Uh-oh...

[hayhugh]

If I remember correctly you bid and won this gun at $1100.00. If you had paid the 3% credit card fee ($33.00) you could have received the gun within a week of the auction. That is the time I received my in the past. It is going to be almost a month since the auction. I don't think I could have the patience to wait that long to get my grubby hands on the gun!

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by hayhugh

If I remember correctly you bid and won this gun at $1100.00.

I'm still trying to figure out RIA's billing/accounts logic...

[ithacaartist]

$33 isn't much difference in the overall financial load. Let's just say I'm frugal...and patient. I just wrote an email asking if it has shipped, so I expect news of some sort later today.

Rich, their breakdown is in preceding posts. $1100 + $165, then shipping, insurance, and "materials" to total $1310. The B.P. etc is less than I would have paid in gas to get to Rock Island and back.

[ithacaartist]

I picked up the 1900 from the dealer yesterday. Those who suggested it were correct, it does look a bit better in-hand than in the auction pics. With what little time I had when I returned home, I was able to field strip and clean it pretty well, and wiped it down well with oil. Everything checked out in good structural shape, so, a little lithium grease applied to the rails, a drop of oil on each moving joint, and I loaded a single .30 Luger round that was on my desk into the mag, cycled it into the chamber just fine, and went out back to give it a go. Click. I had my suspicions about the firing pin spring-you'll see why when I post the pics--so tried again with a fresh, proper spring. Bang, she went! Ejection and hold-open functioned just fine. Whew!

Some features/issues. 1) The extractor seems twisted, and it kind of jiggles around in its moorings when the chamber is empty. I had judged it sound enough for a few shots, and it presented no problem. I'm looking for a replacement extractor now. 2) The right grip is loose, even under the screw, so I will remedy that. 3) No import marks! 4) Crown B and U proofed. 5) All numbers match, all appear righteous, except the firing pin--which 6) looks weird at its tip, is numbered "32" instead of "02", and is fluted sides and bottom. I'll show that in a pic when I post them. I think I'm also looking for a new/replacement 1900 firing pin, as they are a little different than the P.08s'.

Stay tuned...

[hayhugh]

All is well that ends well.... I am curious as to the fancy left grip - what is the white add-on? Any special significances'. Hugh

[ithacaartist]

Hugh, the white thing on the left grip appears to be a silver plaque inlaid within an area relieved for it. It is held in by a kind of staple effect, with a post of the same material penetrating the grip through holes top and bottom, the ends of the posts are split and spread apart a bit. It does not show any signs of ever having been engraved.

I've had a rather busy weekend, so haven't taken the time for this one's photo shoot. Sometime this week, I think...

[Douglas Jr.]

Looking forward for your pictures and review.
Kind of favorite TV series season finale-feeling, you know?

[ithacaartist]

This is after a decent cleaning with oily 0000 steel wool, which removed quite a bit of active rust. I admit to polishing the tip of the safety bar. No way has this ever been refinished. Lines and corners and markings are crisp, albeit pitted. I'll get better lighting outdoors, these were taken with a 29 l.e.d. work light.

[Ron Wood]

Just a lovely gun. Those grips constitute a significant contribution to the value of the gun. If you ever want to part with them let me know! It might help with the restoration cost if you should so desire.
Ron

[ithacaartist]

Ron, I wanted to ask you about those...notice how the checkered pattern is coarser on the left grip than the right? They're both convincingly numbered 02 on their backs. What's up with that?

Otherwise, this gun is really sweet. The sound and feel when it snaps into battery when chambering the first round strikes me as different than the later ones--like closing the door on a Rolls Royce--impressive and amazing! I can see now why you like the oldies so much.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Ron, I wanted to ask you about those...

Ask Ron if he'll swap you for an original pair of 1900 grips without the inlaid plate...

Otherwise, this gun is really sweet. The sound and feel when it snaps into battery when chambering the first round strikes me as different than the later ones--like closing the door on a Rolls Royce--impressive and amazing! I can see now why you like the oldies so much.

The tolerances are much tighter too. It didn't have to pass military trials [yet] so it was much more closely machined. The surface finish was much better too.

I like the 110+ year old patina on mine. Be sure you remove the safety lever and clean out the crud underneath it. Makes a world of difference in the safety 'staying put'.

[rhuff]

I think that that "old girl" looks just pretty spiffy!! I promise you that I won't look that good if I live to the age of that Luger. There is a lot to like on the 1900s. I think that you did just fine on this purchase.

[Ron Wood]

Dave,
Are you sure the left grip is checkered coarser than the right? It looks to me to be the same lines per inch but the right grip diamonds are a bit more flattened. Perhaps the left grip checkering was freshened up when the presentation plate was added?


"Closing the door on a Rolls Royce"...good analogy...the 1900 is a classic of workmanship in its own right.

[Edward Tinker]

Although little to do with Dave's luger, I received an unexpected call about two 'shooter' 1911A1's from RIA.

I haggled a bit and got them for about $700 each shipped - one is obviously worth a bit more than the other. One is a Nickle plated, with all military markings gone from it and has antler / stag grips. - result, my wife likes it, the grips are very nice and probably worth a couple hundred by themselves, and the bore cleaned up nicely. Its a very tight 1911A1. With a nice Remington Rand marking on the left. I figure a shooter 45 goes for around $600-$750?
The second is a Remington Rand frame with an Ithaca slide. Although the sn range says its a Rem Rand frame and not an Ithaca, it has all the characteristics of a Ithaca, but they shared a lot of parts. So, I am assuming a mixmaster possible made up later. Barrel was much rougher, but I swapped it with a newer colt barrel. Finish was frosted with light pitting here and there and a slight orange color that today cleaned up very nicely. A well worn, but decent war-horse. I think if selling I could ask $1000-$1200 ?

On both purchases (Simson and these) I sent a personal / biz check. Received Simson in less than a week, and received these about 14 days after sending the check. Both were much quicker turnarounds than I have seen before, but they also have my credit card on file, so I assume they figure they could always charge it.

Anyway, prices are always more than I like at auction, and the descriptions on the regionals are so awful and vague that you can't go by the codes they suggest IMHO.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

... the descriptions on the regionals are so awful and vague that you can't go by the codes they suggest IMHO.

Ed, this one was certainly described all wrong. I think it may have actually helped me to win the lot.

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

Dave,
Are you sure the left grip is checkered coarser than the right?...

Yes, they are different; to make sure, I just checked with the DemBart gauge: Left grip is 18 lpi, right is 20 lpi. Coincidentally, one of my '06 AEs, the shooter with the 6" bbl I had G.T. install, arrived with similar disparity of its grips. Since they weren't numbered, I went ahead and replaced the coarse one by swapping it and a few bucks for one with the finer pattern.

[DavidJayUden]

Should have kept that grip. Then maybe you could have switched one grip from each gun...
dju

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Should have kept that grip. Then maybe you could have switched one grip from each gun...
dju

One guy says to the other,"Hey, your socks don't match!" The other guy says, "Man, that is weird...I have another pair just like these at home."

Among my souvenirs is a pair of grips from a 1900, one of the things I bought from a gentleman in Argentina a couple of years ago. They're parked on a long frame '06 AE (fit like a glove) while I'm tending to its numbered left grip.

I'm going to live with the left grip as it is for a while.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

I just checked with the DemBart gauge...

Dave, I'm terrible with proper names of the tools I use...Is that a woodworking/checkering-specific tool??? I have several thread gauges, inch & Metric, and I can't get any kind of reading from them on grip checkering...

I was kind of interested in measuring the checkering on some of my Lugers & others. But with my thread gauges, I can't tell 18lpi from 20lpi...[just an example]...

[ithacaartist]

Rich, you'd line up the pattern with the scaled marks on the gauge for comparison.

[ithacaartist]

Just for S & G, peruse another auction offering that is incorrectly described here: https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDeta...c-Pistol---FFL Wow, this one would be a step up!