I inherited a Luger
 

Hello,

Greetings from Alaska. I have recently come into possession of what looks like a very old Ruger. I have searched high and low on the internet to find something similar to determine whether I have a treasure or a trinket. After many hours, I am stumped and frustrated. The gun appears very old, but I know nothing about it. The only number (besides the P 08) stamped on it is 00446. On the top is a old-fashioned looking crown with a cross and the MGC below it. Below that it says Manufactory. I find no other markings anywhere on the gun. Any ideas or insights would be greatly appreciated!!

Happy New Year....we are having a very cold, but relatively snow free winter. Not good for the plants, but great for not having to shovel snow!!

Thanks for the help

Hello, and welcome to the forum!
To start with the important thing first.. snow report from where I live is about one meter within the last two days. Great for skiing, something I just did :)
As to your Luger, (you probably wrote wrong typing Ruger, also is a firearm) the P08 markings makes me think it's a mauser produced Luger. But your description of the top leads me to believe it's something else. I suggest looking trough the manufacturing logos you find here http://www.lugerforum.com/lugermarkings.html and see if someone match.
..P08 stamped frame with 00446.. hope someone here in the forum can answer that one. Perhaps you can take a few pictures of it for us to see?
(Natural daylight, no flash and macro usually turns out best) Most small parts on it should be marked 46 btw, you can look for that as you take it apart and oil it in;)

MGC and the strange serial number would indicate to me a Japanese pot metal copy of the luger. TH

I agree , just do an internet search for "MGC Manufactory"
You will find several references to that manufacture in Japan.


I wouldn't mind seeing a picture or two--could you post?

Vern

now THAT my friend is some snow!! More power to you!!

That's what I get for posting late at night after my eyes were crossing doing internet research. Yes, I meant Luger, not Ruger. Thank you for reading typo.

I see a couple of crowns on the list of logos that look similar to the one on this Luger, except that the one on my gun clearly has a fairly large cross on top. I don't see any examples of the lettering
"MGC Manufactory" however. When I type that into a google search, I get many many website written in what looks like Japanese, so perhaps the suggestion it is a Japanese copy is correct. I thought perhaps the 00446 indicated a low serial number, but I guess not.

I haven't started to take it apart, or oil it. Was nervous to do something to damage it. It is very dull and appears to have been poorly treated. It seems like there should be many many markings on it and I can find none other than those three I described. I suppose I will get brave and try working some oil into it and see if anything emerges!!

Thank you for such quick responses. I will dig out the camera and take some photos!

TZ

welcome, go slow and gentle, use gun oil and soft cloth or at the worst 0000 steel wool (brass wool is even better), be careful in taking the grips off.

Pictures would help us immediatly to help you (probably!)


Ed

Here you go:

http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/luger.htm

http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/images/lug9.jpg
http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/images/lug8.jpg
http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/images/lug13.jpg

YES, that is the crown emblem, although the MGC Manufactory wording isn't present in this example. And I don't think that even with oil this gun would look THAT shiny and smooth, the metal seems very heavy and porous. I am trying to add photos, but apparently the files are too big. Still working on trying to save them as smaller files. Aargh.

:confused:
:o
:D

I'm trying the photo thing once again, bear with me

Well, certainly not as large and pretty as the previous examples, but hopefully representative enough?

The "serial #" ????????

The P 08

I beg your indulgence and I promise last one. My apologies if this is rude and disruptive to your forum. What I don't know about guns and gun forums is a lot!

Hi,

No harm done. It is a Japanese made snap cap replica of the P08, made by MSC. The other one shown uses a magazine that takes 9mm shaped brass dummy rounds which can hold a small cap in their tips. I guess yours will work in a similar fashion.

A nice paperweight annex conversation piece, but not a real luger.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, so now I know. Somehow it just didn't have the feel of something "historic". My many many thanks to all who offered help. I'll save it as a sentimental memento of an old uncle who collected odd and ecclectic things. !!

Happiest of New Years Everyone!

TZ