Historical Question

Castle · 01-11-2008, 05:23 PM

Is there any feeling among the members that of the principal manufacturers of lugers some were/are better than others in terms of function and finish? Same question about period of manufacture: are pre-WW2 lugers thought to be better made than post? I am new to lugers and would be most interested in members' thoughts on this. Thanks very much.

Dwight Gruber · 01-11-2008, 05:48 PM

Castle,

Welcome to the Foru.

There is quite a bit of collector lore and conventional wisdom concerning your question, and of course not everyone agrees.

First, it is useful to divide the subject into two categories, function and "fit and finish". Function can be dispensed with rather quickly. Most Lugers were made for military use (Germany or elswhere) and produced to stringent requirements. Functionality was the primary requirement, and all accepted guns can be presumed equal in this regard regardless of manufacturer.

"Fit and finish" is a much more variable category.

DWM had much experience with commercial Luger manufacture, making guns of extremely fine finish. This practice carried over into military production.

Erfurt Lugers are generally considered inferior to DWM in fit-and-finish, although this is not the case with all examples--many Erfurt Lugers are very fine indeed. Over the course of WWI the superficial finish of both manufacturers detiorated, Erfurt somewhat more than DWM.

Simson Lugers have no real reputation in this regard.

Krieghoff Lugers are known for, and collected because of, their particularly high quality of finish.

Mauser Lugers are generally of good quality fit-and-finish. Some collectors feel that these guns are of better quality because of advanced metallurgy of their steel, over WWI-era guns. Other collectors see no evidence of this and do not accept the premise. An attitude has often been expressed, "collect the DWMs, shoot the Mausers."

Swiss Lugers manufactured by Waffenfabrik Bern are noteworthy for their high-quality finish.

--Dwight

Castle · 01-12-2008, 01:58 PM

Dwight, many thanks. That is exactly the kind of insight I hoped for. I appreciate your taking the time to educate me.

01-11-2008, 05:23 PM	#1
Castle User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New England Posts: 25 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Historical Question Is there any feeling among the members that of the principal manufacturers of lugers some were/are better than others in terms of function and finish? Same question about period of manufacture: are pre-WW2 lugers thought to be better made than post? I am new to lugers and would be most interested in members' thoughts on this. Thanks very much.

01-11-2008, 05:48 PM	#2
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	Castle, Welcome to the Foru. There is quite a bit of collector lore and conventional wisdom concerning your question, and of course not everyone agrees. First, it is useful to divide the subject into two categories, function and "fit and finish". Function can be dispensed with rather quickly. Most Lugers were made for military use (Germany or elswhere) and produced to stringent requirements. Functionality was the primary requirement, and all accepted guns can be presumed equal in this regard regardless of manufacturer. "Fit and finish" is a much more variable category. DWM had much experience with commercial Luger manufacture, making guns of extremely fine finish. This practice carried over into military production. Erfurt Lugers are generally considered inferior to DWM in fit-and-finish, although this is not the case with all examples--many Erfurt Lugers are very fine indeed. Over the course of WWI the superficial finish of both manufacturers detiorated, Erfurt somewhat more than DWM. Simson Lugers have no real reputation in this regard. Krieghoff Lugers are known for, and collected because of, their particularly high quality of finish. Mauser Lugers are generally of good quality fit-and-finish. Some collectors feel that these guns are of better quality because of advanced metallurgy of their steel, over WWI-era guns. Other collectors see no evidence of this and do not accept the premise. An attitude has often been expressed, "collect the DWMs, shoot the Mausers." Swiss Lugers manufactured by Waffenfabrik Bern are noteworthy for their high-quality finish. --Dwight

01-12-2008, 01:58 PM	#3
Castle User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New England Posts: 25 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Dwight, many thanks. That is exactly the kind of insight I hoped for. I appreciate your taking the time to educate me.