You did your part, so I would have a clear conscience and a BIG SMILE on my face!! Avoid any non standard velocity ammo like +P, +P+, NATO 9mm. These old girls weren't built around that ammo.:biggulp:

Ok, got it field stripped. No obvious problems and it all matches except the magazine has no numbers. The mag follower also looks a little crudely machined, I have no idea how it should look. There is one small chip in the left side grip right behind the safety lever. Even though the bore looked like it had WW2 left overs in it, it is finally coming clean. One could have grown potatoes in the firing pin housing but it also came clean. To me, it all looks pretty good. Here are some more pictures for you all to check out. Tell me if you see anything out of order. Those cleaning patches are only about half of what has been used so far. I had a pile that size yesterday as well but even dirtier.

Go run some jacketed ammo thru it to polish the bore. Cleans them right up. Stainless .40 cal. bore brush may help too.
dju

I ran a dozen or so light FMJ rounds thru it yesterday. It's still dirty. I'll get it clean. This is my first Luger but far from my first pistol.

That chip missing from the left grip is VERY common, as people try to remove the grip improperly and break off that portion of the grip. We have a person on this forum that can repair it if you desire. Because they are matching grips, I would definitely consider it. Some of these old bores will clean up well, and others that just don't, BUT they shoot great even though they are not perfect. Enjoy!!

... and then when you decide to sell it, I'll give you your $600 back... or $700... or $800...

David

"jacketed ammo thru it to polish the bore" well that's an old saying, but is completely false. Jacketed ammo does not clean the bore at all it helps led and copper to stick better to the bore.
The best advice would be to brush the barrel thoroughly, this will loose all of the carbon build up from unburned powder and the build up from the copper jackets of the bullets, then get a good solvernt, wet a patch, and put it at the breach of the barrel and with a push rod force it through the barrel until it comes out through the muzzle. Then use dry patches until they come out reasonably clean. Lube a bit the barrel before storing the gun.
IMHO

Sergio

You have done extremely well! It is always a cause for rejoicing when a member has good fortune. Congratulations!
Ron

Truth be know, I am considering parting with this cool old pistol. I am not in position to start a collection of nice old firearms that I shouldn't fire. Given that. Does anyone know of a decent site that would be helpful in establishing a fair market price on this Luger?

Steve

Nooo!
Why did you buy it in the first pace then?
All that fuss for nothing, what a pity... don't rush, think about it before you get rid of that Luger!

Sergio

I understand your objection Luger.parabellum. I am truly sorry if I caused any of you any inconvenience and I very much appreciate everyone's help. As I stated in previous post, I don't have the means at this time to be collecting non shooters. I didn't expect to find an all original weapon. I would like to keep it but I bought this with the idea of shooting it. After talking to all of you, it seems shooting it would not be wise and I'd feel terrible if something broke. I don't have a desire to gouge anyone but I don't want to just give it away either.

As for a good place to sell, go to our for sale column below and give it a whirl. It's free and I suspect that gun will find a good home quickly there. You can even link back to this thread to help the prospective buyer learn more of the gun.
And if you have more questions regarding valuation, etc, ask away. That's why we are here.
Good Luck!
dju

I really have no idea what it is truly worth. If I sell it here and reference this thread, potential buyers would see what I paid for it and possibly think I was gouging them. That is why I would like to find a fair starting price for this pistol and then go from there. I hope to pass a bit of my good fortune on to the next guy but I don't plan on just handing it over to someone for what I paid, if at all possible.

I took a look at the photos again, and see an honest WW2 Luger with quite a bit of bluing thinning loss. Nothing particularly rare or valuable, but a good WW2 gun. Regardless of what you paid, I'd suggest taking no less than $1000 and maybe as much as $1300. Those are ballpark figures of course. Just what you paid for the gun has no bearing whatsoever.
dju

Thanks DJU.