seems like a cruel thing to tell some old guy that his marvelous treasure is not as it seems. It is almost better to just pass on it. I see it all the time on eBay and I found that emails pointing out the lack of authenticity are rarely welcome. I guess all of this is why a really honest, clean, respectable Luger is so valuable to me as an object to collect. If it wasn't this way they would just be another gun.

Ok, so all the info says leave it original. Thats fine and dandy, but the lack of bluing, and more, the marring or seeming pitting (I'm guessing, I'll post a picture tomorrow) really bugs me. Is thre anything I can do to clean up the finish on the barrel and frame/reciever without refinishing it?


Also, I've seen the images of the P.08's with the white lettering refilled - on mine, only the 'safe' words are white (and some of that has fallen out). Should I re-white the insides of the letters there and also white the other marks on the pistol?

[Thor]

Tom, dont know if you are familiar with my little service! But if not please visit at http://members.fortunecity.com/tedluger/ and check out the bottom links to pictures. Thor (Ted Green)

Guys,thanks for the info so far!It's blued,about 95% with the ejector being strawed.Grips are checkered walnut,but look too good to be original.Left grip has cut-out for safety.Import mark is very shallow,can bearly feel it with your finger.Serial number is 203 with a mark under it that looks like 2 C's back to back.Like I said,all numbers match,no XXX ing or etching.Guy wants $450.00.I think it is a good deal.TIA.

[Frank]

Thomas, there is a small window on the side of the breech block. If you disassemble the toggle chain from the barrel-receiver by pushing the rear toggle pin out, you can move the firing pin in and out by "operating" the middle link to breech block joint. When you do this the serial number usually appears in that small window. The firing pin can also be removed if there is any question. A guide is in the Technical Section under Assembly-Disassembly. Good Luck on your decision.

[Big Norm]

Bill,


You are absolutely right! But honesty is the best policy. I recently bought a 1916 Navy from a guy from "GUNLIST" magazine who told me that he could not tell if it was redone. If it was it was an old restoration. I too could not tell. I showed it to a few other luger collectors and they could not tell either. But I kept the gun because the guy was honest, the price was right and I liked the gun.


I once bought a 1914 Erfurt artillery that had been stored in a holser in an attic for 40 years. It had light freckling rust all over the outside surface. I removed the rust and found no pitting but all the outside bluing was history. I agonized at having it restored for years. Finally, I gave in and had a professional (Ken Karsted) restore it. Ken did a great job and the gun looks beautiful. The word is that it looks "too perfect".


But Kreighoffs play with my brain. I have four of them (1936, 1937, 1943 and a 'P' code w/side insript) and can not tell if they have been altered. Ralph Shattuck says no. Doug Smith (F.G.S.) says yes. Luger collector fiends of mine say no. So I say keep them as original. If I ever sell them I honestly hope that I do not cheat anybody.


Big Norm