Interesting Luger at a local gun shop

[Nightcrawler]

I'd buy this if I had the bucks. It's just cool; OLD SCHOOL COOL.

It's a 9x19mm Luger. There's a number on top of the frame, "41", leading me to believe this is a 1941 production gun. On the side of the frame is what looks like a tiny Nazi proof mark, so between that and the 41 on the top I'm guessing this is an early WWII gun.

The oddest thing about it is that it lacks a front sight. It's not that the front sight is MISSING, it's that there isn't one. Instead, there's a cap that unscrews revealing a threaded barrel. Dealer speculates that it was intened to be a suppressed gun, with the sights on the suppressor.

Just an interesting piece, if nothing else. Pretty decent ergonomics, too. Trigger wasn't great, but it wasn't bad, either.

Oh, and the rear sight was so itty bitty that I failed to find it the first time I glanced at the pistol...

 

[Dr.Rob]

Best do a LOT of research before you buy a Luger.

Lugers have oodles of numbered parts, they shold all match before paying a premium price.

Lugers are Dated coded over the breech, prependicular to the barrel in four digits like "1939"

A large "42" on the flat part of the toggle means it is a Mauser.

The front of the trigger guard should have a 4 digit code AND a letter. This is the serial number. The 4 digit code will be replicated on the left side of the slide, the last TWO digits will appear on parts all over the pistol. The sideplate, take down lever, toggle, extrator, rear sight, sear, etc. The underside of the barrel should have a 4 digit sn that matches.

Wait, there are more parts inside... namely the trigger when you take off the sideplate.



There is a web site which details/explains this far better than i'm doing...


but I'd be leary of paying more than $300 for a mismatched VUPO parts gun, even if its set up for a supressor. Unless I was going to pay the $200 and start shopping for a supressor.

 

[Johnny C. Kitchens]

1941 Luger

It will be a 1941 if the letters byf appear on the toggle. If it is genuine
factory made silencer model, it might be worth more than usual. It could be
done by someone, in which case its value will be lowered. Do all the numbers match. There should be two numbers visible on most parts and these should match the last two digits of the serial number...

 

[Jim K]

The "41" over the chamber would be the date, but there should also be a manufacturer's mark on the toggle, either "42" or "byf", both of which are codes for Mauser.

In addition to any mismatched parts, the major problem is that the barrel is altered and/or not original. In either case, the collector value is reduced unless someone can show documentation that the gun was made up for some special purpose in Germany and not altered last week by an American gunsmith. Replacing the barrel is possible but the barrel would still be not original.

You don't indicate the asking price or the condition of the gun (including parts matchup), but those factors would be necessary to provide valid advice. BTW, fanciful stories about use by secret Nazi spy groups, etc., are stories and worth not ein pfennig.

Jim

 

[Nightcrawler]

They're asking about $600, I think, maybe $700. In any case I don't have any money right now, so I didn't give it a serious once over. I do think it had the "byf" on it, though. It looked like it was in very good shape, possibly refinished.

For me, I'd rather buy a non-collector model, so I wouldn't feel bad about shooting it. I'd be all like, "hey guys, wanna shoot a Luger?" We'd then go shoot my Luger.

Like that, you know?

I only looked it over because I'd never held a Luger before. It was pretty cool. Dealer didn't really know the history of it; said something about getting it at an auction. Given that the price (which I can't recall, more than $600 bu less than $800 I'm almost positive) was relatively low, I doubt the piece has much collector value.

But, as I said, I'd rather have it that way.

 

[DamnedDirtyApe]

I grew up in Canada. My best friend's dad did service in Holland in the Canadian army during WWII. He brought home a captured Luger.

I recall that it was a governing authority's rule at the time - the army or the federal government, I forget - that the front sight had to be removed to allow entry of the weapon into Canada when the war was over and they came home.

Any help?