New Member with Old Commercial Luger (I think.)

[Gerald A Keller]

Hi, Luger Forum people! I have an old Luger that shoots well after I replaced a spring on its extractor mechanism. I think about having it refinished now and then, by an experienced quality gunsmith for these. Can you enlighten me on how the value will be viewed for this gun by collectors after a quality reblue?

[Karl]

Dear Gerald,

Welcome to the forum. Your photo is a bit dark but from what I can see the Luger appears to be in fine condition. I do not see an advantage in refinishing the gun, and it would significantly reduce the value. Moreover, from the strawed (yellow) parts (trigger, mag release), the gun must have a "cold" rust blued finish rather than the "hot" salt blued finish typically used on modern guns. In short, I advise you to leave it as is.

I encourage you to post more photos.

KFS

[Gerald A Keller]

Dear Karl,
Thanks for your reply. I agree with not refinishing the gun, as it is great to shoot and not bad to look at as is. I was looking for confirmation from someone, just as you have given. I will post some more photos. The gun has all matching numbers, and I think the bore looks great for a gun of its age.
Best Regards, Gerry Keller

[Mac Cat]

Welcome to the Forum, Gerry.

You have a nice luger - it looks interesting.
I'd love to see the rest of it - particularly the mark on the rear.

[Doubs]

More pictures, especially of all markings, would help us give you more information. You don't mention caliber but the barrel mark 8,82 says it's 9mm. From what I can presently see, it's an Imperial German military pistol that has had the date removed but is otherwise pretty much as-issued.... except for the stamp on the rear of the frame. That is most assuredly not original to the gun when it left the factory.

[Gerald A Keller]

Thanks to all of you guys, great information. Doubs, Pitsword, Mac Cat, you guys are fantastic! I will post some more pictures later, but it is pretty clear that I should leave it as it is and just make it functional, and that was my original question. Thanks for the forum!

[spangy]

To LugerForum Gerald

I think it would be a sin to re-finish this Luger.
Plus done properly by someone who knows what he is doing would be costly.
Done improperly by someone who doesn't know what he is doing could be even more costly.

Bottom line you would be placing your #'s matching, possibly 'collector' class gun permanently into the 'shooter' grade class at best.
The stamp on the end of the receiver adds 'uniqueness' and would be interesting to research ... fun gun.

Your pictures present a Luger that I would be proud to own and enjoy.

[Gerald A Keller]

Thanks again forum members. i am glad to have one of these after many years of dreaming about it.This one shoots well and I am sure, like all the other Lugers on this site, would have a lot of stories to tell if it could talk, lol!!!!

[Dwight Gruber]

This is an interesting Luger. Closeup pictures of the left, right, and top of the receiver would be useful in order to completely tell you what you have.

This gun should be a good shooter. I am sure you recognize that its condition removes it from the realm of prime collectibility. Having it reblued would certainly remove all remaining collecting consideration, and (depending on the skill and knowledge of the operator) probably physically alter the steel surface. It would not be worth the cost, in any case.

But here is a thought for you: if you want to improve the gun's superficial presentibility, consider cold blue. Remove any oil from the surface (do not otherwise prepare the surface in any fashion), and then apply cold blue to the bare steel patches. This will not damage the steel and can be easily removed.

This is heresy under most circumstances. It is something which I have never before recommended (and I expect stringent disagreement) and would not do myself, but honestly as a shooter it will not alter its value.

--Dwight

[mrerick]

Welcome to the forum.

If it's mechanically excellent, don't do anything except maintain it properly.

We publish a FAQ reference document on this forum. Be sure to download it. Just follow the FAQ links at the top of every page. You'll find the information useful.

Take your pictures with a camera that can focus properly, and in natural shaded light without using a flash. That way the finish will photograph properly and we can see details.

You cannot improve a Luger by refinishing it. You'll spend money and probably reduce it's financial as well as historic value.

[Gerald A Keller]

Wow, great information from all regarding my old Luger! And I am going to keep it like it is as most recommended. Also, it is difficult now to ship to an FFL using most any shipping service. The laws have changed almost under the table for shipping for any kind of repair. And even here in Arizona I find it difficult to get a store or FFL to ship for me. I have sent some messages to my Senators here to look in to it, because, especially for repair, some do need to ship their firearms.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Gerald A Keller

Wow, great information from all regarding my old Luger! And I am going to keep it like it is as most recommended. Also, it is difficult now to ship to an FFL using most any shipping service. The laws have changed almost under the table for shipping for any kind of repair. And even here in Arizona I find it difficult to get a store or FFL to ship for me. I have sent some messages to my Senators here to look in to it, because, especially for repair, some do need to ship their firearms.

Non-FFL holders are basically screwed out of economical shipping. It's not allowed at all via USPS, and both FedEx and UPS insist on overnight shipping, which was around eighty bucks last time I checked,

With an FFL, guns can be shipped by registered mail, which can cost less than 1/4 of what the shipping services insist upon. I'm not sure what USPS allows with an 03 FFL (C&R), but if shipping privileges similar to 01 FFL are allowed by the postal service, individual states can disallow them, and a C&R will be useless. Too bad you live so far from a handy dealer.

[gunbugs]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Non-FFL holders are basically screwed out of economical shipping. It's not allowed at all via USPS, and both FedEx and UPS insist on overnight shipping, which was around eighty bucks last time I checked,

With an FFL, guns can be shipped by registered mail, which can cost less than 1/4 of what the shipping services insist upon. I'm not sure what USPS allows with an 03 FFL (C&R), but if shipping privileges similar to 01 FFL are allowed by the postal service, individual states can disallow them, and a C&R will be useless. Too bad you live so far from a handy dealer.

They don't have to go Registered, unless the insurance value is over 5,000. USPS requires at least 600 insurance, or signature confirmation for firearms, your choice. Dealers fill out a Postal Form 1508 for the firearm packages they are shipping on a particular day. (Actually only required for handguns, but I do it for long guns also just to keep them from asking silly questions). That is handed to the clerk with the packages and the P.O. retains the form for a year. I've been using the Post Office to ship firearms for decades. I typically ship guns out at least once a week, sometimes two or three times a week, depending on sales. They all know me down there, so it goes pretty smoothly. I always label my boxes before I get there with prepaid labels from USPS.Com, so all they have to do is scan them in, and I'm out of there. They like to see me, because I've already done the work for them.

[Lugerdoc]

Gerald, You're fortunate as there's another Gerald (Tomek) who also lives in Chandler, who is very knowledgable about lugers and can help you evaluate your luger. Give GT a call @ 480-234-6565.