Is this one worth it?
 

Hi all,

First off, hello! I've recently become interested in obtaining a shooter grade Luger. I have minimal research so far into Lugers. I'm interested in obtaining one because of the Lugers' unique mechanism and history. I'm interested in shooting about 50 rounds a month out of it.

I happened to stumble upon one for sale. It's priced at $900. Blueing seems to be fair, the bore is dark but doesn't look too badly pitted if at all, although I'd have to go back in with a light to get a better idea.

The top of the receiver is stamped "1917." The parts are mismatched......with the stamps I saw it appears to be DWM and Mauser parts. There doesn't look to be any apparent pitting or damage at all to the outside metal surfaces, though I wasn't able to take the grips off. It comes with an aftermarket magazine.

So, what do you guys think? What should I go back in and look at/be concerned with? Finally, what do you think would be a fair price? I saw two shooter grade Lugers on Simpson Ltd for $895, and everything I've ever compared on Simpson seems to be priced fairly high. So, let me have it.

Thanks for any help you can give. I'm very interested developing a love affair with this awesome pistol.

Regards,
Tyler

I'm going to say that it should be priced around $650 to $700. Watch this forum, maybe post a shooter wanted post and see what happens. $900 seems pretty steep for what I am envisioning here.
Keeping your powder dry can really pay off. You should be able to find an average matching gun for that price range that will hold its value to more collectors.
Welcome and keep us posted of what you end up with.
dju

Hello, and welcome to the Forum! If that's you and your friend in that thumbnail, thank you for your service!

I live just South of you in North Carolina. Pricing in our region has been a little lower recently than in the past few years.

You should be able to get a decent all parts matched Luger for $900. Perhaps a refinished shooter luger in very good condition.

My own preference for a shooter would be for a Mauser manufactured pistol. The metallurgy was more mature in the 1940s and the tolerances they achieved were remarkable. There were alot manufactured during WW-II and they seem to become available reasonably often.

Marc

Marc,

That is indeed yours' truly cradling his M16A4 in the foreground. Thank you.

Lugers seem to be like wine......so many different factors producing so many different end-products so that you'll never see each one even after a lifetime of searching. I asked around the gun stores in my area and found that there is a collector-oriented FFL about an hour west of me. I'll have to give him a call today.

Are there any other good sources for Lugers besides Simpsons Ltd?

I'll have to look more into the Mausers of the 40's. I'm already a Mauser fan......HSc, 1914, ES340b, so a Mauser Luger would be a nice addition. What year did the quality start going downhill for the war-time Lugers?

Thanks,
Tyler

Actually, I think that the Mauser produced Lugers made in Oberndorf retained their quality through the end of formal production in 1942. After that, the German army shifted to the P-38.

There were some Lugers assembled from parts after the war. Those can be unusual and missing proofs, etc... The quality on those might not be up to one accepted by the Army.

You may also find guns that were reprocessed by the East Germans after the war. These often have import stamps added by US importers. They should be less expensive, and were originally brought into the states in the $400 range. Often these have mixed parts that were force matched, and an unusual finish. They are becoming a specific area of collecting.

I have a 1942 Mauser made Luger that is superbly fitted. It was a refinished all matching gun that I bought for about the estimate I shared with you. It later turned out that it is a very rare variation. About 50 known.

Since it was refinished, the collectors were quite a bit less interested in it, and the price was what I could afford.

I bought this through an ad here from a seller in Tennessee.

I have also gotten a Luger through a dealer in this area that keeps an eye out for them. That was a face to face sale. He's in Charlotte, NC.

Sometimes you'll find something reasonable at a gun show, but this is becoming increasingly rare. I looked at one that was at least 50% overpriced, mismatched, and bad finish a few months ago. The dealer asked me what I thought it was worth, and I told him. Next show, he gloated about selling it for his asking price... So... Either I was wrong, or the dealer was lucky.

It's easy to make a mistake since it's hard to develop judgment about things like finish from photographs. You really have to be able to take the time to inspect actual guns.

Luger collectors like, value and pay for:

- Originality - as it left the factory
- Scarcity of variations (based upon original markings)
- History

And always... pay for the gun, not the story!

CheckpointCharlies.com is said to be a reliable dealer out of Wisconsin. I have not dealt with them.

fgsfirearms.com has some listed online.

simpsonsltd.com you already know about.

I think Sarcoinc.com gets Lugers periodically.

Marc

Shoot it first. If it holds a tight group, then make an offer.

FN

Thanks for the help guys. Especially to Marc for the even more in-depth PM. Exactly what I was looking for in terms of advice!

Charlie at Checkpointcharlies is very honest and easy to deal with. His prices are usually lower than most of the other dealers. I've bought several things from him and was never disappointed.

I've made purchase from Charlie's also, great guy to do business with.