School Me On the Luger P08

[giggitygiggity]

Hi, I'd like to get a Luger P08. I intend to shoot it on occasion by mainly have it for historical significance. What can you tell me about the P08. What do I need to watch out for when buying one? What models/dates of manufacture are more valuable or more reliable? If anyone has a Luger with which they are looking to part, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks!

 

[Monac]

There's an old joke that goes something like "Tell me everything you know...while standing on one leg". Your question is like that. The amount of stuff to know about Lugers is enormous.

To keep it simple: If you want a good shooting Luger, the thing to look for, IMO, is an East German rework Luger. These are Lugers reconditioned by the East Germans and given a heavy black refinish. They are sometimes called "VOPO" Lugers, for VolksPolizei, or the Peoples Police, but I think most of them really just went into storage until East Germany collapsed and they were exported to the US.

Luger collectors are, or were, not very interested in them because of the refinishing, and most people say they work pretty well. I don't know how available they are now.

That's all the useful advice I have to give. I've been collecting guns since the early 1980's, and I've never acquired the specialized knowledge about Lugers needed to tell a good one from a bad one. That's why I bought an East German one - same as you, I just wanted a good shooter. I was lucky that world history made that convenient for me.

PS - if you want a good shooter, stay away from the Mitchell or Stoeger Lugers. They were made for a while in the 1980's out of stainless steel. They're an interesting part of Luger history, but the one I had jammed a lot and shot high and to the right. Also, after the first year, Mitchell gave up on trying to make their magazines hold 8 rounds, and de-rated them to 7.

 

[Pipe Smoker]

Check out this one:

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/430601935/m/5690009893

 

[tark]

Find a Luger collector near you if possible and ask for help. Save up LOTS of money. Even a #s mis-matched shooter in good shape will cost several hundred dollars. A collector grade gun, several thousand. You could go to Luger school, take classes for ten years and still not know HALF of everything.

I can't think of a bigger snake's nest of potential pitfalls than collecting Lugers. Possibly Colt model P single actions (Hoglegs) might come close. The former had several different makers, they were sold to dozens of country's, with different barrel lengths but only two basic calibers and two basic types. The latter only had one manufacturer, they were sold in dozens of country's, with different barrel lengths, but dozens of calibers and three basic generations.

I'll stick to collecting Remingtons

 

[joem1945]

I shoot lugers now and then. Expect to pay anywhere from $1000.00 to $5000.00. I lucked out years ago at auction and got one for $240.00. It shoots well with my 124 gr reloads. If you get one make sure you get a mag loader or have really strong fingers.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Try loading the drum magazine!
I am a big artillery fan

 

[MIL-DOT]

Hi, I'd like to get a Luger P08. I intend to shoot it on occasion by mainly have it for historical significance. What can you tell me about the P08. What do I need to watch out for when buying one? What models/dates of manufacture are more valuable or more reliable? If anyone has a Luger with which they are looking to part, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks!

I've seen a couple nice looking ones on my local classified sites recently, I think there's still one on Theoutdoorstrader (Georgia).

 

[Lone Star]

I'd get one by Mauser, the last maker. Newer guns.

You need to do a lot of reading in Luger books and in titles like Geoffrey Boothroyd's, The Handgun.

Learn to evaluate a Luger to see if it has any cracks or mismatched numbers.
Know the best magazines and be prepared to pay for them. Very important to reliability. Cartridges must the right length and bullet shape to feed well.

A good Luger is very expensive. And you need to learn a lot before buying.

Many Lugers have slightly loose grips. due to wood shrinkage. You can replace loose grips.

 

[tipoc]

Drop by here for more info...

http://luger.gunboards.com/forum.php

The Luger Forum is particularly useful so here as well...

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

tipoc

 

[dbmjr1]

I have a 1937 DWM in 9mm Luger. Matching numbers. I only paid $500 for mine, and it shoots great.

I got it cheap because it's been re-blued. I could tell because certain parts are supposed to be a 'straw' color, such as the trigger.

It's little things like this you have to watch for.

Matching numbers are great, but there's a bunch out there that have been 'forced matched'. Look for parts that show more wear on the finish than others.

Don't expect to find a magazine with numbers that match.

 

[CapnMac]

It's a lifetime learning curve.
There are a zillion parts suppliers out there--some qualify as OEM restoration parts; some are little better than counterfeiters.

All-matching with a legitimate provenance is spendy.

You almost have to spend some time reading up just to decide what niche you want to collect "in." Bolos, Artillery, Police, military, for that matter the American .45, and the Swede Lahti.

If all you want is a shooter, with no particular niche or value, that can be done. But, for advise, I'd say to shop for a P-38 instead. Not to get one--although you might--but, that is likeliest way to find that shooter P-08. And, let's face it, you're not going to find .30 luger down at Academy on a regular basis, you might want a couple somethings to justify buying the ammo.

 

[Jim K]

The Lahti is not a Luger variation; they are totally different guns with only a superficial resemblance to the German pistol.

Jim

 

[stchman]

Here's what you need to know about Luger pistols. Overpriced and really ugly.

 

[Plastikosmd]

^ Opinion only

As far as resources, I learned a great deal here.
http://www.lugerforum.com

 

[tark]

Yeah! And the British Spitfire was the worlds uglyist aircraft, too!

 

[stchman]

Yeah! And the British Spitfire was the worlds uglyist aircraft, too!

I guess the Luger P08 fits the "so ugly it's pretty" segment.

 

[zb338]

The Luger is kind of snotty looking. there is no mistaking it
for something else.

Zeke

 

[tipoc]

One of the best looking, best balanced pistols ever made IMHO.

tipoc

 

[tark]

Stchman, NO...No...No... You have it wrong ! It's the WEBLEY REVOLVER that is so ugly its pretty (ugly)

 

[stchman]

One of the best looking, best balanced pistols ever made IMHO.

tipoc

If that were the case, companies would be making them today like the 1911.

 

[lsudave]

If that were the case, companies would be making them today like the 1911.

I thought the issue was complexity of design and manufacturing, making a high price to make vs the 1911/HP etc Browning designs?

 

[Jim K]

The major effort to revive the Luger, by Mauser and Interarms, was pretty much a failure and a big chunk of money went down the drain. The people who claimed they would buy a newly made Luger put out a lot of talk but no money.

Other efforts were small scale and failed on a number of issues, mainly quality control. Other makers have produced guns that copied the appearance of the Luger, with its toggle action, but most were cheaply made and not very successful. One pistol that might be said to copy the Luger in some ways is the .22 Ruger, which I hear has had some small success.

Jim

 

[stchman]

The major effort to revive the Luger, by Mauser and Interarms, was pretty much a failure and a big chunk of money went down the drain. The people who claimed they would buy a newly made Luger put out a lot of talk but no money.

Other efforts were small scale and failed on a number of issues, mainly quality control. Other makers have produced guns that copied the appearance of the Luger, with its toggle action, but most were cheaply made and not very successful. One pistol that might be said to copy the Luger in some ways is the .22 Ruger, which I hear has had some small success.

Jim

The Ruger Mark series (I, II, and III) are NOT based off the Luger but off the Nambu.

 

[Jim K]

"The Ruger Mark series (I, II, and III) are NOT based off the Luger but off the Nambu."

Actually, neither. The grip frame shape and feel of the Ruger pistol were deliberately copied from the Luger, but the mechanism is a hammer-fired straight blowback while both the Luger and the Nambu are striker-fired, recoil operated, with a locked breech. The Ruger takedown was derived from the Colt Woodsman.

In fact, the Ruger is not really a copy of anything, but is a design of its own and a very good one.

Jjim

 

[joem1945]

I'd like to get a drum mag for my arti luger but I'm not going to pay a $1000.00 for one.