UK deact Luger S/42 1937

[JONATHAN]

Hi

I've been offered the following Luger complete with matching mag, spare mag and holster for £1500 and I'm tempted to buy it but wanted to first make sure all checks out and that I'm paying a fair rate ? I don't know an enormous amount about these but it appears to be in great shape with all matching numbers and matching mag - appreciate any comments

Thanks
Jonathan

[JONATHAN]

[JONATHAN]

[JONATHAN]

[JONATHAN]

[1933 FORD NUT]

Some things to check on . Are the grips numbered and or proofed ? They don't fit well at all . The mag with matching numbers is pretty suspicious looking to me . Number stamps don't look like any handy here and the proof looks like the bigger tilted 63 on a 1939 - 42 code gun . If it is indeed original finish are all the peen marks on the bottom of the frame blued ? Hard to do that if original . The spare mag is 1940 and newer . Agree it looks decent but I like to walk out into the sunlight with mausers as that really shows any warts .

[ozak111]

P08

You have to verify if in 1937 Mauser made lugers with small parts as : takedown lever, ejector , mag catch, trigger, yellowed or blued. anyway the gun is very nice.

[Johnny Peppers]

By the x letter suffix block in 1937 Mauser had changed to hot caustic tank blue, and the small parts would be blue also.

Agree that the stocks look a bit suspicious.

[JONATHAN]

Thanks for the replies gents...apparently there are no markings on the grips. From what I am reading I may be better giving this one a miss and waiting for a no questions example I guess...

[1933 FORD NUT]

You seem reasonable and here are a couple more reasons I don't like it . Post 3 top pic look to the right of the X suffix and you will see a noticeable ding in the frame . You can also see this ding in the bottom pic of post 1 just in front of the takedown lever . Notice the impact area of this ding is blued . Also look at the pic at the bottom of post 3 . Notice above the mag how the frame looks like someone used this as a hammer and the dings are blued . Other places also but these are very noticeable and show at LEAST touch up and probably overall rebluing . Don't like the mag at all as the numbers don't match up with anything I have on hand here . At a GUESS it looks like someone found an X suffix mag and re-numbered it . Proof like I said earlier looks newer than the gun . Looks like the gun has droop 63's . Sorry for the negative comments but the things I don't like about it are easy to see and also common issues with these things . Like others have stated on this forum Lugers are great collectors items but BEWARE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That said if you are cautious like you obviously are honest ones can be had and actually are fairly common . Good luck Dave

[Johnny Peppers]

This is an original magazine number 1196r with + for spare magazine and Eagle/63 acceptance mark.

[1933 FORD NUT]

Johnny posted a nice example of the type I described earlier . What I call the big tilted 63's normally found in 1939 42 code lugers . First pic here is a small stick 63 and is normally found in 1938 S/42 lugers . Yes there is some overlap with the earlier droop 63 and the later big tilted 63's but as you can see the proof is way different . Next pic is droop 63 most common to 1936 & 1937 S/42 lugers and again some overlapping with the earlier droop 154 and later small stick 63 types . Pics both from epay ads . My camera skills are lacking on this close detail thing . Dave Adding After looking at all this the OP mag does look to be a small stick 63 - not a big tilted 63 like I first thought . That makes that part of it closer and indeed some 1937 S/42 lugers have small stick 63 proof but this one appears to not be one of those . Doesn't change the numbers thing though . The 6 - 9 numeral is really obvious .

[JONATHAN]

Thanks guys this all helps. I only intend buying one example and as and when I do it has to be an unquestionable piece so I will leave the one offered and wait for a better example.

[cajundave]

Does "deact" mean this gun can't fire? Afterall looney Brit Libs have banned firearms.

[ValhallaMilitaria]

Does "deact" mean this gun can't fire? Afterall looney Brit Libs have banned firearms.

Yes, and it will happen here too just wait.
PS-a deactivated pistol makes me want to explode. So effin' SAD!