where are the cheap lugers?
 

I get on the military P08 forum and see the whats it worth/value of this luger questions. Some of the answers the prices seems awful cheap. So my question to the average collectors, where do you guys find these under $500 lugers for sale? Im not talking about ones purchased ten years ago. I know of one that my son in laws friend sold for $175. He inherited it and didnt have a use for a "old" gun. Around here theres been a few on backpage and armslist. The last one the asking.price was $900. I picked it up for $550 and I thought that was a deal. Jim

Good question Jim. I see the business Checkpoint Charlie's mentioned regarding shooter grade Lugers, but I have never shopped there. And I don't know of any surplus Lugers being imported lately, probably verboten by the Gov't, so consequently prices go up on what is already here.
If you keep your eyes open you may stumble across an inexpensive one, but the only ones I've seen in the $500 range were priced accordingly.
But run WTB ads here, and on other like forums, and you never know what will turn up.
dju

The only ones I ever saw for $500.00 were grossly pitted mismstched pieces of junk that I would be afraid to ever shoot. Maybe it's just the area I live in, but anything as a decent shooter (in my opinion) runs about $800.00 and up.

The cheap Lugers are relegated to history...

"Now they belong to the ages...."

Kidding aside, the Luger was never an inexpensive pistol to produce or acquire. Even at the beginning, there were long negotiations with governments over price, and the Luger was always a premium priced firearm.

Today, pricing moves with demand in the marketplace...

Marc

They come up infrequently in my area from 500-1000 (I acquired one locally at 500 because it had been refinished and had some slightly ill-fitting thick repro grips). At present there's an odd 1950s rebarrelled commercial Luger with a 5.5" barrel and some odd target sight and a repro magazine which a local shop is selling for 700 (original grips though worn and partly filed down but with original finish (30%)). I'm pondering picking it up but I don't know if I need a second .30 calibre Luger.

I just don't like to pay more than $700 for a shooter because I already have a few shooters and I know I can usually get a deal if I wait.

I used to ask where these guys got the $350 lugers from ;-)

If you look you might find one for less than $500, but normal price is $600-$800 --- everything depending on how it looks IMHO.

It's all relative....
 

If you take the "shooter" or "collector" classifications out of the equation.. then any luger, whether refinished or original, is worth "at least' the sum total of it's parts.... So, if you can find any decent Luger for $600.00 to $700.00 and it's all good, then that's about as cheap as you're ever, ever going to find now'a'days, and chances are, for that price, something in going to be modified, missing or screwed up?? A very nice shooter, will run you anywhere from $900.00 to $1000.00 even if mis-matched, but built from nice parts... There seems to be a gazillion mis-matched and messed with Lugers for every nice collectible one.. so, all you guys that like shooting your 98% safe queens, you'll soon have a bridge to cross that you really didn't count on?? No matter how much you love these guns, it's evident to me that they break! And beyond that, due to design, age, or metal fatigue, or whatever... they seem to break a'lot!....:eek:.. hence the booming spare parts market... I love to shoot Lugers...But, If I were casting about for a shooter.. I would expect to spend a minimum of $1000.00 for a ready to go example... That being said, a nice 1920 commercial is probably the best bet for value and condition... :thumbup:.. best to all, til...lat'r...GT :jumper:

In the world generally you get only what you pay for.

Not realistic to expect a pawnshop or any dealer to offer a premium price.

They do it for a living. Not everybody can keep up with everything.
He knew you were only there to waste his time.

Another funny thing is older guys on some sites offering opinions that are five years behind times.
They would not consider selling off their stuff for their own quotes.
There is definitely a ballpark figure on most any popular collectable that sellers keep trying to push up.

The probability of a youngster starting out and ending up with dozens of Lugers which some have done in the past is unlikely unless he can simply afford to buy them.

Watched a program on a guy with a 220 foot yacht. He could prolly afford all the Colt Walkers in existence.

So, last night Im checking out tucson backpage. The place where 99% of the guns are priced higher than retail and. 22 ammo is $50 a brick. Theres a ad that catches my attention. "Old gun" price is listed at $200. I hit the link and theres a picture of a chromed luger! Said it was grandpas gun and knows nothing else about it. I figured its a joke but replied anyway. Said the thing lost its real collectors value, also mentiomed even hitler, goering or rommel didnt get a chromed luger issued to them. But if he wanted to sell I said its probably worth 500-600 not $200. And let me know. O course the ads been taken off and never a reply. Jim

At that price I would have bought it. Would of had it stripped and reblued and still been ahead.

Really good Lugers at cheap prices cannot be found I'm afraid.

I think that if one doesn't want to spend much shoud address himself towards another sort of weapon, for instance here you can find a very good WWII Mauser or Walther P.38 for the equivalent of less then USD 900.00

I wanted it because I would love to have a plated luger. Something about it just has a cool factor. Ive got a rock island nickle finished 1911. And like the look of it. Jim

I hear you. I would love a nickel PPK in .32 military manufacture. obviously the nickel would hurt the value, but would not matter to me in said gun as it would just look great IMO.

Last year I saw a really nice 1914 Erfurt, Nickled or chromed with an original mm mag at a local estate sale.

It went for $750, which I just could not justify, but it was nicely done.

In the old days of a hundred Lugers and P38s on a table, there would be a sprinkling of them, often with "Stag" grips.

Shooter luger prices
 

I agree with GT, if you can find a nice looking 9mm PO8 locally with a "firm guarantee" of good function for less than $1K, it's probably a good buy. You might be surprised, how many "$500" (or less) mail order lugers that I receive for repair after most major gun shows. Some times I'll end up with them to part out, once the owner finds out the cost to get it to function reliably. TH