Considering a 1970's Mauser American Eagle...
 

As first time Luger purchaser - no flaming please - I've collected every other military rifle/handgun under the sun and a,m now getting around to Lugers. Seems to be a decent product with an interesting pedigree - but looks a little different than the commercial or military models I've seen. Any reason why I shouldn't start this collection with one of these examples? They seem to be priced right - 900 - 1300 for a "new" weapon is reasonable. Thanks in advance - you guys have a nice forum here.

Mauser P.08 Parabellum
 

Hi Slundin, I think the Mauser Parabellum would be an excellent choice for both collecting, OR, shooting...but not both... If you are going to collect them, then un-fired in the box, complete with all, is your best investment..If you're going to shoot it, the any of them will do.. They are excellent Lugers and the more I study them, the better I like them... ... Best to you, til...lat'r....GT:jumper:

Thanks for that - you I will shoot it. I actually shoot everything I own - including a series of terrific HP's that I had - later traded. Even my mint stuff gets used every now and then - if you buy or trade right - why not have some fun with your wallhangers or safe queens? So yes - unless my smith thought it was going to explode - I'd shoot it. The 6" version kind of look slike a Navy - but the grip angle on these guns seems different. Do they take the same grips as standards? I haven't done a drill down comparison - but on first glance they look just a little different than the older pieces. Maybe I should start with a pre war commerical - that I can also shoot!

Better shoot post war Mauser 9m/m. Most pre-war commercials were 7,65 m/m, the ammo cost $30-$40 per box. It's like driving a SUV a year ago.

Ouch! Are the pre war 9mms I've seen advertised modified??? And I thought it was expensive to shot my Desert Eagle!

There are some 9m/m pre-war commercials, e.g. DWM Fat Barrel, Mauser Banner, etc. But those are expansive variations. If they are cheap, then most likely being parts gun, which won't shoot well anyway. I had a postwar Parabellum in the past, I shot around 1,000 rounds from it. It worked great but the front sight coming out of its base. I bought it around $800 from a local dealer, with all accessories, including the blue plastic Mauser tag..... not much cheaper than today, and that's more than ten years ago. Sold later.

Pre war would be fine by me. Looks like the dwm's are fairly plentiful - I've seen prices from 900- 1800 (and up) - but decent shooters around 1500 or so.

Actually, I saw advertisement in "Trader" section. One member selling Lugers imported from Canada. So, those guns have import marks on the gun somewhere. Not affecting functionality though, and price is very fair. I am not the seller, just FYI. Good luck in searching!

That's cool - will check it out - thanks!!

didn't find anything

Depends on what you consider a decent shooter. You should be able to find one that is okay at $600, a much nicer for less than $800.


If you are looking for a collectable (read anything over $900-$1500) and shoot it, thats fine, but be aware that if you break a numbered (major part) that value will drop down to about $600.


However, if you consider under $1300 a shooter collectable, then take a closer look at the trader section, as I have a nice 1915 there for sale...


ed

Will do Ed - thanks for the lead.

Looks interesting Ed - is this something you can take out and shoot without fearing breaking a part? I haven't looked up the standard powder loads on pre war 9mm ammo- how do you think it would stand up to modern ammo or would I need to load something lighter?

There is a thread on breaking parts; it does happen and several of us have had lugers / P38's break. I broke a breachblock, but I was using +p stupid I know. Lots of folks shoot their WW1 lugers, I have a reblued 1914 Erfurt artillery that I have shot thousands of rounds through, since it was buffed bad and reblued, I never thought anything about it, but I was never worried about breaking a part.

Ed

I'll give it a little thought Ed - still on the fence about a pre war commercial vs the newer Mauser - probably wind up with both eventually anyway! Only room in budget for one new toy at a time in this economy. Hmmm....

Mauser Parabellum
 

Dear G.T.

The 1970's Mauser copy of a Swiss Model 29 does shoot reliably.:thumbsup:

The silly grip saftey totally distroys the "feel" of the original in your hand.:surr:

The grips are checkered so sharply that they will actually try to cut into your hand upon firing and are just too damned "fat"!:surr:

The sear is totally unprotected from the top. This is why they used the aweful grip safty on this model in the first place.:surr:

The front sight is calibrated to shoot two to three inches below where it is held on your target.:surr:

Other than all of these distractions, again, the pistol does fire reliably. I personally own seven of them.:rockon:

Sieger:rolleyes:

This screen drives me crazy, with Ed's big flag waving on the left, and a group of tiny yellow flags waving in the middle, and a gene jumping up and down on the top:)

I just checked the Trader section. Maybe I remembered wrong, maybe he sold it..... the 1920 commercial DWM disappeared from the listing. Only three guns left.

Mixed reviews on the 1970's Mauser! I checked out one of my old gun digests from 1975 and found there were two models - a parabellum and an auto pistol - the parabellum being based on a 1906 model with more of a traditional rounded grip - any experiences to report with these two different models?

oh, you either dislike the American flag or ADHDs (well, I am too, oh, look at that, ......)

Most of the articles that appeared in the 1970s US gun magazines were based on a few demo guns that Mauser prepared before official production began. These demos are usually just reworked and camoflaged Swiss lugers :)

Mauser did indeed make both the Parabellum and the HSc, although the HSc parts were almost completely made at Manurhin in France.

If you are going after a collectible Parabellum American Eagle, the main tips are:

-As unfired and complete as possible (gun, box, 2 mags, rod, takedown key, target, manual).
-As low a serial number as possible.
-Look for the proof, an Eagle/N proof on a PAE is rare, the FBM is the common one.
-Alternatively, look for the transitional 1972 model with Swiss style small parts and the P08 style grip.