Luger P08 vs. Walther P38

[rs525]

I'm sure this topic has been covered somewhere else, but for those of you who own either a Luger P08, a Walther P38 or even both, which of these is the better value if you had to have just one?

I held a Luger at a gun show and it felt pretty good in the hand, but I hear they suffer from reliability issues. The Walther P38 is a bit less expensive and more reliable, but from what I can tell looks more bulky and from what I hear the double action trigger pull is heavy and god awful.

 

[rbernie]

For me, the double action feature of the P38 is unusable; it’s just too heavy to be serviceable. The gun also just doesn’t fit me well. I no longer own any.

The Luger P08, on the other hand, shoots very well for me despite the abysmal sights. My range Luger (1937 / 9x19) shoots just fine with a Mecgar replacement magazine, and has shot every handload I’ve ever stuffed in it without issue. Of course, I did disassemble it and replace all the springs before I shot it after I bought it, since there was no way of knowing the last time that it was re-sprung.

 

[1KPerDay]

For a shooter? P38. Collector/historical piece? Luger.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Had both. Hated the trigger on the P38, and found it inaccurate.

As far as being more reliable.....wartime P38s are known for cracked slides, as were the early postwar P1 versions. Early P1s also had issues with the locking surfaces of their aluminum frames getting beat up. Later models of the P1 had a thicker slide and a steel hex bolt installed to improve the service life of the frame.

Cracked hammers and safeties are also a thing with P38-type pistols due to the rather violent action of the decocker. Its best to avoid using it and just manually lower the hammer on an EMPTY chamber.

Sold the P38. Ill never sell my P08. Only reliability problems Ive had with it were due to cheap aftermarket magazines. Using wartime German mags or Mecgars, its run 100%.

 

[9mmepiphany]

For a shooter? P38. Collector/historical piece? Luger.

That is pretty much my take as well.

The P-38 is more reliable, accurate and tolerant of a wider range of ammo. It also has better sights and is thumb safety.

The P-08 is more collectable and points better in my hand. It is finicky about the ammo you feed it and intolerant of getting dirty. The sights are possibly the worst combination I ever experienced on a handgun

 

[MikeInOr]

I own both. My P38 is much more reliable, acurate, a better shooter and points very nice with really good balance. A P08 is a much cooler relic. The trigger on my P38 doesn't compare to the worked over trigger on my 1911 but it is still quite good for a military weapon.

The C96 is neither reliable nor all that much fun to shoot and has a lousy trigger. The little .30cal bullets in the CZ52 fly so fast that they hit the target before I pull the trigger. My worked over 1911 is the most fun at the range. The Nagant is the most unique with its gas sealing cylinder. The Webley is a beast but has the heaviest DA trigger I own... by far.

 

[P5 Guy]

 

[jar]

I prefer the P-38 and since I was mostly a wheelie shooter never found the DA trigger on the P-38 an issue. It sure is a fun gun to shoot one handed.

 

[Mosin77]

It really depends on why you want one.

I’d rather have a Luger than a P38, they are the quintessential “cool German pistol” and also really nicely made. If you get a numbers matching example or get it worked over by a good Luger smith, they are very reliable. Only “ok” to shoot though, in my opinion.

P38 is ugly, now expensive compared to just a few years ago, and I’ve read too many reports of slides cracking to use one as a range toy.

 

[trackskippy]

Ive owned a few of both, still have a P1 which I still shoot fairly often.

The Lugers are cool guns, but the P38's are just more practical.

Ive owned a couple of P38's and P1's and have shot quite a few others over the years, and all of them had decent DA triggers. Not sure where the trigger hate is coming from. I always found them to be accurate and reliable guns. I agree with Jar too, they are fun, and good one handed shooters. So are the Lugers for that matter.

I think some of the issues with the P38's is due to when it was made more than the gun itself is a problem. Earlier guns were generally better than later. The Germans had multiple issues with pretty much everything towards the end of the war, and I think most of the complaints come from guns built then. Crappy materials and worker sabotage are often stated as the main issues.

 

[rs525]

Also I do intend to shoot whatever I get. What's the point of buying a gun if you're not going to shoot it?

My go to FFL dealer down the street from me actually has a Walther P38 with Nazi markings in stock as well as a Luger (but only in .30 Luger). I'll ask him if I can handle it when I go to pick up my next gun.

 

[Jimbo80]

I have both wartime and post war P-38s and Lugers in 9mm an 30 Luger. I wouldn't get rid of any of them. They're iconic pistols and a "must have" for any collector of military arms. Not only are both historic, they are both great fun to shoot. If I could only afford one at this time I would get the Luger. The only reason I would make that decision is that Lugers will cost more down the line than P-38s.

 

[Reinz]

I have both. They were fun to shoot once or twice. But having them as a consistent range gun?, No way.

If either of them were my only pistols, I would be totally turned off to pistol shooting.

 

[rbernie]

I have both. They were fun to shoot once or twice. But having them as a consistent range gun?, No way.

If either of them were my only pistols, I would be totally turned off to pistol shooting.

To me, the P08 points extraordinary well and I find it pleasant to shoot. If it’s all that I had to shoot, I’d still be a happy shooter. Different strokes, and all that.

My biggest challenge with the P08 was finding one without stupid eagles stamped all over it.

 

[Rock185]

I've had two Lugers, and a P-38/P-1. Both Lugers were unreliable. The P-38 was very reliable, and I found the DA and SA on my example to be acceptable. The Lugers have unmatched mystique, but reliability trumps all for me...

 

[starling]

I have both as well. Honestly they are both over rated other than for collecting purposes. A nice matching luger is to valuable to shoot and the Walther to fragile to be a regular shooter. Both feel good in the hand and are quality but nothing you just lay awake at night thinking about.

If I had to have just one. Luger all the way. Toggle action is neat. If someone made a modern Luger that stayed in production I would buy one as a shooter. As it stands now Luger collectors are such a cult the prices are high enough I dont want to risk a matching pistol.

If you have to have one I would say save up and get the Luger. The P38 is pretty modern all things considered. Luger feels like a mix of a Target gun and a combat weapon with a little sci fi thrown in. A very odd pistol compared to modern stuff. Maybe deliberately get a non matching gun that can be shot a bunch with fearing a breakage.

If you want old school with history to have some fun with forget about these and get yourself a Tokarev first (if you dont have one). Those are still affordable and a lot of fun. And then of course you have the old school 1911 and these are the golden days for that ergonomic platform. Almost any caliber available and even reliable models under $400. We are kind of spoiled these days with all the inexpensive 1911s. Hardest part is deciding what to buy because its such a rabbit hole.

If you do go Walther keep the springs fresh and dont ever shoot anything hot. I only run Federal 115gr American Eagle on the rare occasion I shoot mine and I own the wide slide hex pin model (supposedly more durable). They are accurate and reliable. Double Action is probably going to feel long and heavy if your used to strikers but its not bad. If I had to use one to defend myself it would definitely be the Walther.

With the Luger there is no way to mount a TV optic on the slide because of the toggle action so its definitely out for any kind of serious gamer/operator work. Might be able to mount your Holosun on the side of the luger and shoot gangster style. Maybe use one of those old beamshot mounts for a barrel mounted green laser or IR for night vision stealth missions. Throw some zombie green grips on it and have it cerakoated in burnt bronze battlefield pick up with blood splatter and you will be "The Man". Then put it all on youtube and be a star. Dont forget the qwikcrete mud test.

 

[tactikel]

A little hazy about “better”; an iconic sidearm to cherish? P-08. An interesting pre-wartime compromise, P-38.
(Finest Military sidearm of all time P-35 Hi Power)

 

[JCooperfan1911]

The Luger is a beaut, but for a fighting gun the P38 is a whole lot simpler and more modern for that role. And they don’t command a king’s ransom.

 

[Ignition Override]

If aftermarket magazines (especially for the Luger) are excluded from this comparison, along with the current prices,

and only the guns' internal actions and triggers are discussed, would some peoples' preferences be different?

 

[P5 Guy]

An ac42 P38 and a commercial DWM P'08
I was happy to buy them and even happier to sell them.
Never had a more frustrating handgun than those two.

 

[PzGren]

The P1 was my service gun and I had competed in military & police competitions on state level with the P1 and had also been chosen to sight the guns in each before they were shot. The P38/P1 is a very accurate handgun, unless the gun is at the end of its service life and shot out.
The Luger, or correctly called Parabellum pistol, since it wasn't designed by Luger alone but also Hugo Borchardt, a German American, is able of great accuracy, too. I have owned quite a few wartime P.38 and P.08s and found the P.08, which was only built until 1942, in general having tighter tolerances and thus better accuracy than late war P.38s.

As a shooter, I recommend either a post war P1/P38 with the reinforcements or a Mauser made P.08. Metallurgy had been improved when Mauser started building the guns on their own frames. That was after the last DWM frames were used up.

Both my remaining Parabellum pistols, a 1942 P.08 and a post war Mauser 06 work reliably and are accurate. Accurate enough, that I had used the P.08 successfully in club matches against modern custom guns.

And some photos for your viewing pleasure...



Part of the sample size

 

[starling]

Nice Lugers. One of my dream pistols is a 7.62x25 Stainless Luger with Millett sights and a 6-8" barrel. It just blows my mind that nobody makes Lugers anymore. Maybe it will happen eventually with all the legacy pistols being brought back. Ruger should do it.... "The Ruger Luger".

 

[rs525]

The P1 was my service gun and I had competed in military & police competitions on state level with the P1 and had also been chosen to sight the guns in each before they were shot. The P38/P1 is a very accurate handgun, unless the gun is at the end of its service life and shot out.
The Luger, or correctly called Parabellum pistol, since it wasn't designed by Luger alone but also Hugo Borchardt, a German American, is able of great accuracy, too. I have owned quite a few wartime P.38 and P.08s and found the P.08, which was only built until 1942, in general having tighter tolerances and thus better accuracy than late war P.38s.

As a shooter, I recommend either a post war P1/P38 with the reinforcements or a Mauser made P.08. Metallurgy had been improved when Mauser started building the guns on their own frames. That was after the last DWM frames were used up.

Both my remaining Parabellum pistols, a 1942 P.08 and a post war Mauser 06 work reliably and are accurate. Accurate enough, that I had used the P.08 successfully in club matches against modern custom guns.

Did you serve in the German Military and if so, why did they keep using the P1 until 1993 even after newer guns came out like Glocks, SIG Sauers, the Walther P5 and H&Ks? Did they really just love the P1 THAT much?

 

[Mosin77]

Did you serve in the German Military and if so, why did they keep using the P1 until 1993 even after newer guns came out like Glocks, SIG Sauers, the Walther P5 and H&Ks? Did they really just love the P1 THAT much?

Don’t underestimate the power of “good enough,” especially when dealing with institutional inertia. The P1, except for its limited capacity, was about as good as any of the other options available. And when contemplating spending some millions on rearmament, the question must inevitably come up “just how often have any of our soldiers actually used their pistol, and, if so, did they really need more than 8-9 shots?”

I’m frankly amazed many armies aren’t still using 1890s revolvers. Except for the fact that the older designs always tend to be more expensive to produce. So from that perspective, if you have to make 50,000 new guns to replace the ones that have worn out, it might be dramatically cheaper to just adopt a new design for the whole army.

 

[mokin]

I've been able to shoot a couple P-08s and owned a P-38. I liked shooting the P-08s but they seemed finicky. I thought the toggle was cool but used it way more than I should have. The P-38 was much more reliable and had better sights. I don't recall the trigger being that bad on the P-38, but I mostly had revolvers to compare it to. It did have a hard time feeding hollow point ammunition though.