possible new acquisition - The Firearms Forum

friedgreentmater · 10-06-2010, 09:23 PM

First a little about me and my interests; I am an old truck and car nut who in the current economy can't seem to find the money to buy or sell in the auto hobby. I've had a car listed for sale for over a year and yesterday a man asked if I would be interested in a 1917 luger as partial trading stock.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so since I don't have a picture.... I know nothing about these guns so I rely on your expertise for guidance. Here is what I know about the gun.

The original grips have been replaced with wood grips that appear to be homemade.
The wood piece (butt of the magazine) has been replaced with what appears to be aluminum. How hard would it be to find original replacements and how expensive are they?
The bluing is in very nice condition with no pitting. The guy says it is original, but I think it may have been re-blued at some time long ago.
All the parts are stamped with the number 32. He thinks that is the serial number, is it? If not, where do I look for serial numbers? What does the 32 indicate?

There are no holsters or accompanying accessories.

He is military and told me that he brought the gun back from a tour in Germany. He also told me that he has never fired it.

I found two threads on the 1917 using the search and this gun is not in as good condition as either of those examples

Sorry for the long winded post. And finally what would best guess value be as described?

wonderwhippet · 10-07-2010, 09:16 AM

Without photos it is impossible to value a Luger. There are hundreds of variations and your description doesn't tell us what we need to know. Your Luger might be worth anywhere from $500 to $2000 or more. However, if it is a common 1917 Luger in average condition with all matching numbers (excluding the magazine), the value can be narrowed down to between $700 and $1000.

Jim K · 10-07-2010, 10:59 AM

The full serial number, which includes any letter suffix, will be on the front of the grip frame, under the barrel. The other numbers should match the four or last two digits of the serial.

Luger magazines were made with wooden, aluminum and plastic magazine bottoms depending on the era. It is probable that the magazine is not original (a common situation) and that the original wood bottom magazine has been replaced with one having an aluminum bottom.

Jim

friedgreentmater · 10-07-2010, 12:07 PM

Thanks guys, When I hear from him I will ask for pictures. My gut says he is Flim-Flamming me anyway. I saw the gun but did not know what to look for.

10-06-2010, 09:23 PM	#1
friedgreentmater Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: colorado Posts: 2	possible new acquisition First a little about me and my interests; I am an old truck and car nut who in the current economy can't seem to find the money to buy or sell in the auto hobby. I've had a car listed for sale for over a year and yesterday a man asked if I would be interested in a 1917 luger as partial trading stock. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so since I don't have a picture.... I know nothing about these guns so I rely on your expertise for guidance. Here is what I know about the gun. The original grips have been replaced with wood grips that appear to be homemade. The wood piece (butt of the magazine) has been replaced with what appears to be aluminum. How hard would it be to find original replacements and how expensive are they? The bluing is in very nice condition with no pitting. The guy says it is original, but I think it may have been re-blued at some time long ago. All the parts are stamped with the number 32. He thinks that is the serial number, is it? If not, where do I look for serial numbers? What does the 32 indicate? There are no holsters or accompanying accessories. He is military and told me that he brought the gun back from a tour in Germany. He also told me that he has never fired it. I found two threads on the 1917 using the search and this gun is not in as good condition as either of those examples Sorry for the long winded post. And finally what would best guess value be as described? -->

10-07-2010, 09:16 AM	#2
wonderwhippet Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,587	Re: possible new acquisition Without photos it is impossible to value a Luger. There are hundreds of variations and your description doesn't tell us what we need to know. Your Luger might be worth anywhere from $500 to $2000 or more. However, if it is a common 1917 Luger in average condition with all matching numbers (excluding the magazine), the value can be narrowed down to between $700 and $1000.

10-07-2010, 10:59 AM	#3
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: possible new acquisition The full serial number, which includes any letter suffix, will be on the front of the grip frame, under the barrel. The other numbers should match the four or last two digits of the serial. Luger magazines were made with wooden, aluminum and plastic magazine bottoms depending on the era. It is probable that the magazine is not original (a common situation) and that the original wood bottom magazine has been replaced with one having an aluminum bottom. Jim

10-07-2010, 12:07 PM	#4
friedgreentmater Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: colorado Posts: 2	Re: possible new acquisition Thanks guys, When I hear from him I will ask for pictures. My gut says he is Flim-Flamming me anyway. I saw the gun but did not know what to look for.