Finish Marking help

Mbroyles · 11-20-2020, 08:59 PM

Can anyone identify this stamping? It looks like an s to me. 1937 Mauser salt blue.

Doubs · 11-20-2020, 09:33 PM

It is an s.

Mbroyles · 11-20-2020, 11:17 PM

Then based on the finish codes I’m guessing my newly acquired Luger had the strawed parts blued at some point in its life. I wonder why someone would do that.
From Jan C Still post in 2003:
Acceptance Stamps, Finish, And Serial Range Suffixes 1937 S/42
p Straw, DE63………… u blue, DE63………… z blue, DE63 to SE63, Start SE83
q Straw, DE63………… v blue, DE63………….ns blue SE63
r Straw, DE63………… w blue, DE63………… a blue SE63
s Straw, DE63………… x blue, DE63…………. b blue 1937 to 4068b then 1938
t Straw blue, DE63… y blue, start of change to SE63

Doubs · 11-21-2020, 12:44 AM

Goetz & Sturgess place the change to all blue parts in 1937 at "around the t suffix block". That leaves it open to the possibility that some late s suffix block Lugers may have been all blue.

Only an in-person examination - or much better pictures - of your Luger can answer whether yours originally had straw small parts or not. I can't determine if your serial number begins with an 8 or a 3.

Mbroyles · 11-21-2020, 07:29 AM

SN 8496s. It’s was advertised and appears to be all numbers matching including the magazine. The grips appear to be plastic replacements with no markings. There is a distinct X marking above the SN on left side of chamber.

Doubs · 11-21-2020, 09:16 AM

Mystery solved. The "X" above the serial number on the left side of the receiver indicates that your Luger was captured by the Russians. They were dip blued by the Russians. Also, grips were removed prior to storage so getting the same grips back on the same pistol almost never happened.

Whatever the original finish, it's now covered by the Russian dip blue.

Mbroyles · 11-21-2020, 11:17 AM

Thank you Doubs. That is so cool.
My father passed away this year having been preceded by mother last year. While cleaning out the house I discovered a 1903 Colt hammerless and a 1920 (I think) Colt huntsman AND an odd drum magazine I assumed mated to one of the Colts. Turns out it is a Luger snail drum 9mm. So naturally I had to search out a Luger. A specific Luger. Must be a 1937, his birth year, just because. I probably over paid a bit but that’s ok, I got what I wanted.
The cool part...
Dad was also a huge Russian culture and historian buff. It kind of all makes sense.

DonVoigt · 11-21-2020, 03:18 PM

The numbers "match" because several of them have been overstamped to make them match.
Could have been done in Russian custody.

I would expect to see an import mark somewhere on the pistol.

Mbroyles · 11-28-2020, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

The numbers "match" because several of them have been overstamped to make them match.
Could have been done in Russian custody.

I would expect to see an import mark somewhere on the pistol.

Some of the SNs do look a bit messy and maybe they were re-striked.

I had to spend an extra 20 minutes at my FFL because there was no import mark or model number on the gun. The magazine is marked PO8 but since it wasn’t on the gun they wouldn’t use that. In the end the manager wrote Mauser on the 4473 and sent me on my way.

Doubs · 11-21-2020, 03:26 PM

Condolences on the loss of your parents.

I've read that when the Russians put their captured handguns in storage, they removed the grips and then put the guns in barrels of oil to preserve them. I don't know if it's true but it would explain why the Russian capture guns often have grips on them that were not on them originally.

WRT your Colt .22 pistol. They did not make a Huntsman in 1920. They made a Target Pistol that was later renamed "The Woodsman" in 1927. Those made from 1915 to the name change in 1927 are now called "Pre-Woodsman" pistol. The serial number range for 1920 is 20200 ~ 24999 approximately.

If, as I suspect, there is an oval in the back of the Colt's grip with checkering then ONLY use standard velocity cartridges. The main spring housings on those with the checkered oval were not hardened and hi-velocity cartridges will damage the gun. Colt, for a time, offered replacement MS housings with parallel horizontal lines on it that were hardened and OK with Hi-Velocity cartridges. See picture below.

rpbcps · 11-21-2020, 05:06 PM

Mark,
As Doubs said above, Condolences on the loss of your parents.

This is an interesting link to a video taken in a Russian warehouse full of cases of captured weapons from WW2.

https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/cont...af.htm/player/

and there are a few pictures of opened cases in this link:
https://laststandonzombieisland.com/...n-guns-russia/

Enjoy
Richard

11-20-2020, 08:59 PM	#1
Mbroyles User Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 5 Thanks: 4 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Finish Marking help Can anyone identify this stamping? It looks like an s to me. 1937 Mauser salt blue. Attached Thumbnails

11-21-2020, 07:29 AM	#5
Mbroyles User Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 5 Thanks: 4 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	1937 Mauser S/42. SN 8496s blued. SN 8496s. It’s was advertised and appears to be all numbers matching including the magazine. The grips appear to be plastic replacements with no markings. There is a distinct X marking above the SN on left side of chamber. Attached Thumbnails

11-21-2020, 11:17 AM	#7
Mbroyles User Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 5 Thanks: 4 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Thank you Doubs. That is so cool. My father passed away this year having been preceded by mother last year. While cleaning out the house I discovered a 1903 Colt hammerless and a 1920 (I think) Colt huntsman AND an odd drum magazine I assumed mated to one of the Colts. Turns out it is a Luger snail drum 9mm. So naturally I had to search out a Luger. A specific Luger. Must be a 1937, his birth year, just because. I probably over paid a bit but that’s ok, I got what I wanted. The cool part... Dad was also a huge Russian culture and historian buff. It kind of all makes sense. Attached Thumbnails

11-21-2020, 03:18 PM	#8
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,681 Thanks: 1,442 Thanked 4,350 Times in 2,040 Posts	The numbers "match" because several of them have been overstamped to make them match. Could have been done in Russian custody. I would expect to see an import mark somewhere on the pistol. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

11-20-2020, 09:33 PM	#2
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,700 Thanks: 792 Thanked 1,692 Times in 555 Posts	It is an s.

11-20-2020, 11:17 PM	#3
Mbroyles User Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 5 Thanks: 4 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Then based on the finish codes I’m guessing my newly acquired Luger had the strawed parts blued at some point in its life. I wonder why someone would do that. From Jan C Still post in 2003: Acceptance Stamps, Finish, And Serial Range Suffixes 1937 S/42 p Straw, DE63………… u blue, DE63………… z blue, DE63 to SE63, Start SE83 q Straw, DE63………… v blue, DE63………….ns blue SE63 r Straw, DE63………… w blue, DE63………… a blue SE63 s Straw, DE63………… x blue, DE63…………. b blue 1937 to 4068b then 1938 t Straw blue, DE63… y blue, start of change to SE63

11-21-2020, 12:44 AM	#4
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,700 Thanks: 792 Thanked 1,692 Times in 555 Posts	Goetz & Sturgess place the change to all blue parts in 1937 at "around the t suffix block". That leaves it open to the possibility that some late s suffix block Lugers may have been all blue. Only an in-person examination - or much better pictures - of your Luger can answer whether yours originally had straw small parts or not. I can't determine if your serial number begins with an 8 or a 3.

11-21-2020, 09:16 AM	#6
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,700 Thanks: 792 Thanked 1,692 Times in 555 Posts	Mystery solved. The "X" above the serial number on the left side of the receiver indicates that your Luger was captured by the Russians. They were dip blued by the Russians. Also, grips were removed prior to storage so getting the same grips back on the same pistol almost never happened. Whatever the original finish, it's now covered by the Russian dip blue.

11-21-2020, 03:26 PM	#10
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,700 Thanks: 792 Thanked 1,692 Times in 555 Posts	Condolences on the loss of your parents. I've read that when the Russians put their captured handguns in storage, they removed the grips and then put the guns in barrels of oil to preserve them. I don't know if it's true but it would explain why the Russian capture guns often have grips on them that were not on them originally. WRT your Colt .22 pistol. They did not make a Huntsman in 1920. They made a Target Pistol that was later renamed "The Woodsman" in 1927. Those made from 1915 to the name change in 1927 are now called "Pre-Woodsman" pistol. The serial number range for 1920 is 20200 ~ 24999 approximately. If, as I suspect, there is an oval in the back of the Colt's grip with checkering then ONLY use standard velocity cartridges. The main spring housings on those with the checkered oval were not hardened and hi-velocity cartridges will damage the gun. Colt, for a time, offered replacement MS housings with parallel horizontal lines on it that were hardened and OK with Hi-Velocity cartridges. See picture below.

11-21-2020, 05:06 PM	#11
rpbcps Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Home base UK, but spend a lot of time overseas working. Posts: 125 Thanks: 62 Thanked 158 Times in 49 Posts	Mark, As Doubs said above, Condolences on the loss of your parents. This is an interesting link to a video taken in a Russian warehouse full of cases of captured weapons from WW2. https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/cont...af.htm/player/ and there are a few pictures of opened cases in this link: https://laststandonzombieisland.com/...n-guns-russia/ Enjoy Richard