If Restored Bugs You, Please Don't Open!

[Zilmo]

And please refrain from telling me what a huge mistake I made in having this restored. I've heard it all before, and frankly I just don't care.

This gun means the world to me, and will be passed down in my family. "Value" is of no meaning in regards to this pistol.

I got this gun from my best friend. His father flew mail planes with Lindbergh in the late twenties and early thirties. George went on to fly for United, starting when they were still Boeing Air Transport around 1935, and retired from United in 1969, number 1 on their seniority list.

I guess all the mail plane pilots always carried a piece with them, as they flew into some pretty rugged places. This is the gun my friends dad George carried with him.

 

[sprice]

that is one beautiful gun!

 

[zombie1210]

Its a beauty!

 

[krmgator]

IMHO; if it's a gun that is not going to be sold, and will be passed down and even shot, I think restoration is the way to go. I have certain pistols and handguns that I will want my son to have and I may even have them done some time in the future.

What better way to make sure that a gun is used for its intended purpose than to shoot it.

 

[jdub3]

That looks beatiful. I'm so jealous.

My grandpa, who I was very close to, brought an officer's Luger back from WWII. Unfortunately, he was always a little to generous, he loaned it to his boss and it was never returned. Still wake up in cold sweats dreaming about the Luger that should have been mine.

Who did the restoration work?

 

[rondog]

Gorgeous! Ain't no sin in restoring something, it's yours to do with as you please. Some guns like authentic war trophies and such, probably really shouldn't be restored, but I just don't see the need to keep commercials in a funky condition.

My brother has a pristine Luger w/holster that his FIL liberated from a dead German during the war, and it still has the same ammo in it that it was picked up with. Dave will never shoot it, it's just for admiring and I'm sure his daughter will get it next, being the only grandchild in line. She'll appreciate it too.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Look at that grip angle....Tell me that the Germans knew how to build a gun to fit the natural contours of one's hand...Nice pistol....
Ask yourself why most gun mfgr's today don't do the same...I have my own theories...

 

[Nushif]

Nicelooking gun!

It'd personally do that to a P38 ... but that's a matter of taste. 8)

 

[Jim Watson]

Looks like Bubba tried to "straw" the thumb safety with a torch and got it straw at the pin end and the lever end blue. I think the trigger is similar but it is not as clear in the picture. Glad you like it Z, but that is not what I would call a restoration; a refinish at best.

 

[JDGray]

I reparkerized a nasty looking CZ27 that my Wifes GP brought home from WWII. After a bunch of research, the Nazi proofed weapon was not a rare find, and decided to refinish. The thing turned out great, but not as pretty as yours!!

 

[Rancho Relaxo]

A great looking pistol, and the good photography helps to show it off.

 

[bg226]

Amazing pistol.

 

[parputt]

Beautiful gun and good story. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy.

 

[nwilliams]

Beautiful Luger!

But.....where's the "before" pic!

 

[JAguirre]

That Luger is absolutely beautiful!!!! BTW regarding restoration....I feel that you can do whatever you like with YOUR pistols...in this case the Luger is going to be passed on, and it should only matter to you and whomever you bequeath it to if its restored or not.

I think you did very having it restored.

 

[Prince Yamato]

You know, people restore old furniture, so why can't you restore an old gun. The fact that you restored it is much better than say, adding tritium night sights to it.

 

[garyhan]

A great restoration. I much prefer a properly restored gun to one so ugly it hurts to imagine what it once was.

gary

 

[czhen]

Beatiful and excellent job Sir.

My Itchy for a luger is back because you Sr.

CZhen
FL

 

[oneounceload]

Nicely done. I also do not get the rants about not restoring for fear of losing value - old furniture, classic cars, even very old homes all go UP in value when an excellent restoration has been done to them.

I have two guns that were my dad's service pistols. I need to get that done to them.

Thanks for the pics

 

[REPOMAN]

No bugs here ...... Beautiful handgun!!!!!!!

 

[22lr]

That looks amazing. Personally id love to get ahold of a Luger, refinish it and carry it as a CC piece.

 

[gwnorth]

I like it, although I'd say you need to refinish the mags too, just to complete the picture.

If this particular gun has some documented great historical value I can see where refinishing it might seem unwise. It would detract from the real historical significance and authenticity of the artifact. But if this is just an old gun, in nice shape and sound mechanically that you want to keep in good shape and still shoot, then I'd see a good refinish or restoration as simply a good investment to keep it in good shape.

 

[Billy Shears]

Nicely done. I also do not get the rants about not restoring for fear of losing value - old furniture, classic cars, even very old homes all go UP in value when an excellent restoration has been done to them.

That's just the way the market it, and there's not much you can do about it. And even there, it's not as cut and dried as you might think. With cars, an unrestored original that's in extremely good condition, will be more valuable than an example that has been restored to the same condition. Also, if the car has been restored to original condition, it will be worth far more than one that has been customized. All those '32 Fords and '53 Studebakers that have been chopped and customized into street rods really are worth surprisingly little on the collector car market, because collectors want original, or at least original looking cars, rather than customized stuff (that may be truly awful -- some people have really crappy taste, and their cars reflect this).

With firearms, collectors are, like it or not, even more particular. It has to be ALL original to hold its value. Everybody is perfectly entitled to do what he likes with his own property, but for myself, personally, the only gun I'd restore is one that has deteriorated enough to have lost most if not all of its collector value already, but is still good mechanically. There are guns like that out there and they make great candidates for restoration. Otherwise, I'd genuinely prefer it the way it is, showing all the wear and history its racked up over the years; such guns have character. I have an old Winchester Model 1911 that my grandad left me. It has no finish left to speak of, but it's in great mechanical shape. I'll leave it the way it is, because that's how grandad left it to me, and this way, it's still his gun, and it reminds me of him every time I pick it up. And there's also the practical consideration: after all, you may not ever intend to sell it now, but things change. You may find, ten years down the road, that you are no longer so attached to the gun, and you could use the money (only now you can't get any for it). Your heirs who inherit it may not care a whit about guns and want to sell it to someone who does.

 

[searcher451]

That's a fine looking piece, one that I'd be pleased to own -- and I'll wager that I'm not alone in that opinion, either. Lots of folks might quibble because they are primarily collectors, but so what? The only thing that matters is that you are happy, and you seem to be more than content. I restored my father's original LEO pistol a few years back because it was falling apart. I choose to think of the gun in its current state as the gun that he first purchased when he went into law enforcement, not the one that he ended his career with. And I'm more than good with that.

Congratulations on your piece -- and thanks for sharing it.

 

[bob.a]

I bought a 1920 Commercial Luger about a hundred years ago. It had been re-blued, a nice job but far from original-looking. Since there are zillions of that type floating around, it seemed to me to be OK; certainly it was cheaper than one in original condition.It will mot increase much in value, but that's not why I bought it anyway. I don't feel bad about shooting it, and I think the OP ought to feel the same about his pistol.

Nice piece of history. If possible, get the story in writing from the original owner. Good documentation is nice to have.