Finally Joined The Luger Fraternity Today!
 

I've collected military surplus firearms for many years, but finally got around to adding a P.08 to the collection. It's a 1918 DWM with original finish & matching numbers, except for the mag & unnumbered grips. I wanted a shooter that wasn't messed with and this pistol fell in line with my budget. I do have a couple questions, though. And if this is the wrong part of the forum to pose these questions, I apologize in advance.

1. Does anyone know what the capital "K" on the left side (after the serial # and above the takedown lever) signifies?

2. Would this pistol have originally come with walnut grips numbered to the gun? The ones on it now appear to be beech and are unnumbered. Can I assume they're replacement commercial or repro grips?

3. In regards to the import mark above the trigger guard, does anyone have an idea where Simpson would have sourced these lugers from? Private collections in Europe or former military/law enforcement stock?

From reading the vast amount of information contained within this forum, this gun appears to be just your run-of-the-mill WWI military luger. If anyone sees anything that I missed, please point it out. I'm really looking forward to learning more about lugers from all the knowledgeable members on this board.

Mike

Here's a few more pictures .....

Welcome, Be Careful!!! There is a round in the chamber!! 'geladin' Great photography! Eric

Welcome to the forum; couple of quick questions.

Did this come from the Sturgess collection? i.e. did you buy it form Simpson, LTD or someone else? I am guessing, but Simpson has always gone overseas and bought items, so it could have been any bulk buy they came across I would guess.

The K - don't really know, its kinda hard to see in the picture but I have not seen one like that.

I am pretty sure that walnut and beech were used, especially in 1918 - I think walnut was hard to get by then.

There is no such thing as a run of the mill luger :)

I loaded a 9mm snap cap to see whether "geladin" would pop up and to check the trigger pull. I would never take photos of a firearm with a live round in the chamber. Good catch!

Ed, it's a Simpson gun

Imported by Simpson at some point, but not a Sturgess gun. They were marked next to the frame well in the cutout for the magazine knobs.

Beech grips were very common on the 1917 and 1918 dated DWM Lugers.

No idea on the "K"

Hi Mike, Unnumbered grips are not uncommon on late war DWM's, given the fact that the condition of your grips is consistent with the rest of the gun, I'm pretty sure they're original.
Regards, Norm

Mike

In my opinion it's a very nice luger, with its correct wear out markings, surely not a round of the mill luger, nice stocks too perhaps still original.
About that big "K" I haven't got a clue.

Best.

9x19M! Whats the '19'?

Mike, Since the full serial number of your luger is in the "k" block on the front of the frame, it's possible that some field armour or repair technician added the suffix to the receiver to keep those parts together, when doing some kind of repair work. Lifer the 19 in 9x19 indicates the length of the case in milimeters. 9x19mm = 9mm luger, nato, etc. TH

case length of the 9mm parabellum (9mm Luger) is 19 millimeters. Do a little reading/research. The mantra of this forum has been often stated "get books first then buy", but you can't just acquire them you have to READ them ;)

Get in contact with Bob Simpson in Galesburg and ask him if they have a record of how your Luger was acquired for import.

It's possible that he imported it for someone else also.

I've never seen the suffix letter stamped that way on the receiver left side. The die doesn't look like it's something someone in the military would have used in Germany. It's very possible that it was something done to comply with a foreign law that required a complete serial number on major parts of the pistol.

Congratulations on you Luger. It's an authentic part of WW-I history!

If you're going to shoot it, get a modern replacement magazine. The wooden ones will break if dropped, and sometimes when put under stress by loading...

Eric

I post a draw, I'm sure everything will be clearer:

Welcome, Mike.

A legal pistol in this country has its entire itinerary recorded as soon as it crosses the border. Since Simpsons is an 01 FFL, and an importer to boot, they will absolutely be able to tell you where they acquired. As Marc suggests, ask them directly. Brad Simpson is a member of this forum, too!

When I read "run of the mill", I got that same feeling as when watching one of those "fail" videos on YouTube--when a BMX-er, skateboarder, etc. slips and lands crotch-wise on a handrail, or face first at the bottom of the steps. In your excellent pics, it appears to be pretty nice (original finish, overall condition), and since it all matches, that adds up to its being an entry-level collectible.

Import marks, for some, are a detraction, but yours is an example of Simpson's laser-engraved, state-of-the-art current technique, with marks as small and discreet as regulations allow. That anomalous suffix on the receiver may be an issue, but we shall see. So far, although it may not have been the way the gun left the factory, this mark would be a legitimate part of its life and travels.

Though the P.08 has always been a robust pistol, numbered parts can and do break when they're in use, and such an occurrence would knock the gun out of the collectable category in no uncertain terms. If you're going to shoot it, it might be a good idea to swap out the extractor and firing pin for something more expendable. That won't help you if you crack a toggle link, but these two parts are among the most commonly broken--also easiest to swap out. The firing pin in particular should be upgraded for shooting to the later, "fluted" style, the grooves in which allow for safer release of pressure should a primer be pierced. The old style--which yours should be--makes a perfect gas piston to transfer forces back into the action to cause damage.

Some guys prep their Lugers with a new set of springs before shooting, to avoid the chance of damage allowed, for example, by a weak recoil spring, which would permit the action to bottom out.

First go-to ammo is Winchester White Box 124 or 115 gr. FMJ. There are many equivalents, with some variation. Avoid "+P" or NATO, which is generally too potent.

Otherwise, congrats...and enjoy!

Excellent, I think this is really an exhaustive explanation.

Kind regards.

I'll add to Ithacaarist's good advice the replacement of the holdopen. That thing also gets broken a lot.

UPDATE:

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and the great insight/advice! I truly appreciate it.

So I took the pistol to the range yesterday to shoot it. First shot using a Mec-Gar mag and standard 115grn 9mm landed about 2" left & low of bullseye at 10 yards. Great start I thought. I lined up for my next shot, pulled the trigger, and nothing happened. After clearing the gun, I fiddled with it for about 10 more minutes before I gave up. I could not get the trigger to engage, no matter what I tried.

I got up this morning and detail stripped & cleaned it again. No broken parts and everything looked as it should. Just as I started to re-assemble it, I noticed that the plunger on the trigger (sear) bar was not sticking out. The plunger was stuck inside the trigger bar. So I removed it and oiled it heavily, then left it upside down in the hot Florida sun. When I returned 5 minutes later, there was a small pool of cosmoline & gunk that had flowed out. The plunger now worked like a champ! So I went back to the range and blasted off the remaining 49 rounds of the box of ammo that I had started on yesterday. No issues whatsoever (aside from a slightly loose right grip) and the luger shot like a dream.

I am going to take everyone's advice and change out a few of the numbered parts (and the grips too) before I go shooting again. I had a momentary sense of panic yesterday when the gun wouldn't fire and my first thought was something had broke. I can honestly say that I never want to feel that way again.

Mike

Mike, attend to that loose grip right away. Once they start to shift, I've found they tend to get worse at an exponentially increasing rate. You don't described how it is loose, but there are a few tricks to getting them firmed up again.

The photos of the wood bottomed magazine that came with the pistol have me puzzled. Isn't having two pins holding the base in the mark of a post WW2 magazine? I thought originals only had one.

Doug I concur. I don't recall any original magazines with dual bottom pins... only aftermarket.

Someone went to a lot of trouble to try and fake a WW1 era magazine.

Yes! And they did a lousy job!!

Simpson's disclosed the mag as non-matching, but "a proper variation". They never used the word original, but I also assumed that it was a WWI military mag from the description & the fact that they didn't use the word 'reproduction' either. However, I guess that "proper variation" could be another term for wood bottom, which it does have:roflmao:

Since I'm new to the world of lugers, I really appreciate everyone pointing this out. I never would have known that it was not an authentic mag without the input. This is disappointing news, but not the end of the world for me either. The glass is still half full:cheers:

Mike

I would not worry much about the mag. I have seen several original ww1 mags where a second pin was added to stabilize a wobbly base. Whether this was a field repair or not I do not guess. Looking at your mag,stake marks etc I think this is an original mag body at least. Bill