New guy with a 1914 Erfurt

BoulderJim · 10-26-2017, 05:44 PM

Hello Luger folks. I picked up my first Luger a few months ago and just now getting around to posting to the forum. Wanted one for years, and it fills a nice gap in my collection.

It's a 1914 Erfurt 9mm. All matching except for the mag. Looks to have been refinished at some point. The toggle and side plate appear to have been heavily buffed, but everything else looks rather sharp. The left grip is missing that common chip behind the safety, and the right one "wiggles" a bit. Not bad for 103 year old wood.

Not really sure what I have here, but I'm happy with it and plan on shooting it. (Because that's what guns are for.) Any thoughts or feedback would be much appreciated as I don't really know what I'm doing. Especially regarding the markings.

Cheers!

wlyon · 10-26-2017, 06:58 PM

The receiver has been heavily ground/buffed also. Might have been a nice luger until someone "fixed" it. Nice shooter. Bill

cirelaw · 10-26-2017, 08:26 PM

Debby never wears makeup!

Eugen · 10-26-2017, 11:36 PM

Clean it and lube it and then enjoy shooting it. Study the FAQ section. Congrats on your first Luger.

sheepherder · 10-27-2017, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cirelaw

Debby never wears makeup!

Too much information...

BoulderJim · 10-27-2017, 01:34 PM

Thanks folks. Although I'm not picking up on the Debbie reference, but that's OK. I figured the receiver was worked over also since the upper edges have a bit of a radius on them. Not sure why the toggle wasn't reblued like the other parts. I assume it's a different grade or hardnes that wouldn't take the reblue?

I wanted a shooter, and at $975 that seemed like a fair price for a shooter these days. (Ten years ago I would've laughed at that.) I was eying up a heavily pitted mixer that was actually a little more, but went with this one due to the matching #s. Hoping that helps with reliability. Haven't shot it yet but will follow up once I do.

Thanks again!

sheepherder · 10-27-2017, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoulderJim

Thanks folks. Although I'm not picking up on the Debbie reference, but that's OK.

Debbie is Eric's [cirelaw] wife. Eric means that a Luger doesn't need unnecessary work to make it look better.

He is right.

rhuff · 10-27-2017, 03:42 PM

Glad you finally got your FIRST Luger.....perhaps more to follow?? I think every Luger person should have a shooter to learn from and enjoy. They are a real hoot to shoot. I hope that your Erfurt runs really well for you at the range. You might well want to pickup 1-2 new Mec-Gar mags for it, as some of the old mags don't always function so good.

Stick with std. velocity ammo in FMJ RN and you should be fine. A good clean and lube is called for before that range trip, and a through inspection of parts at this time. Let us know how things work out.

4 Scale · 10-27-2017, 03:53 PM

Welcome and congratulations. You were wise to start with a shooter, and the price you paid is within the reasonable range. On the loose grip, search the forums and you will find various remedies like rubber washers on the retaining screws, addition of a bead of cyanoacrylate (aka CA or Superglue) at the top and so forth. Most shooters seem to do best with lighter target load ammo like Winchester White Box 115gr.

10-26-2017, 05:44 PM	#1
BoulderJim New User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	New guy with a 1914 Erfurt Hello Luger folks. I picked up my first Luger a few months ago and just now getting around to posting to the forum. Wanted one for years, and it fills a nice gap in my collection. It's a 1914 Erfurt 9mm. All matching except for the mag. Looks to have been refinished at some point. The toggle and side plate appear to have been heavily buffed, but everything else looks rather sharp. The left grip is missing that common chip behind the safety, and the right one "wiggles" a bit. Not bad for 103 year old wood. Not really sure what I have here, but I'm happy with it and plan on shooting it. (Because that's what guns are for.) Any thoughts or feedback would be much appreciated as I don't really know what I'm doing. Especially regarding the markings. Cheers! Attached Thumbnails

10-26-2017, 06:58 PM	#2
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,636 Thanks: 3,174 Thanked 2,559 Times in 955 Posts	The receiver has been heavily ground/buffed also. Might have been a nice luger until someone "fixed" it. Nice shooter. Bill __________________ Bill Lyon

10-26-2017, 11:36 PM	#4
Eugen User Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Newburgh,IN Posts: 790 Thanks: 394 Thanked 631 Times in 334 Posts	Clean it and lube it and then enjoy shooting it. Study the FAQ section. Congrats on your first Luger. __________________ “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” ― Mark Twain

10-27-2017, 03:42 PM	#8
rhuff Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Az. Posts: 2,291 Thanks: 2,709 Thanked 972 Times in 717 Posts	Glad you finally got your FIRST Luger.....perhaps more to follow?? I think every Luger person should have a shooter to learn from and enjoy. They are a real hoot to shoot. I hope that your Erfurt runs really well for you at the range. You might well want to pickup 1-2 new Mec-Gar mags for it, as some of the old mags don't always function so good. Stick with std. velocity ammo in FMJ RN and you should be fine. A good clean and lube is called for before that range trip, and a through inspection of parts at this time. Let us know how things work out. __________________ Need DWM breechblock #21

10-26-2017, 08:26 PM	#3
cirelaw Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Posts: 12,216 Thanks: 6,209 Thanked 4,133 Times in 2,173 Posts	Debby never wears makeup!

10-27-2017, 01:34 PM	#6
BoulderJim New User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks folks. Although I'm not picking up on the Debbie reference, but that's OK. I figured the receiver was worked over also since the upper edges have a bit of a radius on them. Not sure why the toggle wasn't reblued like the other parts. I assume it's a different grade or hardnes that wouldn't take the reblue? I wanted a shooter, and at $975 that seemed like a fair price for a shooter these days. (Ten years ago I would've laughed at that.) I was eying up a heavily pitted mixer that was actually a little more, but went with this one due to the matching #s. Hoping that helps with reliability. Haven't shot it yet but will follow up once I do. Thanks again!

10-27-2017, 03:53 PM	#9
4 Scale User Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 544 Thanks: 194 Thanked 489 Times in 251 Posts	Welcome and congratulations. You were wise to start with a shooter, and the price you paid is within the reasonable range. On the loose grip, search the forums and you will find various remedies like rubber washers on the retaining screws, addition of a bead of cyanoacrylate (aka CA or Superglue) at the top and so forth. Most shooters seem to do best with lighter target load ammo like Winchester White Box 115gr.