[Guest]

I have a 1939 Luger, Mauser "42", and it is really a beauty. The bluing is about 100%, the serial numbers all match, including the two magazines. It has all the original marking, eagles, etc.

The gun has VOPO plastic grips, yet it appears to be original except for the grips. The 3 digit serial numbers were prefixed with a "7", and I can tell that because the 7s are very slightly misaligned with the original 3 digit numbers. It appears that the East Germans took an original pistol and put it into service without changing it.

How does that affect the value of this fine pistol? I'll post some pictures of it in a few minutes. Thank you.

 

[Guest]

I wasn't able to get a good picture of this 1939 VOPO, because the flash is too harsh, and there is not enough available light in the whole state of Oregon to take a picture.

Download Attachment: 1939.jpg
208.21KB

 

[Jan C Still]

Stanley
If your Luger is all matching that is a +. Does your Luger have a Vopo finish? I am not familiar with the range of Vopo prices and will let those more familiat with pricing help you out.
Jan

 

[Dwight Gruber]

One online dealer has a selection of East German VoPo reworks listed for $800-$1,100. They do not seem to be selling.

--Dwight

 

[Guest]

Jan, This is my first, and only Luger, so I don't know what the VOPO finish looks like. The finish appears better than that flat often sloppy finish that I've seen on other warsaw pact weapons. The finish is a deep black with good gloss, and the ejector has that redish plum color. It's not absolutely perfect, but it is certainly "Very Good +" or better.

Curiously, probably a coincidence, the last two digits of the serial number are also "42", which means the parts on the gun are all marked "42", as well as the "42" on top the slide that signifies it as a Mauser. It's got a high quality black hard shell holster containing the loading tool; but I can not find any identification marks on it, or the loading tool.

I haven't seen many Lugers at gunshows that looked better cosmetically than this one. I shot a couple of magazines of bullets through it to try it out. The design is old, but it shoots so nice as to make you want to throw rocks at most other pistols. Really. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Guest]

I looked at Huggiebears posting of his 1939, "42", and it is almost exactly like mine. http://www.gunboards.com/luger/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=446

His posting was very helpful. I'm confident that mine is all original except for the grips. The bluing is correct too. If I were to change the grips one could not tell it was a VOPO. Strange, maybe it wasn't from East Germany, and maybe someone else, not the East Germans, put those grips on it??

 

[Dwight Gruber]

Sundance,

You mention three-digit serial numbers prefixed by a misaligned 7. Do you mean that the three full serial numbers are all 742, or all the small parts numbered with three digits?

Are there any marks on the magazine body?

(And are you ice-locked like the rest of us Oregonians this week?)

--Dwight

 

[Guest]

Dwight Gruber, All the small parts have "42" on them, which is the last two digits of the 4 digit serial number. I thought the "7" might have been added, but I guess I was wrong and reading into it something that was not done. It seems that after looking at Huggiebear's 39, that mine is just like it, except for the VOPO grips. If I put authentic original grips on this piece, then there would be nothing about it that even resembled a VOPO. The bluing and markings are typical for a 1939, and there are no additional marks that I can see. There is some kind of import stamp under the barrel, but it is very small and difficult to read, because they didn't impress if squarely and the top of the marks did not imprint. It has all the Waffenamts that Huggiebears has. The two magazines have no ID except the serial numbers of the weapon are on them, one of the magazines has the "2/1001" on the side. If it is East German, then they must have changed the grips, but didn't do anything else to the pistol. It is very nice, and the extractor has the straw color like other weapons of that period. From what I found on the web, the East Germans did a dismal job of bluing; this one has nice bluing, and it looks original, but I could be wrong.

We are in hog heaven here in Waldport; it is warm and there is no snow or ice. It is dark and overcast, but not bad for January.

 

[Dwight Gruber]

Sundance,

The 2/1001 marks say the magazines are definitely East German--the tipoff for the question was the slight flattening of the edges on the magazine bottom.

I don't think you are going to get a good answer to your finish question until you can do a side-by-side comparison with an original 1939 Luger. I know that the Russians dip-blued all their captured Lugers regardless of condition (an ugly black, almost paint-like finish); I am under the impression that the East Germans refinished pro forma as well, but your Luger could provide an interesting object lesson.

Actually, the strawed extractor is not proper for your Luger. Mauser converted to all-blued small parts during 1937, and the extractor wasn't strawed in any case.

Be sure to compare your magazines with an authentic aluminum-base magazine, as well. I have seen a 2/1001 marked magazine with some shiny nonferrous metal other than aluminum (zinc??).

If it were mine, I wouldn't rush to replace the VoPo grips. Some collectors hold the opinion that VoPo Lugers constitute a legitimate variation, and look to their future as collection-worthy guns (this is not a universally held opinion). Maintaining that authenticity might prove worthwhile.

--Dwight

 

[Guest]

Dwight,

Thanks for the good information.

Stan