Considering A Luger For A New Project
 

Hi,

I've been looking to pick up a 9mm Luger for a new toy. I like having historical firearms (I have a DGR rebuilt 1903, had a M44 and P38, and going to get a Garand in the future), but I also like to shoot them. For this reason, I am looking for a non-matching Luger for this project. Don't want to waste money or destroy a part of history… which is why I found a Greek gun for my DGR rebuild.

My plans are definitely going to get some collectors upset, but I do want to put out what I am planning. After I get a pistol, I will make sure it is functionally fit (replace springs, but I want a complete working pistol, not something I have to bring to a gunsmith). I'm going to stock up on MecGar magazines, and sell off any true magazines to not destroy them. Then, I am sending it off to CCR for cera-plating... for those that are not familiar with it, it is a plating similar to NP3.

One of my main concerns is if the Luger will work for my needs. Cera-plate, like NP3, is self-lubricating, so I feel it would be a better finish for the toggle action. But how picky are them with modern ammo? My main range ammo usually tends to stick with Remington/UMC. I don’t shoot reloads/remanufactured. For this gun, I might not shoot as much as some of my other guns, but it will be shot.

Now, I used to have a P38, which I was planning to do something similar with. But since the decocker failed, seeming to be a common problem with them, I opted to get rid of it. If the Luger is not going to be a cost effective route for my needs (or isn’t advisable for what I want to do), I have been considering a M1911A1 for a similar setup (if function is a problem, I do know of a very good gunsmith local to me that works mostly with 1911s). But if that is the case, I might scrap the project and pick up a newer Colt.

Any info that I could get on function, or even sources for shooters, I would appreciate it. To be honest, it is a platform I’m not that familiar with. The P38 was very similar to the Beretta 92, which is one design I’m familiar with. The 1911 isn’t that far out of my knowledge, since my S&W 1006 takes down in a little similar fashion.

Thanks,

-John

John, From what you say..I would recommend the 1911. They have much looser tolerances than the Luger and would likely take the plating.
Lugers are finely machined with tight fit.

Jerry Burney

Sounds like a luger

+ 1 :thumbup:

I think I am of a like mind as you. I have stuck with 1911s as shooters for quite some years and only recently became interested in Lugers as shooters. My experience has been to go with quality products such as Ed Brown and Les Baer 1911s.

As for Lugers, it is mostly one size fits all. I have found that the best shooting Lugers are those built in the late 1930s and early 1940s by Mauser. (I can't afford the Krieghoffs). What you might want to consider is that the Luger wasn't designed to handle hollow point ammunition or any of that Corbon or exotic stuff. It was designed to shoot a full metal jacket 124 grain bullet. I usually shoot a 115 grain round nose from PMC (Korean cheap stuff). It cycles the gun flawlessly, so it must be doing something right.

Something else you might take into consideration is that Lugers are 70 to 100 years old and I have found them to be a difficult gun to shoot when compared with a quality 1911. I have to wear GripSwell shooters gloves when I shoot my Lugers. Some of them have a heavy trigger pull and I find the Luger recoil to be a bit snappy. Even so, they are fun to shoot and you don't see too many people at the range packing the P-08.

Good luck. The only danger with the Luger is their addictive attraction.

You said it all in one sentance!

Thanks for the insight... so I guess I won't be going that route.

I've been looking around, and I can get the Colt model I want in stainless... no rail for $780ish. If I want the rail, it goes up to $1,025ish.

No refinishing, just picking up magazines, new sights (preferably night sights), and possibly new grips. That all should put me under what it would cost for a M1911A1, and then going through the refinishing process.