What got you into lugers?
 

Just curious some of the reasons these fine weapons have the following they do amongst us.

Please forgive me, but is "connotion" the same as "connection" or is there a meaning I don't understand?

Gunny John

Yes, had a brain freeze. Apologies.

My father bought one when I was 6 years old. I got to fire it when I was 8 years old (with my father standing behind me). It was the first pistol I ever shot. It was a make from the late '60s (he bought it new). The reason my father had me and my older brother fire it was because he kept it in his nightstand in case of intruder and my father wanted us as kids to understand it and have respect for it that it was dangerous & not a toy.

Because of that neither my brother or I ever touched it unless my father was around and allowed it.

I've owned many pistols & some rifles in my life so far but until my father died I never owned a Luger myself. My mother had my father sell his Luger only a few years before he died when his health started to decline (she was probably afraid he would commit suicide because of his declining health) so my brother & I never had a chance to acquire it from him.

My father had other guns but that was the one he kept the longest.

Even though my father's was a modern one he would be proud of my 1917 DWM 9mm.

First time heard of this pistol was from Soviet post WWII novel "Destiny of a Man". A Russian soldier lost his family in the war, he was captured. German had shortage on drivers, he knew how to drive, so he was moved out of camp to drive a car for an officer. He managed to escape. The pistol was mentioned in what context,,,, I forgot, that's too many years ago.... but it's not "Luger" in the book, it's referred as "Parabellum". It's many years later that I learned it had another name "Luger".

Well several year ago I started collecting 1911; then I started collectig K98 K and from the German WWII carbine to their main handgun was just a short step, so I started messing about with Lugers P.08 Then I realized that would have been more intelligent to re-start again the small collection with Lugers buying decent Swiss ones... and the story is still going on ...

:-)

I believe the word is 'connotation'... :p

This poll would have to be aimed at 'collectors' rather than casual accumulators [like me]. I bought my first 'Luger' back in the '70's from my recruiter, and another several months later.

I'm not really a fanatical follower of Georg Luger, as I consider him a 'plagiarizer' of Hugo Borchardt's ideas. But I am fascinated by both for being 'Rube Goldberg' concepts. :D

Mostly I like to study the way it is manufactured, machined, assembled, and finished. I once worked in an aero factory that made P-40 Warhawks during WW II and quite a bit of the machinery was still there and in use. I would love to be able to tour a genuine Parabellum factory (any one of the seven). :rolleyes: Or any early 1900's handgun production facility. :thumbup:

...Like this one... :D

Voted 'other'
A little of each I would imagine :)
I have a few things that stick out in my mind from growing up - lugers I read about in Guns and Ammo - Nambu's, baby Nambu's, then Mustangs - certain things attract me more than others :D
My first luger, I still own, a buffed and reblued Erfurt Artillery - it feeds and shoots almost anything, great gun, sold a 4 inch Python in Hawaii and bought it for $325 in circa 1984 :)

closes 2016 ????

My father used to talk about an engraved and fancy luger he found in a trailer home when he was a kid. He sold it to a friend of his for an astronomical price at the time after he broke the firing pin in it when he went plinking one day. :eek:! He had a fascination for WWII era stuff as well, it kinda rubbed off on me I guess. He admired the P08, and almost bought a stainless luger made by Mitchell Arms.

At some point in time, I got tired of hearing him go on about the dern things and I bought a parted out Erfurt, and that led to a DWM 1917, and THAT led to my beloved 1920 Commercial!!! I helped my dad get a S/42, and my DWM 1917 went to my little brother...my mom has no interest in them! :rolleyes:

Sadly my dad passed on January 7th, 2012. I sorely miss him, I think he would've been pleased to have seen some of the guns we have collected since.

Being a younger guy that grew up in the 70's and 80's, my fascination with the P. 08 stems from watching all the war movies I watched as a kid. The luger has always had a certain cachet and mystique as portrayed by Hollywood, especially in the movies made in the 25 years after war's end.

I remember vividly, in a scene from "Where Eagles Dare", where the SS sturmbannfurher bursts into a conference room where Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood had taken some German officers hostage, and the SS man proceeds to hold them at gunpoint with his luger pistol. I remember thinking that "wow, that pistol is cool...I'll have one of those someday!".

I finally acquired a byf 42 in 2005 or so.

As a military veteran, and having had relatives who fought in both theaters of operations in WW2, I have since gained a real appreciation for the fact that I can acquire these weapons of our defeated enemies, and marvel at the role they played in history and making the world as it is today.

I just voted "other." Reason? All the above! :rockon:

Gunny John

PS. Sorry about the spelling Nazi thing, Stressed, but I really wasn't sure.

You see how much those pythons are going for now? Looks like luger prices, and then some.

Mustang are nice. I have two Chevelles and a road runner. Love old cars. :)

Wow. Reading posts here really points out the differences in thought processes between you guys and me. When I read that, I thought "P-51"... :rolleyes:

(p.s. - I have an L98 Vette) :p

Partially to honor my late father, a WW II vet (Navy, Pacific Theatre), partially because of the fine German engineering (I have a "thing" for old MBZ Diesels too), partly because of the connection to Nazi Germany (Make something good out of something bad), that period of history is the most responsible for the way our world is today and I grew up hearing ALL about it!

I have a Nambu for the same reason, and would LOVE to add a Remington Rand 1911 to the collection. P.38 would be nice too!

I look at lugers differently today than I did many years ago. The reason has been both the passage of time and education. I'll admit it started as a kid with movies.
No Thanks to the Nazi's and Hollywood's help in portraying them in my opinion sealed the fate for the Luger as being the ultimate bad guys gun. You can pull 10 people at random off the street and show them a picture of a Luger and that could be any Luger a 1900 an American Eagle, Finnish, Swiss, maybe even an Erma .22 and I would beg to guess at least 5 out of the 10 would call it a luger or associate it with Nazis, Hitler or Germany under Nazism?

Probably closer to 8 out of 10!

you didn't think of a Colt Mustang? Maybe the man likes pocket pistols..

I saw your yellow convertible, looks sharp. :thumbup:

As a young boy in the 50's my fathers family (not my father) were, lets say, just the opposite of police. When they came to the house to visit they all carried Lugers. They would take out there gun and set it on top of a table and my father would tell me that I could look, but never touch. I fell in love with these pistols and as soon as I was able, purchase my first one. I have a collection of them now, and will give them to my children when I die.

(Mine's a 1999 LS1 Maggie Red 6spd coupe!) :thumbup:

Guns

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