What got you into lugers?
 

Just curious some of the reasons these fine weapons have the following they do amongst us.

Please forgive me, but is "connotion" the same as "connection" or is there a meaning I don't understand?

Gunny John

Yes, had a brain freeze. Apologies.

My father bought one when I was 6 years old. I got to fire it when I was 8 years old (with my father standing behind me). It was the first pistol I ever shot. It was a make from the late '60s (he bought it new). The reason my father had me and my older brother fire it was because he kept it in his nightstand in case of intruder and my father wanted us as kids to understand it and have respect for it that it was dangerous & not a toy.

Because of that neither my brother or I ever touched it unless my father was around and allowed it.

I've owned many pistols & some rifles in my life so far but until my father died I never owned a Luger myself. My mother had my father sell his Luger only a few years before he died when his health started to decline (she was probably afraid he would commit suicide because of his declining health) so my brother & I never had a chance to acquire it from him.

My father had other guns but that was the one he kept the longest.

Even though my father's was a modern one he would be proud of my 1917 DWM 9mm.

First time heard of this pistol was from Soviet post WWII novel "Destiny of a Man". A Russian soldier lost his family in the war, he was captured. German had shortage on drivers, he knew how to drive, so he was moved out of camp to drive a car for an officer. He managed to escape. The pistol was mentioned in what context,,,, I forgot, that's too many years ago.... but it's not "Luger" in the book, it's referred as "Parabellum". It's many years later that I learned it had another name "Luger".

Well several year ago I started collecting 1911; then I started collectig K98 K and from the German WWII carbine to their main handgun was just a short step, so I started messing about with Lugers P.08 Then I realized that would have been more intelligent to re-start again the small collection with Lugers buying decent Swiss ones... and the story is still going on ...

:-)

I believe the word is 'connotation'... :p

This poll would have to be aimed at 'collectors' rather than casual accumulators [like me]. I bought my first 'Luger' back in the '70's from my recruiter, and another several months later.

I'm not really a fanatical follower of Georg Luger, as I consider him a 'plagiarizer' of Hugo Borchardt's ideas. But I am fascinated by both for being 'Rube Goldberg' concepts. :D

Mostly I like to study the way it is manufactured, machined, assembled, and finished. I once worked in an aero factory that made P-40 Warhawks during WW II and quite a bit of the machinery was still there and in use. I would love to be able to tour a genuine Parabellum factory (any one of the seven). :rolleyes: Or any early 1900's handgun production facility. :thumbup:

...Like this one... :D

Voted 'other'
A little of each I would imagine :)
I have a few things that stick out in my mind from growing up - lugers I read about in Guns and Ammo - Nambu's, baby Nambu's, then Mustangs - certain things attract me more than others :D
My first luger, I still own, a buffed and reblued Erfurt Artillery - it feeds and shoots almost anything, great gun, sold a 4 inch Python in Hawaii and bought it for $325 in circa 1984 :)

closes 2016 ????

My father used to talk about an engraved and fancy luger he found in a trailer home when he was a kid. He sold it to a friend of his for an astronomical price at the time after he broke the firing pin in it when he went plinking one day. :eek:! He had a fascination for WWII era stuff as well, it kinda rubbed off on me I guess. He admired the P08, and almost bought a stainless luger made by Mitchell Arms.

At some point in time, I got tired of hearing him go on about the dern things and I bought a parted out Erfurt, and that led to a DWM 1917, and THAT led to my beloved 1920 Commercial!!! I helped my dad get a S/42, and my DWM 1917 went to my little brother...my mom has no interest in them! :rolleyes:

Sadly my dad passed on January 7th, 2012. I sorely miss him, I think he would've been pleased to have seen some of the guns we have collected since.

Being a younger guy that grew up in the 70's and 80's, my fascination with the P. 08 stems from watching all the war movies I watched as a kid. The luger has always had a certain cachet and mystique as portrayed by Hollywood, especially in the movies made in the 25 years after war's end.

I remember vividly, in a scene from "Where Eagles Dare", where the SS sturmbannfurher bursts into a conference room where Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood had taken some German officers hostage, and the SS man proceeds to hold them at gunpoint with his luger pistol. I remember thinking that "wow, that pistol is cool...I'll have one of those someday!".

I finally acquired a byf 42 in 2005 or so.

As a military veteran, and having had relatives who fought in both theaters of operations in WW2, I have since gained a real appreciation for the fact that I can acquire these weapons of our defeated enemies, and marvel at the role they played in history and making the world as it is today.

I just voted "other." Reason? All the above! :rockon:

Gunny John

PS. Sorry about the spelling Nazi thing, Stressed, but I really wasn't sure.

You see how much those pythons are going for now? Looks like luger prices, and then some.

Mustang are nice. I have two Chevelles and a road runner. Love old cars. :)

Wow. Reading posts here really points out the differences in thought processes between you guys and me. When I read that, I thought "P-51"... :rolleyes:

(p.s. - I have an L98 Vette) :p

Partially to honor my late father, a WW II vet (Navy, Pacific Theatre), partially because of the fine German engineering (I have a "thing" for old MBZ Diesels too), partly because of the connection to Nazi Germany (Make something good out of something bad), that period of history is the most responsible for the way our world is today and I grew up hearing ALL about it!

I have a Nambu for the same reason, and would LOVE to add a Remington Rand 1911 to the collection. P.38 would be nice too!

I look at lugers differently today than I did many years ago. The reason has been both the passage of time and education. I'll admit it started as a kid with movies.
No Thanks to the Nazi's and Hollywood's help in portraying them in my opinion sealed the fate for the Luger as being the ultimate bad guys gun. You can pull 10 people at random off the street and show them a picture of a Luger and that could be any Luger a 1900 an American Eagle, Finnish, Swiss, maybe even an Erma .22 and I would beg to guess at least 5 out of the 10 would call it a luger or associate it with Nazis, Hitler or Germany under Nazism?

Probably closer to 8 out of 10!

you didn't think of a Colt Mustang? Maybe the man likes pocket pistols..

I saw your yellow convertible, looks sharp. :thumbup:

As a young boy in the 50's my fathers family (not my father) were, lets say, just the opposite of police. When they came to the house to visit they all carried Lugers. They would take out there gun and set it on top of a table and my father would tell me that I could look, but never touch. I fell in love with these pistols and as soon as I was able, purchase my first one. I have a collection of them now, and will give them to my children when I die.

(Mine's a 1999 LS1 Maggie Red 6spd coupe!) :thumbup:

Guns

Attachment 40885

Sweet 'Vette! Sometimes I really regret selling my triple black Mercedes SL500.

I had a baby on the way and just lost my job, so it had to go.

Fortunately, I still have my namesake, the 91 BMW 318is!

Maybe we can get Ed to post a picture of his Mustang... :D

I've owned my '86 Vette since '98, and it's a hodge-podge of adapted parts...Original parts are no longer available...Repros are few and mostly cosmetic...And due to an ill-designed fuel line placement, I'm mostly scared to drive it... :(

My grandfather owned an AMERICAN EAGLE Luger in .30 that he carried in the Revolution that overthrew Diez in 1911. Before he died he gave it to my uncle, my cousin now owns it. But he cares nothing about guns, its a pity. I would sell everything I own to buy it. PS this is in CA, not Mexico.

Nice to see that there are more Chevelle owners here, I'm one of them ('69 Malibu) and I believe there's yet another one from the Chevelle forum lurking around here... :thumbup: I love old stuff in general, and I have always been fascinated by the characteristic and unique appearance of the Luger. However, the more I work on them, the more I appreciate the engineering and craftsmanship. For better or for worse, it's a good reminder of the times when people took the time to assemble a quality product.

War Trophies
 

My late Dad brought back two of them from WW2. One he kept, (now mine), and the other a gift to his oldest brother (it now belongs to my first cousin) who was categorized as 4F by the draft board because of a medical condition and couldn't join the fight and capture one of his own...

investment and shooting fun would be 2 other good choices too

i am in the shooting fun, but used other in the poll

My option was "Other", as my personal interest came from a mix from each alternative offered.
And my fathers passion for this magical gun.
Douglas.

I got my #8647 Kreighoff in 1956 when my uncle gave it to me. I was 16 then. He brought it back and I have his bring back paper. He was in N. Africa, Italy, the Bulge etc. and was under
Patton on Tank destroyers.

As for Chevelles, I have 65 Convertible, original 327 with factory 4 speed.
Eastern Oregon car, no rust.

Like this :thumbup:

I have always had an interest in the sleekness of the Luger design and later a great interest in World War I (I have, to be honest, little to no interested in World War II funny enough). It's my goal to one day save up enough to get a British proofed Luger (just for the sheer amusement value and to combine my love of British WWI pistols and German WWI pistols).

Michael

Joe, my late father served in the same places, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. How about your uncle? do you know which unit he served with?

I voted "other" as my interest involves almost all categories mentioned.

My family history is rich, and HEAVILY immersed in both "Great Wars". One grandfather died in WW1, one in WW2+ two uncles. Mom and dad both served in WW2 (on OPPOSITE sides!). Mom brought an Arty home as a trophy, and as a VERY young boy, I remember playing with it on the couch (unloaded of course). One can say that the Artillery Parabellum was my first toy. After my dad was killed in (what the family believes) a staged "accident", mom fell on some hard times (financially), and the Arty was sold to a European collector (we lived in Europe at the time).

I need to mention something here, that some of you might find amusing. My mom told me that this pistol (Artillery Parabellum) has a nickname! Later on, I've heard MANY European veterans refering to it by this nickname. Directly translated in English, she was calling it "The Stork" (the bird that brings babies in European fairytales!). I wonder if any of you Arty collectors, ever heard this moniker? An old man (years later) told me that the vets named it so because of the disproportionally long barrel, that 'fits" on the pistol just like long stork legs "fit" on the bird. Anyway,....just a little trivia for you guys.

I went into military in 1975, and stayed for a little over 20 years. Been to "few" places, saw some action, but since the early childhood, I was enamored with firearms, and assembled the impressive collection after I took my uniform off. I started collecting military small arms,.... mostly the ones I was trained on, which included both sides (East and West). Parabellum was just a distant memory, and it didn't have a place in my collection.

Past X-mas (2013), a family friend brought me a present. 1918 Erfurt! The feel of the grip, the sleek design, the fit and finish, took me instantly to my childhood! I have to mention that up to this point I never fired a Parabellum (I will always call it this for two reasons,......my European upbringing, and in honor of my late mother, who always refered to it by that name/or nickname,......VERY few people in Europe refer to it as "Luger"). I promptly cleaned this one, and started shooting it.

I just LOVE it! I carry it wherever I go. I have modern magazines for it, and I feel adequately armed with it. My Glocks (handguns of choice up to this point) are getting a little break.

And that's my story.

OK, who clicked connection to Weimar republic? :p

The car is beautiful, but this headlight design had a potential issue. I had a car with closeable headlights in the past. The biggest problem of this design -- it was a big headache when the "eyelid" refused to open. Finally, I kept the "eyes" open all the time. I bet that was a popular problem, because very few cars have this type of headlights on road these days :)

The car is beautiful, but this headlight design had a potential issue. (Alvin)

Nice looking C5 red there. A fine car. ... Lugers and corvettes have always stuck with me, a spice of life I reckon. (Rick)

Thanks, fellas. Alvin, You're quite right, she is beautiful. I absolutely don't want to sound smartaleck...but the opening/closing of the headlights on this car is largely irrelevant. I did have one go bad about a year ago, the delrin gear turned into useless chips; 45 minutes and a brass gear replacement later and the headlight was fine. Also, stock C5 seats suck big time.

But the real stuff...that's where it's at. I've done 140+ down the pit straight at Putnam Raceway, nailed the brakes at the 100 foot marker and dove into the right-hander at 75. The car is a dream at doing that and an old man's pride and joy to boot. The only problem is, when I'm on the race track an old piece of wood keeps getting caught in the steering wheel spokes. :thumbup:

Rick, I think any classic design, such as our beloved Lugers, elicits the same feelings in all of us; a design that is not a reflection of some fad, just-right looks and a fit and function that's far more than the assembly of it's parts.

Best to all, and thanks for the kind words, :thumbup:

Gunny John

PS. Ed, I LOVE your 'stang.

Reason for Lugers
 

I have been collecting US military weapons for many years. in 2009 my friend at the LGS told me that I needed a German Luger and he just happened to have one. It was a 1916 DWM bring back with holster and papers and for a reasonable price. So I became its new owner and fell in love with the and am still looking for some.

Bill


Mike , thanks for the correction I should learn to proof! Bill

I think you meant 1916 not 1816. If it was a 1816 Luger it would be worth MILLIONS!

My late father was a veteran of the 395th Regiment, 99th Division, the so-called Checkerboard Division. In action in and around Remagen, he became seperated from his platoon and came under fire from a vehicle mounted MG and neutralized it with his BAR. Later in the day he captured a German officer and relieved him of his dagger, binoculars, and most importantly his 1929 sneak Luger. Growing up, this was by far my favorite pistol. Unfortunately for me, my older brother who has absolutely no interest in firearms ended up with the Luger rig. C'est la vie.

And the older brother, who is "not into firearms", would not give the pistol to his brother who is!?

I don't understand this. I am the only child, I would've LOVED to have a brother, older or younger, doesn't matter. There is NOTHING I wouldn't do for my brother. C'est la vie.

My brother just thinks of it as a WWII souvenir. No worries.