1938 S/42 thoughts
 

New to the forum. Dabble in pre and WW II era weapons. Only have one Luger - Finnish. Looking at purchase of one of two 1938 S/42. One very good, the other excellent condition. Both have all matching parts except mag. Not refinished. No unit markings. Any thoughts as to general collector interest in '38 S/42 and general value greatly appreciated.

Wow!
 

After getting some time to read deeper into this forum I see now why I've had no replies! One of the Lugers is still available. I'll try to get some pics of it this weekend. Truly a great site for Lugers!

Very desirable...get the pistol first!

A pic
 

Thanks. Managed to get by to snap a quick one with pocket camera. Barrel washed by sunlight. Hope to shoot with higher end cam this weekend.

Jabbo, not much replies because you didn't supply enough information to comment on. A 1938 would be desirable as would any nice luger ;)


Ed

Thanks so much Ed. I was really looking for comments about value and collector interest just in a general sense. Still I should have posted a pic from the beginning. Just could not get there due to work schedule. You know, a $50 differential won't make much difference the way values increase on some weapons these days but no one wishes to grossly overpay. The asking price on this particular weapon is $995. Thanks again!

It appears to be reblued and the side plate may not be original.....

Thanks Peter! I am such a Luger neophyte.
I'll pass on this and any Luger until I learn more. Buying a Luger is much different than buying a Garand. I'll just have to keep reading this forum!:D

38 s-42
 

Jabbo,
Like Ed mentioned, a '38 S-42 is a fairly collectible luger, of course in today' market most all lugers are collectible. I was fortunate and that I was able to purchase an all matching, including the mag., '38 S-42 for less than $800 dollars. This gun is rough but has a good bore and is fully functional. IMO it would rate as 'good' condition since it has most of it's original bluing, although it does have some areas where the surface rust is there to stay.
I have also seen this same variation with a missed matched mag. selling for $1800, which was not a pristine gun, but overall finish was better than mine. I bought mine from a collector who was thining his collection.
Collecting is a funny game. It all depends on what drives the collector. If all you want is a good condition luger to have and perhaps display, then you would want to be selective and buy a specific luger that meets your desires. If you wanted a gun to shoot, then you could back off of a highly collectible gun and get one that has a few mismatched parts and has been reblued or re-conditioned, as some like to call them. These 'shooter grade' guns usually sell for about half of what a similar collectible gun would.
Personally, I like both, as I do shoot several of the one that I have. They are fun to shoot and I have found them to be very accurate and comfortable in the hand.
Again, a lot of it depends on the desires and budget of the individual. Over the past few years, I have seen a fairly steep increase in the prices of these guns even in poor condition. You should keep in mind that there are many variations of lugers, so you should probably try to get a couple of good books and do some studying. Learn something about them before making a decision on what to buy and how much to spend.
IMHO you will probably do better buying from an individual as opposed to buying from a dealer. Again, this would depend on what you want.
This forum is a great place to learn about these guns and they also have a 'For Sale' area, where you might find what you desire.
I'm more of an accumulator as opposed to a collector. Hope this helps.
Barr

Your comments do help very much Barr. I'm starting with some e-books and going from there. These weapons are so intriguing! The Luger I have is one of the Fin's obtained by AIM a couple years ago. I got one of the last two that the owner had put in his desk to keep for himself. It's markings were a bit different than the rest and retained some straw. I put about four magazines through it, cleaned it and put it away. My first shot hit a six inch steel plate at 50 yards. Definitely comfortable to shoot! The store that has the S/42 is practically down the street. I use them for transfers mostly. Generally their collectables are over priced but I did get a good buy on an E. German Mak last year. I dabble - with emphasis on WWII - because of a general interest in firearms, I really respect the Greatest Generation and it's generally a good investment for my daughter when I'm gone. Actually, the next ones on my list were an Inglis HP and another Garand but I saw the Luger and just had to check it out. I am definitely looking forward to learning more. Your comments are greatly appreciated!