Interested in a Luger.. Where to start?
 

Hi! I am interested in purchasing my 1st Luger. However, I am overwhelmed with all of the choices. Does anyone have any advise as to how to narrow my options?

1) I would like to spend no more than $1500
2) I want a shooter so I am not too concerned with mismatched numbers.

Thanks!

BTW: I am a total newbie here so ANY and ALL advice would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome to the forum! Many members advertise shooting Lugers in the For Sale section at a fair price. Generally speaking, the ones made by Mauser are of better more modern materials but if you don't use ultra hot ammo then any of them would be okay. A nice looking shooter should cost no more than $500 to $800 or so.

Charlie

I think I have shot more DWM's than anything else and never had an issue, although they are a bit 'older'

Ask them if they have shot it, many times I will sell a mismatch as a 'shooter' and never actually have shot it (although I say that in my ad).

Figure out, any luger? Or from a specific era? i.e. WW1, Weimar, WW2, commercial?
caliber? 9mmis most prevalent and cheaper to shoot than 7.65mm (30 luger)

Read through here and see what says, other folks have asked for the same thing you are looking for and see their comments.


Ed

Ashley, scan through the for sale ads on this forum and over on Jan Still's Luger Form on gunboards.com. You'll get an idea of the collector value of Luger pistols.

You'll pay more from a dealer, but not much more from a knowledgeable dealer than one that doesn't handle Lugers often.

Shooter grade Lugers should be in the price range Charlie mentioned. For $1500 you should be able to get something collectible.

I would not consider buying them at Gun Shows unless you have done some study first. The ones that show up in my area are almost always overpriced or have a significant issue or both. The people at shows count on finding people without complete knowledge and work to make money on this.

At a recent show, two people with Luger knowledge were there. One had some beautiful collectible Lugers and shooters - all available at about 2 x the going price.

When you have an idea of the era you're interested in, also consider posting a wanted ad on this site.

Marc

I have several complete and matching police Weimar era lugers for $1400 to $1500 each let me know if interested and I can supply pictures....thanks

Keep an eye out for an East German rework. They span the entire Luger spectrum from WW1 to WW2. Many have had new barrels installed and often the mismatched parts are not the major parts that insure proper function. They are reasonably priced shooters and may even include two mags numbered to the guns.

The last Luger I bought is a Russian capture 1937 Mauser that is all matching, although I suspect the grips are from a different gun. It's in excellent condition and I paid $850. The next time I saw the seller, he wanted to buy it back. I just smiled.

Thanks for the advise! I still need to narrow my choices. Not sure what era to purchase... Probably leaning more to WWII era. What are the differences between the military and commerical lugers? Also, does it matter if it is contracted luger?

Hi Ashley,
That's a loaded question. The main difference between military and commercial Lugers of the same era are the commercial or military acceptance stamps and proofs. Most collectors lean toward military Lugers. Contract Lugers usually command a higher price. My problem is I like em all. :crying: