an opening discussion about my new to me 1916 Luger

[mrerick]

Hi "R.",

Welcome to the forum.

You have a Luger that was recently imported (Century Arms, Intl in St. Albans Vermont was the importer).

It was most likely a Russian Capture Luger that was used in East Germany or another Soviet state, then surplussed and imported to the USA. R-Guns and others are carrying these.

Usually they arrived with a magazine, so yours must have been separated.

Go with a MecGar or (if you can find one) an extruded magazine made by Haenel Schmeisser (the WW-II ones were marked "fxo" and post war had pinned aluminum bases and were made for the East Germans).

The grips may be collectable if they were the ones installed by the Russians / East Germans when the pistol was re-arsenaled. It would be worth posting pictures before you toss them out.

Also, try shooting it. If it doesn't shoot well, consider returning it to the dealer (if he warranted it to be in good condition). You can sometimes get these from online sellers like "R-Guns" for not much more, and installing a replacement barrel would probably cost you more.

Marc