Sorry, another new guy..
 

Hi folks,

After leaving Britain and its crazy gun laws behind Iam at last in a position to own a functioning Luger,

I am looking at two right now which are about a 2 hour drive in opposite directions so Iam so far only looking at photos to decide if either of them is worth the drive to view.
The first one is claimed to be all matching numbered with original bluing in excellent order with origianal holster, its stamped 1942 on top apparently and I have asked for a picture of the top of the pistol to identify a makers mark, and will post this when I recieve it.
From the Eagle and L stamp, am I correct that this could have been issued to the postal service?

The second pistol is a matching numbered s/42 Mauser from 1938, again claimed as good origianal blueing. The seller is keen for me to come and see the gun but after nearly one week still has not sent me more detailed pictures of stamps.

Im not expecting any cast iron verdicts, just wondering what your more educated gut opinions are.

The second pistol is the last 3 photos,as I said I am waiting for more detailed images.

We have lots of new guys, so sometimes a header of what you have is best :)

The eagle L is for police

One of the first things we suggest is that you buy books.

Knowing your location makes a huge difference in value.

On the first one, ask why the grips are so worn compared to the great finish.

On the 2nd, the holster sure looks like a repro to me.

Thanks Edward,
I asked about the rough grips an wear to the leather last night, things have gone silent..However I plan to take a drive over tomorow and look it over.
With the other pistol the guy told me the leather is repro however he is more than alittle slow to deal with regarding details too.

I am in Norway, and there is a glut of pistols around, however numbers matching ones are getting harder to get in good condition.
Both guns are priced at around 700 dollars.

$700 in the USA is not a bad price at all.
I am concerned about the finish on the top gun. It looks like it may have been bead blasted and re-blued, and the grips show way more use than the bluing (actually modification and re-finishing). Photo 4 around the safety lever looks "frosty". Front sight blade had been modified or replaced.
Just can't see much more with those photos.
Anyway, welcome aboard.
dju

The first holster illustrated was manufactured as an LP08 holster in the Imperial era and converted to a police holster in the Weimar era. It is stamped with the Weimar-era unit marking of the Schutzpolizei of Frankfurt am Main in the Prussian administrative district of Wiesbaden.

David thanks for pointing out the front sight I had not noticed it, and Iwas a little unsure about the safety myself, it hasnt worn a scratch in the finish.
Don, would such an early police holster still have been paired with this pistol in 42?

Thanks for the input guys, I know the photos are not great.

Either one of these pistols with holster or extra mags would easily bring $700 USD here in the USA. Even if the eagle L is refinnished.

I agree they probably are worth their price, I am after a first gun shooter, but the best I can find on my budget.
I looked at 4 other pistols last week in my area in reasonable shooting condition, all mismatched mongrels. These 2 seem worth a look but I have to say Im skeptical about the first one having origianal finish as advertised.

I agree that the first pistol might POSSIBLY be reblued, although all the markings and edges seem crisp. Better photos might verify if its been redone.

The modified front sight goes a long way towards explaining the modified grips, which appear to have been purposely thinned for target use, as was the replaced sight.

There is little to say about the second gun without better photos. I agree that the holster is a reproduction.

The first one looks like a reblue to me.

Are we talking $700 US dollors or Euros here?

If the rig was in the US where most are veteran "bring-backs," I would say it is not likely since there was a multi-year program that began in 1933 to replace old police P08 holsters in Germany with newly manufactured ones. However, since it is a Norwegian "left-behind," I'm not so sure. It may have been surplused by the Frankfurt Schupo when it was replaced in the early 1930s and subsequently reissued to a police battalion headed for Norway. The gun is a bit odd, too. It clearly has a police acceptance stamp but does not appear to have ever had a sear safety which I would expect to see if the gun saw police service in Germany. Perhaps it too was issued to a police battalion in Norway and got paired with the holster.

Don I am going to look at the top pistol in the morning, what do you mean by the sear safety?

OK, I found another thread with some pics and some info. bit odd as you said.

Even if the first one has been refinished (and this appearance could relate to the use of flash in the photos), if in good firing condition it would be worth more than $700 as a shooter.

The area of the left grip that is smooth was probably sanded smooth to provide comfort for a right hand shooter's thumb. Nothing else in your photo implies that level of wear on the pistol. You'll see the bore when you handle the Luger yourself.

A "Sear Safety" is an additional metal tab that is riveted to the top of the sear bar on the left side of the pistol (which is not shown in any photos posted).

The police marked E/L pistol would be considerably more rare here in the USA, and I would think more attractive and valuable, all other things considered.

Marc

Couldn't the Eagle L pistol be a Mauser Banner?

If either is priced 700.00 in dolars not euro's either one would be priced right

Well, thanks for all the input so far guys but we can close the matter regarding the Eagle L pistol.
I drove down to look at it this morning after mailing the dealer last night, suffice to say after a sweaty drive (its 28 celcius here today). dragging my poor daughter along as I was baby sitting, the POS just looked at me and said he had sold it that morning!!and wasnt even apologetic about messing me around. It was his to sell and he sold it!:soapbox:

Im pretty upset as I was 90 % mind made up to buy it. but onwards to the next...

Welcome to the sometimes seamy side of gun dealing. Don't be surprised that the dealer was advised he was selling too low and simple held the pistol back. It may appear later at a higher asking price.
We have all experienced this.

Hi Andrew, If it helps any, I like the second gun much better. Good luck, Norm

Cheers Norm,
That pistol is still on the table but like I said the guy selling is strange to deal with, in his 20s and smoking a lot of green tobacco!
4 times now he promises to email the close up right away, next day I ask him what happened he says "oh yeah i forgot, but I will do it tonight".
Its more frustrating than buying a used car :order:

So I suppose I will go back to waiting for another one to pop up on the market and I will bother you all again...
Anyhow that gives me breathing room to read more, the last week looking about the forum has been an education and I apreceate all your opinions :thumbup:

Yea I would skip the ganja man also.

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.