Parts Guns ?

If all Lugers were made one at a time and meticulously matched then serial numbered with matching magazines(yeah, here I go again), then who and why did somebody mismatch them? Reference the DH Luger listed below, is a DH mismatched relatively common gun (might even be an import) worth what a matching 90% w/magazines S42? The US did the arsenal retrofits prior to WWII and mismatched God knows how many guns but this was done on purpose. Who mismatched all the Lugers, couldn't have been the same folks who matched them to begin with especially knowing they probably wouldn't ever shoot right again without a lot of time and attention?


Roadkill

[Orv Reichert]

My observations has been that major western European countries that reworked pistols usually did a good job... fitting renumbering proofing..etc.


Countries that were less sophisticated, did a poorer job. Some countries, like China, are very poor and never threw anything away that would shoot. Bores are often terrible, finish is poor, grips bad, etc. [look at the Mausers they exported?]


Parts guns are not really reworks but parts from various sources that were assembled without much regard to anything! Often, these were done here. The parts were available and why not?


Now, of course, the idiots selling them are trying to enhance the values with the usual BS stories.. The amazing thing [to me] is that some folks actually believe them!


Orv Reichert

I think on the magazine issue, I have heard rumors (some recently on the forum) that magazines were swapped on purpose in many units to ensure that in war time that they'd work.


I am inclined to believe that magazines didn't mean much to the user, keeping one matched would be nice, but not required to most users. If one got bent magazine lips, just request a new one from supply or grab one from the spare on the holster not being used.


Or for my stint in the army, when loading up for the range, we just loaded up a bunch and shot them off. Of course ours weren't serial numbered. If they were, AI would try and keep it together, but I'd rather have a fresh nice one than a beat up one..


Ed

I have a theory on why so many mismatched Magazines from Lugers and other German Pistols versus the number of matched Magazines in Japanese pistols. If you wil notice in most pictures of Germans surrendering you will see lines of prisoners and piles of weapons. I think that the Germans were made to eject the magazines from the weapon and they and the holster went in one pile while the pistols went in another. Most pistols taken off the Japanese were not surrendered but taken off Dead Bodies. The same goes for the rifles. Bolts went in one pile rifles in another. Just my thoughts but would make some sense. When a GI selected his pistol he picked up one from one pile and took a Magazine and Holster from the other. Most of the matching items would come from a prisoner actually surrendering his weapon to the person capturing him, accounting for some matched items.

[Thor]

Look for three red dots, I am now putting them inside the mag well, pull the mag, look just inside! I also still put them on the bottom of the stock lug, but put them I do! Thor