Thanks for the great information, Chuck. I had read at one time that this may be the “Black Widow” model. Sadly, Iris had this Luger reblued in 2000. Why? She thought it would make it look better. It did, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a bad thing. I only wished she didn’t. Oh well, it is still a great piece of history nonetheless.Chuck Lutz wrote:Zeph....
The Luger (made by Mauser in Oberndorf)....appears to be what had been nicknamed a "Black Widow" by Ralph Shattuck from AZ before he passed away. I would bet it has "41" (maybe a "42") on the top of the chamber and "byf" on the toggle link (Mauser made). That one is magnificent and unless it was reblued at some point (doubt that) it is an excellent example! (Look at the end of the barrel...is the crown blued or "in the white"? Look into the mag well for blueing also) You will find the last two digits on most parts that are too small for all four numbers.....Lugers were numbered from 1 to 9999, then a lower case "a" was added, they repeated the proceedure, then added a "b", etc.
Here are photos of some of the detail marks you had outlined above. The pictures are not the best as some of the marks are really small. Here is the magazine. It is the only thing that doesn’t match. You will see that all of the little parts have the number 17 stamped on them:
There is a German eagle on the barrel and on the main component just behind the barrel. A couple of the marks are difficult to make out, but I see the 135 below one eagle:
Under the barrel:
Top view. One can see the 42 and byf stamps:
17’s all around:
Another German eagle:
I have thought about shooting the pistol, but have not. It looks basically brand new. I wish I knew what it looked like before Iris had in blued. Although it has lost most of its value due to the reblueing, it still is a striking example of engineering and workmanship.