Sorry this thread has got a bit messy, but I told bob marley where to shove his luger yesterday. Cut a long story short the guy was a total waster.
Anyhow I was picking up some .38 ammo this morning and got talking to the guy in the gun store, he told me to hang on a moment and went out back. When he came back he had 3 all numbers matched exept mags lugers, it seems his boss had never bothered putting them out front!
2 of them are byf 41 models the other is an 1937 s/42 in outstanding condition, except when i pulled the toggle back with the mag in it did not lock back! Is this a fault? The other two pistols functioned perfectly, I have reserved them till I speak with the store owner next week and one way or another i think one of them is mine.
I am more inerested in that s/42 what about that slide tho?

Possibly the magazine is not tripping the hold-open. This seems to be common. Try the mags from the others in it and see if it holds open. If the owner won't let you swap in a mag that works, don't sweat it. Get a Mec-Gar for shooting and keep the duff mag for display.

I also have a 1937 S/42. They are cool. ;)

Sounds like your patience may have paid off. The hold-open could be a bit stuck, it could be a mag issue, or it could be broken off, which is visible from the top with the toggle pulled back. Anyway, it seems that a buying opportunity may just have presented itself.
dju

I spoke with the store owner on tuesday and sure enough the hold open is bust on the s/42 however it is a very nice pistol otherwise so maybe I can get a sneaky deal on it.
He is selling them for a customer and oddly enough they had not agreed on a selling price for any of the guns yet! :confused: So I am waiting for a phone call to tell me what they decide...:(
I am so frustrated, are collectible gun folk always this tricky to deal with?
I have never had such issues buying a Beretta, Colt S&W or any other such "modern " pistol but this is driving me insane. Permit and cash in hand I cant seem to pin the dealers down to a firm sale. Im tempted to just buy a mismatched 1916 down the road as a shooter and be done with it.:surr:

Andrew, Here in the states, I've had several transactions with Luger collectors that went smoothly and without problem.

It's possible that the dealer is sensing your emotions about this and planning to take advantage of it. With this kind of person, it might be best to back off and find someone else to deal with. You could make a low offer (considering the status) and "calibrate" the dealer's pricing and completion timeframe to something reasonable.

Is there more demand for Lugers in Norway than supply?

You can likely obtain a non-matching hold open without too much difficulty. If it's only the leaf spring it wouldn't be expensive to fix either.

Marc

Marc I think your right about the seller cooking up a little suspense to make it difficult for me to stick to my lowest offer, and as a business man myself I see his angle. Still pretty tiresome to have to deal with...
That eagle l police pistol I just missed out on, There were 15 others interested in it according to the dealer. so we can say that right now in Norway there are 15 others like me looking to snap up a clean pistol with only one popping up for sale publicly every couple of months. I looked at 4 or 5 low end shooters for around the 400 dollar mark, but I thought as I am only allowed one 9mm here, better make it a good one. I just sold my BERETTA 92Fs to clear my permit.
As a first timer with the Luger Im being cautious and by the time Im ready to bid Its too late.
These 3 Lugers I came across just now are in a hunting shop next to my cabin, they have little to do with pistols as a rule, so for me it was like a head start on the other guys as I found them first before they were ready to offer them publicly.
Breath deep and wait, although my poker face may have already slipped with this chap:rolleyes:

Good luck, and I hope that you will be able to purchase the Luger for an "acceptable"(to you and the dealer) price. They are fun to shoot and research, so don't give up on your dream pistol.

Ok, Looks like the guy at the shop has withheld the sale and is going to auction the pistols when he has some more intrested pigeons. well sod him!
Last night friend of mine tipped me off his missus who manages a gun store just got in a load of guns from a lawyer clearing out deceased clients estates, and he had glimpsed some lugers.
I drove over there this morning and from a sack! she dumped out 4 Lugers, 3 Po8s a broomhandle Mauser and various antique revolvers.
Non of these guns are in Top shape however there is a Good 1937 s/42 with all matched parts. I put my name on it till her dad gives his ok on them tomorrow. After the hassle so far I will wait ill its on my permit till I post pics :)

The other pistols where, a 1938 s/42 all matched but only fair condition, DWM I didnt get the date in terrible shape like it had been used as a hammer, lots of pitting but all matched numbers.
And a 42-41 in fair condition, all matched numbers.

41/42's are scarce and desirable. They usually command higher prices.

Wow! There seems to be no shortage of lugers over there! Don't worry, the right luger will come along and when it does you'll be glad the other luger deals fell thru.

Well, remember that the German Army in Norway surrendered at the end of WW2 and left its equipment there en masse before being processed and repatriated. Norway used the MP40 in its armored vehicles up until the mid 1980s.

Norway also has sensible gun laws by European standards.

Picked one up today,:cheers: Have posted the Pics on-all military lugers topic.