My humble Luger

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

Evening fellas,
Thought I'd share my Luger with you all. I'm from the UK so this is a deact, but that doesn't mean I like it any less.
It's a byf 41 Luger, with the serial number 7667, and, from what I can see, it is all matching minus the magazine. It's heavily pitted all along the top and front sight, as well as around the trigger guard, and there is wear to the grips. The blue-ing in some areas has turned to a brown-ish colour, due to oxidation I believe, however i don't collect guns usually so I may be wrong.

At the time of purchase I may have paid over the odds for a Luger like this in the condition it is in, but since the new deact laws in the UK, old-spec Lugers have become very valuable anyway. However I do not intend to sell, one because I like it, and two because I prefer to keep on the right side of the law

If I had to take a guess it's probably been stored badly since the war in Eastern Europe and the rust has got to it. The reason I assumed Eastern Europe is that I heard deact dealers go over there to buy stock. Correct me if I'm wrong again.

Anyway I'll stop waffling on
Kindest Regards,
Harvey
ps excuse the Michael Jackson-esque gloves, had it out for a light cleaning

[BrodieBartfast]

A nice honest Luger! The pitting doesn't take away from its overall appearance at all. Those appear to be the original grips, too. They will be serial-numbered to the gun, but you'll have to remove them to check. I avoided doing that with my own example, as I was too afraid of scratching up the screws!

Also, don't worry about the non-matching magazine. The vast majority of wartime-produced pistols have mismatched mags. They were each issued with two (one to be fitted into the pistol, and a spare for the holster), but they seldom stayed with the weapon for long. They were swapped about and discarded often during use, and consequently a wartime pistol with matching mags is a real rarity. When found, they command a premium.

The gloves are nothing to be ashamed of either! I'd encourage anyone who collects vintage firearms (or anything else, for that matter) to wear gloves when handling them wherever possible, or at the very least to give the weapon a good wipe down after handling. Human skin oils are highly corrosive, and will cause long-term damage if left to sit on the metal.

Regards, B.B.

[Toecutter]

I like it,has that been there done thatlook to it, nice example,thanks for showing it!

[texasuberalles]

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

Thank you for the responses guys, really kind. It has certainly been there and done it for sure, age old saying of "if only it could speak" applies.

I've stripped it down for a clean before, was fairly straight forward as I followed a tutorial on Youtube, fiddly for my sausage fingers, but not too difficult. Didn't think to check the grips for a serial number at the time though Most of the time I'll wear gloves when handling it, if not then before it goes back in the cabinet it'll get a wipe down with an oily rag.

It's a nice example, but since the deact laws came in I don't think I'll ever buy another unless they're reverted back.

On a side note, ever since I got this Luger, the bolt is very temperamental at holding back and will usually just cycle without holding back first, I've read this is because the spring is slack in the magazine or something? Can anyone shed any light?

Best Wishes
Harvey

[Ben Evans]

Nice Luger, just one thing though being Old Spec its worthless, you cannot sell it so its not valuable, I have 8 sat in my house some being very rare ones, but hey oh such is life. But a nice Luger anyway

[Ben Evans]

Prob my best one

Ku Marked Luger

[Martin Bull]

Thanks for posting your pics, Harvey. And hey - it's a Luger ! Let's face it - no WWII German collection is quite complete without one.....

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

That's a lovely Luger you've linked Ben, a very fine example. It's a shame about the Deact laws, hopefully one day they'll revert them back to how they were before. The collecting community has a fair argument for it, but the Govt has more pressing issues and I don't think will ever get round to it. I'd love to see a few more of yours mate.

Thank you Martin, very kind of you. It's a rite of passage owning a Luger I'd say

Cheers gents for your kind comments,
Best wishes,
Harvey

[greatwhite]

I guess there will always be an under the table market Ben.