Hunter here are the pictures you asked for (QUESTION?)

Re: Hunter here are the pictures you asked for

BY the way I was going post a thread to ask a question showing a picture of the artillery Luger asking what would be the best way to cut down the barrel length but I was worried someone might take me serious and have a heart attack

Silver those are awesome!! Thanks for posting the pictures!!

As far as your question, I would think if the pits are not too deep they might look that way, by I am by no means and expert on the subject.

I am happy with the gun re-blued or not, the stampings look fresh so maybe it isn't a re-blue, but the slight pitting looks like the pitting was blued over

now i'm not an expert but,, i have seen this before.
two possibilities,,

first,, an chemical dip to remove the old blueing before reblue,, doesn't harm any of the stampings ,however will also do nothing about the pitting but it does remove light rust....

second,, and this is one i've seen in late war time production and how it was explained to me,, impurties in the steel both castings/forgings will show up as pitting/lines/swirls during the final finsh.. it was at a time when production was rushed, even the steel being used was "questionable".anything that could be melted down was and sometimes impurties got mixed in with the steel..and with wartime production as long as it functioned who cared what it looked like.
i believe the term used was "porosity"

I have been looking at my gun and what you said about porosity makes sense, they probably used a lesser quality metal on the slide than on the barrel, there is no pitting on the barrel so I think you are correct that the gun was probably manufactured with the pitting.

Are they both DWM marked, and what is the date on top of the frame? That would give a better idea as to when both were made, and give a better idea as to when they were put into service, and possibly when they were overhauled.

Leighton said:

Are they both DWM marked, and what is the date on top of the frame? That would give a better idea as to when both were made, and give a better idea as to when they were put into service, and possibly when they were overhauled.

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The artillery one says 1917, the other one says 42, I assume that means 1942

Is the 42 an S/42? Might be a Simpson Rework of a WW1 gun. At the time of rework the Nazis weren't too fussy about the finish and would have left pitting from earlier use and/or storage.

In all honesty guys if metal is so corroded as to leave pits then the blue will go with it.... blue in a pit is a fairly certain indication of refinish.... however in this case the rework is likely historic.

Drew

Sebago Son said:

Is the 42 an S/42? Might be a Simpson Rework of a WW1 gun. At the time of rework the Nazis weren't too fussy about the finish and would have left pitting from earlier use and/or storage.

In all honesty guys if metal is so corroded as to leave pits then the blue will go with it.... blue in a pit is a fairly certain indication of refinish.... however in this case the rework is likely historic.

Drew

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Serial number is XX31

By the way as far as the rebuilt theory, all the numbers match on the gun so I think it is unlikely a rebuild.

silvercorvette said:

By the way as far as the rebuilt theory, all the numbers match on the gun so I think it is unlikely a rebuild.

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Not that uncommon in the early war reworks. Few magazines will be matching however....

I'll admit that I'm not a Luger Guy, but I'll bet that what you have is a "Simpson Rework". These often carry the 42 Chamber Date. By 1942 I don't think that the P08 was still in production as the standard German sidearm by then had become the P38.

As I understand it, these 42 Rework Lugers were those called up from storage or were commercial guns from many sources, often in .30, that were cleaned up, brought up to standard (rebarreled in 9mm or cut down to 4" from longer lengths), the origional makers chamber markings removed and replaced, refinished and issued.

Got any close ups of the chamber markings?

Drew

I'll try to take some tomorrow