New here and new to C&R weapons - Need help with ID of P08
 

Greetings guys, I'm a new member from Croatia and a new holder of something like a C&R permit in the US.

I know my Walthers, i know my Mausers and all in between but i have no clue about Luger pistols and I've just been offered one.

Please note if you are offended by swastikas stop reading as there is what seems to be a HJ knife with it.

All and any help would be greatly appreciated and you just might help plant a Luger seed into my collection :thumbup:

So here are the pics:


Just click on this link ----> http://imgur.com/a/8JAK9

Thank you in advance !
:cheers:

Hi, the Mauser made P08 has been refinished, which hurts the value considerably, reducing it to a 'shooter' status.

The holster is a modern reproduction.

Greetings Karlo!
I can't tell too much from the photos. They are fuzzy and my eyes haven't started working yet today. But the gun looks like an honest old war-horse that has been around. Do the numbers match? The holster is a reproduction and worth about $35 in the USA. I suspect that the gun has been re-blued, but can not tell for sure.
Regarding the swastikas, I doubt that anyone here is too offended by them simply because they go with the hobby of WW2 militaria. We are neither offended by nor do we revere them.. They are just part of the business.
Anyway, if the price is good this may be the start of your new Luger collection.
david uden
USA

Hi Vlim and hi David, thanks for dropping in so fast and giving your opinions.
They are most valuable as I won't be able to see the gun before buying it so all help is welcomed.
The whole kit is priced at an equivalent of 600$ (hj knife and WW2 era papers for the gun included).
The gun is all matching as written on current day registration papers. Mag is not numbered or worn out.
I like to warn about swastikas etc. cause of previous negative experiences on some other collector boards.

Should i go for it ?

I hate to give advice to "go for it" based on the photos, but if the price is good, and remembering that it may have been refinished, you may wish to buy it.
What do Lugers usually sell for in Croatia? Are they commonly available?
Here in the USA I'd say about $800 would be close on that gun.
The knife is probably worth $100 or more, but that is not my area.
Anyway, keep us posted.
dju

Our market is completely crazy at the moment, cause of different legislation and extremely strict gun laws...
Just imagine i managed to pick up a Walther PPK with the Al "light" frame with army proofs and original flat mag for 175$ in round 90% condition am eyeing up a civilian purchase PPK with eagle proofs for 100$ you get the idea...
Today reserved a Mauser HSc for 200$ in NM condition also army marked and fully proofed.
Then again i see P08's going from 1000$ to 4000$ but taking a long time to sell and as far as i know 4 are on sale not including this one nationwide... P38s are popular and go from 500$ to 1500$ (still a very popular hunting sidearm - I have two CYQ and AC44 ).
I might manage to get 200$ locally for the HJ knife if it's a real piece and not a repro.

Oh forgot to say I'm a student so every $ counts and I'd hate to be making the wrong decisions on acquisitions this early on.

Thanks

I am curious as to what you 'hunt' with a P38...

I don't hunt with a short firearm neither does anyone I hope !
What one does with a short firearm is give the coup de grâce nothing more nothing less and we have to abide by law on how that is executed, meat before getting shared by the hunting party is inspected by a game ranger and a veterinarian.

No revolver or pistol here is a legal hunting firearm just a mercy blow tool, except for my 357 for the "bear country".
9mm is good enough or more than needed for our game, remember we have no big elk, moose or grisly bears. Only smaller brown and black bear in scattered regions ( are not considered game) and not throughout the whole country.
But damn the wild boars and hogs are mean here...

I would place your pistol at $600-$700 here as it is clearly refinished. At $800 there with a $200 return on the knife you are about the same price as here.

Compared to some of the prices you are managing, it is overpriced. That being said, if there are so few available and refinishing makes this a shooter, I think you are ok at $800.

Gun is a very localized item, so it's rarity is localized. If Luger is super rare item in Croatia, its price structure could be totally different from that of U.S. of A. In Yugoslavian WWII movies, I saw German and Tito's partisans all played P38s in hands.... was Mauser Luger rare there?? Mauser made about 1 million Lugers, lots of them are in the U.S., so U.S. collectors are very picky on condition. It might not be the case in Croatia.