New luger owner "Made in Germany" question
 

I just purchased a 1916 Luger, mainly as a shooter as the finish shows a lot of holster wear. One part of the gun which bugs me is on the right side of the frame, above and below the proof marks, are the made in Germany stamps. The odd part of the stamp is the first word (made?) isn't too clear, and the middle word (in?) looks more like IM instead of IN. Has anyone run into this arrangement on their luger which the made in Germany stamp was in another language? The stamp job looks sloppy too. Anyway, just curious. I would have preferred a Luger without this on it, but its first Luger and the price was good, in my opinion and at 58 years old, I finally bought one of my dream guns. The gun is being shipped to my local FFL, so I do not have any pictures, other than what the dealer on Gunbroker has. Thanks for any input.

That would be an import mark that was added sometime after the gun left the factory. There was no need to put an import mark on a military accepted firearm for use in Germany itself.

It's very likely that you've purchased a reworked Russian Capture or DDR police pistol. These were refurbished in the communist block after the war, and saw service for several years.

If they were made surplus and imported into the USA sometime after 1968, they would be required to have an import mark added. Thousands were brought into the USA this way.

These generally lose their collector value, but make great shooting Lugers in many cases.

As you wait for your pistol to arrive, download a copy of the forum's FAQ PDF document. You'll find it a useful reference, with a remarkable level of detail collected by forum members over the decades.

If the details are still on gunbroker, why not post the link?

Here's where you'll find the FAQ, and welcome to the forum.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121

Here is the link to gunbroker. As you can see there are some issues with the gun. Thats fine as i wanted a shooter. Thinking about reblueing too Luger too, any comments about that.
Thanks,

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/797894043

Looking at pictures of your purchase, before you take it shooting, you will need a new locking bolt/takedown lever. While the one on there appears to be the original matching one, I wouldn’t want to shoot using it since it’s broken. Several people on the forum would know how to fix them or get you a spare to shoot with. I’d start on the forum with Lugerdoc.

I know, I already have one on order, as well as some of the springs which people listed as broken more often, just to have on stock. I plan on field stripping it and give it a good cleaning and inspection before firing it for the first time.

The made in germany was an export marking - just slightly different, as it shows where the gun was made and a requirement of the USA for items (not just guns) coming into the USA.

PS - I was born in the old Kennewick General Hospital :)
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The "Made in Germany" stamp is just that, and in English- just a poor stamping job- they even tried to get it right two times! ;)

The photos look like an early post WW-I import, probably done before the 1968 import marking laws went into effect. Prior to that, all that was needed was the country of origin.

Get to know the mechanism, and use care when disassembling it. Remember to lock back the slide before rotating the locking bolt clockwise. It's unusual to see that part broken in that way, so there may be some other problem with fit. The side plate has more wear than the rest of the pistol. You can check for originality by looking inside the plate at the bottom for a number relating to the first digits of the Luger's serial number.

Thanks for all the replies. Fortunately, through the miracle of the internet, I have an abundance of information at hand. I am somewhat anal as far as studying up on my firearms before attempting to disassemble. This Forum is a God send as far as a resource goes. Lots of good information from people with more experience with Luger.

I noticed the picture shows the side plate with a lot of wear. Another reason I was thinking of having the gun reblued. I think that wouldn't affect its value as a shooter.

It really is not worth spending the money on. You'll destroy the remaining original finish. I personally would get it into good working condition, and leave it be.

That is smart- the not disassembling till you know what you are doing- part.

I have "fixed" more guns that folks took apart and couldn't get back together than Carter has liver pills. :cheers:

Yea, You tube comes in handy, plus you can learn from others mistakes.

P08 has arrived
 

I stripped the pistol and cleaned it. There were some things I noticed, such as the firing pin spring guide was slightly bent. Some carbon buildup on the internals. I cleaned it up and replaced the broken take down lever. Wood grips look to be original. Looks like they are covered with varnish on the external portion. The fit is good and they do not move. Action functions good, I didn't notice any slop. I noticed the firing pin did not have the groves cut into it. This must be before that was being done.

I like it. Pics of the import marks? Just for curiosity sake?

No import marks
 

The only marks I saw are the ones in the picture. The gun is stamped "Made in Germany" a couple of times on the right side.

Thanks for posting the picture. They sure were not worried about precision or asthetics when they stamped that one were they!

Examine it closely for cracks. I have had two that were broken right off. The mechanism will still function, but I would not trust it not to jam. :rolleyes:

spring guide
 

I'm going to buy a new spring guide to keep on hand just in case. It looks like its the original part and probably has seen a lot of use throughout the years.

Made in Germany Stamp
 

Yes, they were not worried about any future value. Of course when they stamped it, lugers were probably fairly cheap.

First time shoot
 

My first time firing the new Luger. 15 yard target. As you can see, old eyes and old military sights do not go well together, but still fun to fire a piece of history. For me its more of a point and shoot firearm as the sights seem to disappear on the target. I'm thinking of highlighting the sights a bit to make them more visible.

I find that it works best to focus on the front sight blade, not the target. Then hold down in the white at 6:00 so that you don't lose the black sight into the black of the target. Or shoot at light bullseyes.
dju

David's right, white bullseyes are the way to go, even for young eyes.
Norm

And what happens when we shoot at brick walls? Mmmmm?

That's a remarkable photograph...