What to Do With My Luger

What to do ?

Take it to a gunsmith who knows Lugers, have it checked to see if it is safe to shoot, have him check for function, ask how much for him to clean it up. Go purchase some ammo and shoot he crap out of it. Grips - use the ones on it, it's not like it ever will be a collector piece but you should use/enjoy it and retain it in your family IMHO.
 
I bought a mismatched numbers P.08 Luger in 1975. Still have it, still shoot it and still love it. Lugers are fun and 9mm is inexpensive ammo. My P.08 likes value pack stuff like Federal Champion and WWB. I hope whoever eventually gets it keeps it in the family.

I would get some replica wooden grips, those grips are ugly! But of course hang on to them in case they have value. Also the magazine (if original) can be worth real money. If the pistol is safe to shoot get some Mec-Gar aftermarket magazines, they work well and you shouldn't use the original magazine (to keep collector status it should remain in original condition, springs, follower, etc. which means it likely wouldn't reliably feed ammo).
 
Last edited:
Correct on the advice not to use "hot" ammo. The Luger is a strong pistol and won't "blow up", but the ejector can be broken; those are expensive and AFAIK, no one is making them any more.

Jim
 
Thanks all for the advice. Not planning on selling it. My original "What to do?" question was more what to do with the grips, what to do with the finish, etc.

I will probably buy some wood grips. I assume I'll get what I pay for? I see them on Amazon from India for $35 or so, or on gun forums for $120. Any advice there?

Also, thanks for the advice on the magazine. I hadn't thought of that.

Any recommended Luger gunsmiths in the Chicago / Milwaukee / Madison area?

Thanks again all.
 
As far as the grips go, don't waste money on "authentic, original" grips. Any reproduction that suits your taste and budget will do. Brown wood, or black plastic are the period correct grips, so anything that looks like that should do.

If you know a highschooler taking woodshop, buy them a piece of walnut (or your choice) and a checkering tool and tell them to have at it. :D
(suggest they practice on cheap wood, first ;))

I also suggest you get one of the Luger combination tools, and a reproduction holster (which holds the gun, the tool and a spare mag).

I have one of the repro holsters, and the only way you can tell it isn't original is that it lacks the correct German markings and isn't 70+ years old.

Check in your uncle's things (or with whomever has them), and see if maybe there isn't an "old holster", etc that went with the Luger...lots of times the executor will know about the gun (and other "big" stuff) but have no idea about the accessories that go with it, until it is pointed out to them. There might be a box of stuff somewhere that could wind up sold as junk simply because the people handling it don't know what it is.

Your gun is never going to be of interest to Luger collectors, which is not to say it has no value, it just has no collector premium value because of the mismatched parts and it being a fairly common model, so you won't "hurt" its value with a quality refinish.

Sorry, but I can't help with that, no idea what a good job costs these days, but generally, if you buy cheap, you get cheap...



This is mine, a 1936 S/42 which I got about a decade ago. I was told it was reblued "by the factory, during the war" (you get told all kinds of things), and the grips while pretty, are not original. The price was $750, and I was told (again:rolleyes:) that if the finish had been original the price would have been $2200. (ten+ years ago...)

While there have been a couple of commercial attempts since (none surviving in the market very long) essentially Luger production ended in 1942. Yours is always going to have some value, because it is a Luger. Might as well finish it to suit your tastes.

Good Luck!
 
Thanks.

The gun does have a beat up black leather holster with the snap missing off the holster. Holster is stamped on the back best I can tell:

NBUROHARD
1916
PASING

I've seen the repro holsters that come with the tool and/or wood grips, so I'll probably get those.

Thanks.
 
John Martz has passed and John Lawson is pushing 90; are there any other Luger specialists?
Lawson lives "just down the road" from me, and he did a rebarrel, trigger job and rust blue refinish on my Luger for $400, but that was twenty years ago.
 
I'd expect $35 grips would look good since you can get decent grips in that price range for other pistols. I never reblued my old Luger, I like the character it has from decades of use.

After many thousand rounds fired since I bought it in 1975 I broke only one part, the big toggle axle pin at the rear of the receiver. Of course a very easy fix, if you can get the part. The Luger continued firing, I didn't notice the problem until I cleaned it later. Other broken parts could be more trouble of course, I'm just pointing out these are strong handguns, especially the Mausers of WWII. And a Luger still draws a crowd at the range.
 
Yes ejectors are prone to breaking. I broker one on my 'shooter' Luger. I was able to get one from Brownells for about $50. Ouch! There are places making repro ejectors because they are easy to break.
 
I added new walnut grips. I like the result.

Still trying to decide on the metal finish. It is pitted, so I know a basic re-blue won't magically make it brand new, but I would like to improve the metal finish, mainly so it doesn't look like it is rotting away in my hand. Any advice?
 

Attachments

  • new grips left reduced.jpg
    new grips left reduced.jpg
    201.1 KB · Views: 29
  • new grips right reduced.jpg
    new grips right reduced.jpg
    184.1 KB · Views: 24
The degree of polish done to the metal before the reblue will make the difference. However, done sloppily, it can damage the markings.

If you want it to look like new, the best people I know are Turnbull. Serious coin, but fantastic work...
 
Thanks.

I don't want it to look like new. I'd like it to look like 1955 or so. It just bugs me to see all the bare metal. The metal frame between the grips (front and back) is 90% bare metal with minor pitting. There are also many other spots of bare or close to bare metal. I just want it to look like it's not decaying in my hand. Any decent options for that?
 
My 1913 mixed numbers Luger also shows its age and some bare steel. And pitting. But it's honest wear of two World Wars and all kinds of scrapes and wear over ten decades by many previous owners. Anyone who shoots it is impressed the old girl functions so well after 100+ years, in fact as well as when it was new.

I'd never think of refinishing it. Most of the blemishes are just cosmetic. Just like the face of someone born in the 1930s, a poor facelift to a Luger probably will make it look awful. It might be best to appreciate honest appearance.
 
While I do not see any German military markings that I can recognize I would not rule it out as a military bring back. Several police forces under German control were issued various German pistols including Lugers from what I have been told. It is possible that this could have been one of those police pistols instead of military. If it were mine I would find a gunsmith who truly knows Lugers and have him clean it and give it a good going over to see if it were safe to shoot. Standard loads should be used if it is safe to shoot.
 
This is stamped on the barrel.

I discovered that an eye lupe + cell phone can take some great photos.

Can you find me a gunsmith who truly knows Luger, preferably within a couple hundred miles of Chicago?

Thanks.
 

Attachments

  • barrel stamp.jpg
    barrel stamp.jpg
    140.8 KB · Views: 13
"I'd never think of refinishing it. Most of the blemishes are just cosmetic. Just like the face of someone born in the 1930s, a poor facelift to a Luger probably will make it look awful. It might be best to appreciate honest appearance."

I look at it differently, like living in a historic house that hasn't been painted since 1939.

Decisions, decisions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top