Bucket list pistol

[Nasty Canasta]

Brought home a pistol that’s been on my radar for years & never found the right one at the right price until yesterday.
I like instantly recognizable, iconic guns & it doesn’t get any better than a P08 Luger.
It‘s a shooter grade, exactly what I wanted, 1940 Mauser manufacture & came with reproduction holster, loading tool, & two un-numbered magazines. Lots of things a collector wouldn’t like that don’t matter to me. No wait on C&R guns so I got to bring it right home & clean it up.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Congratulations! I hope it will give you years of relatively trouble-free shooting fun.

My Luger/Parabellum journey began with a very badly mistreated Lange Pistol (aka Artillery Luger) that had been bubba-ed almost beyond recognition. To get it back into a semblance of proper Luger I had some welding done to the front and backstraps where they had been crudely filed (note that the stock lug is gone), and replaced the barrel (with a 6-incher), trigger, rear toggle, grips and recoil spring, and then had the exterior refinished. It looked pretty good after all that work , but I could never get it to run particularly well and I finally sold it off.



Last year I had the good fortune to buy several firearms from an estate, including a rebarrelled C96 and two Nazi-era Lugers. These three guns set me back a total of about $4K, which isn't too bad these days.



One is a numbers-matching s/42 dated 1938, while the second is a mixmaster with a breechblock/toggle assembly from a 1917-ish Navy Luger grafted to a much later frame and barrel. I purchased a second upper assembly for this second pistol in 7.65/30 Luger which functions perfectly. My plan is to replace the 4" 9x19 barrel later with a 6" barrel to complete the Navy Luger look. So in essence, I'll end up with two Lugers that can be set up in three different configurations.

The C96 is pretty cool too.

 

[Gork10]

Nice! A Luger is on my list as well. One day. Enjoy that one.

 

[Pat Riot]

That’s Great @Nasty Canasta
Congratulations on finding your bucket list pistol.
That’s a nice looking Luger.

I’m curious. Are you going to shoot it? I couldn’t not shoot it.

 

[halfmoonclip]

I like instantly recognizable, iconic guns & it doesn’t get any better than a P08 Luger.

Nice snag. Every gunny should have one. I got one some years ago, with the guidance of a late buddy. It's matching numbers, finish isn't too bad, and the pistol creeps out my daughter.
Moon

 

[Boom Vang]

The buying and selling of Lugers has been termed The Last Refuge of the Scoundrel. If you didn't overpay, enjoy the new pistol!

 

[halfmoonclip]

The buying and selling of Lugers has been termed The Last Refuge of the Scoundrel. If you didn't overpay, enjoy the new pistol!

Amen to that. Hence, accepting the guidance of my late buddy, before buying the one I have. Lugers scare me to death, the difference between a good one and a great one are a mystery to me.
Wondering, as the 'greatest generation' goes to its reward, if Lugers are reappearing in the market, and I'm not sure the design is of much interest to younger gunnies. We shall see.
Moon

 

[ontarget]

and I'm not sure the design is of much interest to younger gunnies. We shall see.

Nope, too much of that heavy steel.
Not enough plastic.
Too hard to customize and no place to mount an optic.

 

[MikeInOr]

I love old guns that are unusual and unique in design and function. If I ever find an affordable Lahti I would probably buy it but it isn't a bucket list item. I skipped a couple of Nambu's back in the 90's due to lack of ammo. I should have picked one up... oh well!

 

[garandsrus]

Nambu brass is pretty easy to make from 40 S&W or 357 SIG brass. Bullets are available. Dies are available but expensive for some reason.

 

[Nasty Canasta]

Yes I’m going to shoot it, that’s why I got it! I know what I got & it was a private deal & we both were happy with the outcome & nobody got screwed. I’ve spent years learning about Luger history & prefer buying in person, have yet to buy anything online & look at Gunbroker strictly for its entertainment value. I’m a accumulator & don‘t sell stuff, just take my time to ultimately get what I want & then take care of it while enjoying it be it a vehicle, guitar, firearm, or wife (+40 years)
Now my baby Luger I bought years ago has a big brother!

 

[Gork10]

Yes I’m going to shoot it, that’s why I got it! I know what I got & it was a private deal & we both were happy with the outcome & nobody got screwed. I’ve spent years learning about Luger history & prefer buying in person, have yet to buy anything online & look at Gunbroker strictly for its entertainment value. I’m a accumulator & don‘t sell stuff, just take my time to ultimately get what I want & then take care of it while enjoying it be it a vehicle, guitar, firearm, or wife (+40 years)
Now my baby Luger I bought years ago has a big brother!

View attachment 1255751

Good for you taking it out to shoot. Personally I'll not own a firearm I wouldn't shoot. That's what they were made for. Let us know how it shoots.

 

[kevincallahan]

I guess my bucket list pistol would be a model 57 smith in a four inch. I had one many years ago as apoo Deputy Sheriff in a rural area in Texas.Had a family and could not afford more than one work gun plus my off duty/hide out 36. I traded it for a Colt Government that had Smith and Wesson sight milled in. It was a nice 45 but when I went to work at a large agency it was not permitted and I sold it for a blue model 19 I still have

 

[Armored farmer]

Brought home a pistol that’s been on my radar for years & never found the right one at the right price until yesterday.
I like instantly recognizable, iconic guns & it doesn’t get any better than a P08 Luger.
It‘s a shooter grade, exactly what I wanted, 1940 Mauser manufacture & came with reproduction holster, loading tool, & two un-numbered magazines. Lots of things a collector wouldn’t like that don’t matter to me. No wait on C&R guns so I got to bring it right home & clean it up.

Nice Luger.
My great uncle said he "slept many a night" with a Luger in his hand right after dday.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Brought home a pistol that’s been on my radar for years & never found the right one at the right price until yesterday.
I like instantly recognizable, iconic guns & it doesn’t get any better than a P08 Luger.
It‘s a shooter grade, exactly what I wanted, 1940 Mauser manufacture & came with reproduction holster, loading tool, & two un-numbered magazines. Lots of things a collector wouldn’t like that don’t matter to me. No wait on C&R guns so I got to bring it right home & clean it up.

for research purposes… what did you pay for that bad boy?

 

[halfmoonclip]

Now my baby Luger I bought years ago has a big brother!

Your baby Luger looks familiar...tell us more ?
Thanks,
Moon

 

[Nasty Canasta]

Baby’s an 32ACP Erma KGP68A made around 1970. The frame is Zymak & while it looks cool not that great of a pistol & took me a while to get it working smoothly & consistently. I’ve always been fascinated by the mechanical function of things & this was as close to an actual Luger toggle action that I could afford at the time & I learned a lot from it. It’s a good little shooter & does OK considering the tiny sights that make it a point shooter.

I’d rather not disclose what I paid for the Luger, I did my research’s for many years & made a well informed purchase that both the seller & myself were happy with-I suggest you strive to do the same. It took me well over 20 years of reading & seeing beat up overpriced faked Lugers at gun shows. There’s so much to know about these it can be mind boggling.

 

[Piranha451]

Congratulations! I did the same exact thing. I had wanted a P.08 for a long time and wanted a shooter. I was finally able to find one that was offered at a very decent price, bought it, and enjoy shooting it!

 

[dh1633pm]

Excellent pick up. Who hasn’t wanted a Luger at one time or another. Enjoy shooting it!

 

[Vonderek]

Nice! Thanks for picking off the scab of selling a 1942 BYF years ago when layoffs were common and times were lean. Still kicking myself!!!

 

[lightman]

Lugers are cool! Nice pictures everyone!

I passed on one that I still kick myself over. I was in a motel room one night with a few friends right before the Tulsa Gun Show, drinking and BSing, A buddy pulls out a Luger that he planned to sell. It was in great condition, had matching numbers and the story was that his Grandfather had brought it back from WW2. I had enough money to buy it and still buy something at the show if I wanted. I passed, mostly because I already had a bunch of "Safe Queens" and didn't really need more. Kick Kick Kick!!!

 

[Jim Watson]

including a rebarrelled C96

Still in .30 Mauser?
I have seen a lot rebored, relined, or rebarrelled to 9mm for common ammo. Some of them even function.

Too bad about that 6" parts gun.
A friend has a Finn with Tikka 9mm barrel. He had trouble getting it to shoot with generic ball ammo but the little sucker shoots my 145 gr IDPA subsonic just fine.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Baby’s an 32ACP Erma KGP68A made around 1970. The frame is Zymak & while it looks cool not that great of a pistol & took me a while to get it working smoothly & consistently. I’ve always been fascinated by the mechanical function of things & this was as close to an actual Luger toggle action that I could afford at the time & I learned a lot from it. It’s a good little shooter & does OK considering the tiny sights that make it a point shooter.

I’d rather not disclose what I paid for the Luger, I did my research’s for many years & made a well informed purchase that both the seller & myself were happy with-I suggest you strive to do the same. It took me well over 20 years of reading & seeing beat up overpriced faked Lugers at gun shows. There’s so much to know about these it can be mind boggling.

Thanks for a very complete answer, and I'm amazed that the 'baby' actually has a toggle action. That is just pretty darn neat. I had one of the Erma .22 versions of an M1 carbine, years ago, and it was a decent piece of work.
Wasn't meaning to be improper about what you paid, and apologies if it came across that way. Just curious about the current state of the market.
I have a numbers matching (mag excepted) pretty presentable Luger, bought with the advice of an old friend, years ago. As an early shooter, I wanted a Luger and a Broom, and got both with this gentleman's guidance. The Luger is a pretty presentable original, the Broom a numbers matching reblue. Doubtful I'll try to upgrade either. Not sure if "mind boggling" begins to cover Luger shopping!
Best,
Moon
ETA: When I was a kid, a neighbor kid had a real Luger as a toy...it had been welded up, to make it totally non-functional. It weighed a bunch more than our potmetal toys. Often wondered about the backstory on that thing, and what became of it.
M

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Still in .30 Mauser?
I have seen a lot rebored, relined, or rebarrelled to 9mm for common ammo. Some of them even function.

Too bad about that 6" parts gun.
A friend has a Finn with Tikka 9mm barrel. He had trouble getting it to shoot with generic ball ammo but the little sucker shoots my 145 gr IDPA subsonic just fine.

Yes, the barrel is still chambered for 7.63x25 Mauser. The bore is minty.

This is what some collectors call a hashed barrel. The new barrel was contoured to match the original and the joint obscured by a circle of fine hash marks:



I think it's far more common to see a rebarrel job with a stepped joint:

 

[Jim Watson]

All I have seen were stepped. The only "hashed" joints I knew of were on "Monobloc" shotguns with the seam disguised by a band of engraved squiggles. Of course you get neater hash marks on a $5000 OU.