First Luger, whaddya think? - *** New Pics ***
 

I recently acquired my first Luger, a 1917 Erfurt model in .30 caliber:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3..._boy/luger.jpg

This pistol has obviously been neglected for several years as I found rust in a few areas. The action and field-strip lever were pretty sticky prior to a preliminary cleaning.

This photo is from my cell phone in flat light. I'll shoot some decent ones with a real camera when I get a minute.

As far as I can tell, it has been rebarrelled at some point, interestingly still at .309 caliber. Everything else has matching serials, including the magazine. The number on the mag is very difficult to make out due to wear but it is a match.

The bore shows no pitting and there really isn't any serious wear.

I really enjoyed stripping it down. The German engineering is fantastic in its complexity and in its simplicity. I can see why people go nuts for these.

I bought this for $800. Sound about right? I really want a shooter and I'm not so much interested in a high-value collector or museum piece. I've got some Fiocchi .30 ammo on the way. Since the barrel isn't original, maybe I'll rebarrel it to 9mm someday.

I'm no gunsmith, but the finish looks original and there isn't any flattening of the stamps or original factory metalwork as far as I can tell. The grips are slightly loose. I hope after a good cleaning they tighten up a bit.

Anything I need to watch out for before firing it? The action and the mag look to be in good shape. Everything fits well.

Newbie interested in your thoughts.......

Welcome! Congratulations and welcome to the club. One of our motto's here is "You can't have just one". I think you did just fine on the price.

I'd trust some of the others for advice on firing; I just collect 'em.

Hi Bryce,
I betcha it will be a tack driver. After shooting the 30 Luger you might not want the 9mm barrel after all. Don't use the original wood bottom mag for shooting. The 94 year old wood can become brittle. Combined with the pressure of the spring and the shock of firing, it can crack.

Bryce, Congratulations and welcome..I agree with Mark..I like the .30 much better than the 9MM Just a lot of difference in the cost of ammo.

Can you get us a good photo of where the barrel enters the reciever? This looks to be awfully thin on your pistol. Any markings on the barrel?

...As in no flange at all...and a double taper...Front sight blade is not Luger either...

Also, the 'proofs' on the right side of the receiver look...strange...

I like the 7.65 Luger cartridge... :)

Where is the best place to find a mag to shoot with? The original is a little flimsy at this point and very stiff. I loaded a few 9mm rounds just to check the mag. They loaded more or less OK, but a newer mag is probably a good idea.

I'll try to post some good photos of the proofs and the barrel / receiver area. No markings on this barrel at all as far as I can see so far.

Mec Gar out of Italy makes the best after market magazines for the Luger. Google these and you should find a number of dealers who offer them.

Sweet. I'll look into it. This forum rocks. You guys ever do anything else? ;)

Sweet. I'll look into it. This forum rocks. You guys ever do anything else? ;)[/QUOTE]

NAH! We sit here an drool Lugers all day.

FN

Bryce..Seriously I would take a good close look at the barrel before you fire this weapon. It appears to be home made, not correct and out of spec.

Bryce,

Take Jerry's advice. He is a very wise man!

Do I possibly also detect a slight bulge in the middle?
Bryce, please look into the bore and see if there are any irregularities in the rifling/inner dimentions. A certified gunsmith should look at this gun prior to firing it. It may have been sold off for a reason.
Good Luck!

I see what you mean by the lack of a barrel flange. This could be a problem, but only time can tell... The receiver was designed to have a full flange, but can function with a limited flange provided the barrel is torqued adequately. What is adequate? With a full flange, usually 1/8th turn is usually about right. With a reduced flange? who knows.

My recommendation would be the same as Jerry...make sure the headspace is correct. Then make sure you have a witness mark so you can periodically check it for movement.

The way such a barrel as shown happens is that the person doing the conversion chooses a rifle barrel that doesn't have sufficient diameter in the chamber area to provide a flange. It may be that the person who did this conversion didn't have more than one barrel to choose from...

Yes, I'll have somebody smarter than me take a look. Worst case is that I get it re-barreled. Now I wonder if the barrel is .308 or .309. I'm not aware of many .309 rifle barrels. Are there original Luger barrels out there?

Here are a few more photos. I'd be interested to see what you think about the proof marks and the barrel configuration:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0429.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0446.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0445.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0441.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0434.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/IMG_0428.jpg

Thanks for looking! I have photos of just about every surface so let me know if you would like another view. ..... and no, the targets are not from this gun!

I just got this gun back from Tom Heller who gave it some TLC. It got a new 4" barrel and a spring to match the .30 Luger it had been chambered for. I haven't fired it yet, but he did and said it feeds and shoots nicely! I re-finished the grips too (twice - too dark the first time).

I'm still interested to see what people think about the proof marks on the photos above. Thanks for looking.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...boy/RtSide.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...boy/LtSide.jpg

BTW, I got a Mec-Gar mag to use for shooting. These better photos really make the finish look more worn than is apparent in-hand. The ol' girl obviously has a few miles on her, but hopefully now she at least looks right and is good for shooting again. :)

Should make a good hooter. Can't tell about the proofs.One looks overstruck. I believe
the gun has been refinished so hard to tell. Hopefully someone else will answer. Welcome to the forum. And remember lugers are habit forming. Bill

Gotta love them hooters!:)

Definetly refinished. Look at the Erfurt Crown on the toggle....

Ron
Old age is hell. At my age shooter, hooters no difference. Bill

Bill,
I can relate to that :).

Opinion...
 

Yeah I know the comment about opinions.....but anyway.....my $0.02 worth would be to send it to Luger Doc and have him put on a 6" Navy style barrel......once you pick up a Luger with the 6" barrel....you will fall in love...............I bought my Interarms Mauser from a little gun shop in Smoky Mtns. in East Tennessee......I had talked to the guys on the phone about it 3 or 4 times.....then my heart operation delayed me getting up there........but I told him would be in and we could haggle over the price as I had a .38 S&W I wanted to trade......I still have to laugh about it.......I walked into the shop...introduced myself.....and Larry the salesman said..."well...lets get that ole Luger out of the showcase and see what we can work out"...he laid it on the counter....I didnt hesitate a second before saying....."I will take it..!!!""......he laughed and said..."what about all the haggling over the price you wanted to do.?"..I just told him I fell in love with it.....and it was a deal...!!....anyway......6" barrel Lugers.....You gotta love em........Hans Fischer

Well, I might end up with a 6" Luger someday, but this guy is going to stay in the 4" configuration. It just got it's barrel 15 minutes ago. ;)

I just fired it - 35 rounds. My wife shot it too. Very, very fun gun. I love the .30 Luger cal. If it's written in stone that you can't have just one, the next might be 6" in 9mm.

Grips look g-o-o-d. How and what?

Sorry Bryce, that was a bit cryptic. I just got my first. A late mfg Mauser Luger with raw grips and I want to take care of them before they get loaded with skin-oil. What did you use on the grips and how did you do it

And by the way, your first turned out to be a bitchin' 09! congratulations!

Lliam

For the grips I carefully removed them and noted matching serials stamped into the wood. I used "Klean-Strip, Strip-X, Stripper" that I got at the local WallyMart. After trial and error I found the easiest was to put the grips in a gallon ziplock with enough stripper to drown them real good. It was a bit cool in my garage so I left them in there for a day or two.

I then took a toothbrush to the grips to gently work around the checkering, etc. A thorough acetone rinse left 'em looking pretty good. After drying for a couple of days I hit them with boiled linseed oil. That proved to be pretty dark. After another round of stripping, I then used MiniWax wipe-on Polyurethane coating. That seemed to do the trick and left the wood color looking better IMO.

I then got all dressed up, drove to my nearest mountain, and unloaded a few rounds:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...oy/luger-1.jpg

Just kidding - I left straight from work without changing. It sure was a gorgeous evening.

"I then got all dressed up, drove to my nearest mountain, and unloaded a few rounds"

Any idear what the freight would be to send me one'a'them mountains?

Lliam

I dunno. I usually use Delta airlines to bring the ocean to me. Maybe they could help.