LugerForum Discussion Forums - "41 Coded" P08 Luger

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"41 Coded" P08 Luger

Hi everybody. I am brand new to this site and am looking for some information.

A friend of mine from church has asked me to find out some details on a P08 Luger that his father brought back from Europe after WWII. I have it in my possession so I can provide pictures if anyone needs additional info.

It looks just like your stereotypical luger, black with brownish grips. finish is a little worn but no rust or pitting. The action is smooth with no binding and the trigger is amazingly light. The bore is clean and bright with no pitting, and the safety functions properly.

It is coded "41" on top of the receiver. All serial numbers match (last two digits of pistol serial # are stamped on all exposed parts) with the exception of the number on the magazine base. The proof marks are Eagle/655 followed by another Eagle/655 followed by an Eagle. There is a smaller Eagle stamped on the barrel just forward of the receiver. The pistol serial number is also stamped on the trigger guard with a lower case cursive "m" stamped below it where the trigger guard curves. The letters "byf" are stamped just forward of the nuckle.

It also has with a holster that is worn but intact and has an integral magazine pouch and one magazine as mentioned above.

The story is typical. He says that his father brought it back from Europe after the war and got it off a German who "didn't need it anymore."

He'd like to get an approximate value for the pistol. He also would like to know the viability of using it as a personal defense weapon. How do these older P08s hold up under modern ammo (specially +P, etc...)? I don't want to test fire it before I get some answers to these questions.

This is absolutely the first P08 I have ever handled, so I haven't got the first clue as to how to field strip it for further inspection, so if someone could give me some info as to how to do that or point me in the direction of those resources I would appreciate it.

Best regards,

Kevin

Correction. It is a lower case "w" stamp not an "m".

Prior to first cup of coffee myopia to blame.

Kevin, welcome to the forum.

Pictures have to be provided to give a value, there is a tutorial under the help section.

Essentially, I can say this;

It was made by Mauser (byf) in 1941 (41).

I also collect bring back stories, ask your friend if he is interested in me adding it to my book. Would need name, rank (name could be left out), story of how aquired / area he was in, or anything other known facts, and pictures.

You can use a byf for home defense, but I wouldn't. Several reasons;
**Lugers can be picky on ammo, so unsure I would use it for my life when there are other guns available, I'll trade him a mismatched P38 for it ;);
**If it is ALL matching and he is practicing with it, vaue could go from $2300 down to $500.
**If he uses it in self-defense and wounds/kills someone, they will consficate it until he is proven innocent, and sometimes longer.

ensure you come to www.lugerforum.com and they see the links on the left. under the tech help and the other one is how to take apart, etc.

In Jan Stis third Reich Lugers it says; Subvariation 1 serial range 3300n-1000, 122,000 made. so we'd need the full serial number and a picture of the front of the frame, as suffixes can be difficut in determining exactly what you have.

Although they al kinda look alike, there is huge variation in many makers and models.

Ed

Thanks for the feedback. I will take some pics tonight when I get home and post them here.

From what I gather he has not fired it himself, and he cannot recall if his father ever did. However there were 7 rounds of 9mm in the magazine that looked like they have been there a while. I unloaded the mag, just to get an idea of it's condition, I'll check the headstamp on the casings to see what they are. That could give an idea of how long it has been since it has been fired.

Serial number is 2795. All exposed parts are marked 95.

Best regards,

Kevin

Also would like to know if there may be a P08 collector in my area that would be willing to look it over more closely to provide a better idea of it's value.

Serial # on inside of grips match too.