[Deles136]

Would a few people please tell me what range of prices you have seen at gunshows for Luger pistols. I have seen most in fair to good condition and listened to the seller tell me that the pistol had all matching part numbers. I think a real crime has been commited because what I have seen is very poor workmanship with the grinding off of old part numbers and very sloppy jobs of stamping new matching numbers on all of the parts. This type of work is NOT being done at any arsenal. The Luger pistols were very well made and I would much rather have one with the original different part numbers as long as the pistol works well and is tight.

Many thanks,

[Chipperman]

Hoo Boy.
Lugers can go from $500-$5k+
All matching guns generally are about $1k or more.
You really have to know what you are doing if you are going to buy an expensive one. If you are not wanting a matching gun, just look for condition and be prepared to spend $500-800.

[Jim Watson]

Friend of mine got one of those Finnish surplus 1923s maybe from AIM. Over $900 for a very hasty refurb. Did the Finns do it that roughly when they put on the replacement 9mm Tikka barrel and funky square front sight, or did some wheeler dealer try to pretty them up in a sweatshop? I dunno. But the darn thing actually shoots, after I helped him find some ammo that it liked. Which is NOT "hot" European ammo. It would not fire three shots in a row with good stout hard-cracking Fiocchi. The first thing it ever got through a magazine of was my light subsonic IDPA load. And it shoots cheap mild WWB, too.

[Deles136]

Thanks to both of you . I think the $500 to 800 range is what I am looking for. I also hate gun butchers because they destroy fine pieces. Glad to know about using low power ammo.

[Jim K]

At the bigger shows, avoid the guys with a hundred Lugers on the table in neat holders and printed cards. They have nice stuff, but are selling at high prices.

Check around other tables for the guy who has one or two Lugers at more reasonable prices. But learn a bit about the guns first, or you can get taken on even a plain gun. Matched numbers are fine, but mixmasters can be good shooters at a fraction of the cost of a matched gun.

Needless to say, take off running if the seller spouts off about "Hitler's own Luger, and only $5000."

Jim

[alamo]

To have real collector value, a Luger should have all matching serial numbers. Many folks don't know this or they see a few of the numbers externally that match and think that's all there is. Some of the serial numbers are not visible unless the pistol is disassembled. Here is the applicable part of a FAQ from the Gunboards Luger forum:


20) What parts must be numbered on a Luger?

The following parts should have serial numbers on them:


Frame, full serial number with suffix
Under barrel, full serial number with or without suffix
Left side of the receiver, full serial number without suffix.

All the following parts should have the last two numerals stamped on them:


Firing pin
Extractor
Sear bar
Breechblock
Front toggle link
Rear toggle link
Locking bolt (takedown lever)
Side plate (with a few exceptions through the years, see comments on side plate)
Trigger
Safety lever
Safety bar
Hold-open latch
Grips (inside)


Note, that the rear toggle pin was not serial-numbered until 1932.
There were two "styles" of serial number marking, Commercial style and Military style. In commercial style some of the numbers, notably the side-plate and locking bolt, were stamped underneath in a way which did not affect the surface look of the gun--military serial numbers were stamped on the visible surfaces. If your mismatched parts are stamped highly visibly they likely come from military guns.

[finlander]

What should one check when buying a Luger? In what parts the possible (over?)wear can be seen?

[Old Fuff]

Keep in mind that at best, Lugers can be fussy shooters. The usual suspects are (1) bad magazines, (2) the toggle system with its light breechblock doesn't have the momentum of a heavy slide to drive it into battery, and (3) a corroded chamber - and to discover this you will have to partially disassemble the gun. If the seller says, "no" be very careful.

The reason the parts in these guns were serial numbered is because they were hand-fitted and adjusted. Thus if they were stripped and cleaned in batches the right parts should(?) get back into the right gun, and this included magazines. If the numbers are mixed it may or may not made a difference, depending on exactly what is mismatched.

The more original a Luger is, and the better condition it's in - especially the bore and chamber - may determine how good a shooter it will be. But of course this kind of piece will also be the most expensive.

Anyway, don't be disappointed if you have to fiddle with your new toy to get it to run...

Also here is a good site to look at. http://www.lugerforum.com/

[fjr02]

I'm new to the P-08 world.

I'm thinking about purchasing a byf 42 P-08 with matching numbers (the ones I see without taking it apart) with bakelite grips.
The handgun is waffenamt'ed.

This one has what appears to be a faint import stamp on the underside of the barrel (which also has matching last two digits). The stamp is something like "SSME PLANT CTY FL". I figured this would have been a Vet bringback, but maybe I'm incorrect.

What's the story on this?

Condition is "very good".
What's it worth?

Thanks in advance for any help on the subject.

fjr02

[Chipperman]

http://www.ssmedwi.com/index.html

Condition determines a lot, but I'd say ballpark value would be $800-1000