I just took the plunge and bought a Mauser-made 41 Luger, complete with holster and one magazine. The finish is excellent and the markings crisp and clear, thus pushing me over the ledge to shell out some cash.
I am more of a S&W collector so I know the power of detail and hoping I got this right! Pretty much a guess on my part.

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Congratulations on your first Luger GKITCH and welcome to the forum. Great looking pistol. If you have the time please post more photos of your new acquisition so the members can offer their insight on your Luger.

Lon

Congrats. Looks like a nice honest gun, but we need more pics to give you any idea of what you have. Top, both sides, and all markings. Recommend you take the photos outside on an overcast day and make sure they are in sharp focus before posting them.

Gkitch,
Welcome and congrats on your first luger.

I'll be the bad guy and say that while it is a decent pistol, the finish is far from excellent, with only 50-70% of the blue left.

Just what is the mark on the frame?

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One thing I can tell you. It has been shot frequently.

Truth is not "bad". It is what I seek! Thank you.

It's the letter P, It's part of the serial number.

Military Lugers are numbered in 1 to 9999 blocks, then a letter is added.

So your pistol is number 906 P.

I'd be interested to see more photos of the holster. The closure strap is a replacement, resembling that of an Artillery holster.

Overall the gun looks like a good honest old warrior that has earned its wear and marks the old fashioned way, on the battlefield.

Nice gun!

dju

Op, congrats on your first Luger and welcome to the forum. I bought my first Luger back in April. I highly recommend studying the FAQ section as there is a wealth of info there.

I think you did well and I am sure you will enjoy it. Report back after you take it to the range to "break it in". :)

There are some obvious problems with the holster, including the upside-down closure straps, this belt loop which appears to be a replacement, and the missing stitches shown above. No pic yet of the back, which would reveal whether WWI or WWII construction, but for WWII, the back would be one piece, including the mag pouch. I think the maker's mark would also provide this info, but to my callow eye, it does appear to be a cut-down Artillery holster--the toe looks a little funny. It is not stamped P.08 on the back, either. A shot of the front of the closed holster would reveal the shape of the flap, and a full shot of the back will tell us about the construction of the back--and whether there are remnants of the suspected original board/strap mounting configuration.

Also, the finish condition may put this into "Collectible Shooter" category. The later guns are reputed to be a bit metallurgically superior to the earlier ones, so If you swap out the vulnerable numbered small parts for something more expendable, you could blaze away with it and really enjoy shooting it! 9mm is the cheapest ammo format, too.

A Wonderful Luger Cherry! You will never forget your first nor your last!!!!

whoa, whoa, lets not get crazy here.

This is a WW1 era holster (LZA) that is police modified! The 5722 on the back helps substantiate that and the strap is not un known to occur like this. But let me look again :)

I also merged the photos, at least the first ones to make it easier on my old eyes :D

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Hi Greg, and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your first Luger.

The "p" block of 10,000 pistols was made very early in 1941. It was the second block worked on that year - probably during January and February. It was also made during the time when Mauser was transitioning from the "42" manufacturer concealment code to the new "byf" code, which your pistol has. There were approximately 130,000 made in this variation. Yours would be one of the first few thousand.

Look inside the side-plate and you should find the number "10" stamped.

While the high edge wear on the Luger's finish would tend to indicate a fair amount of usage, there were also production process problems at Mauser that lead to bluing that looks almost translucent. I have a 1939 Mauser Luger that has this appearance, and this might be one too... Hard to judge from photos.

I agree with Ed's observations on the holster.

The metallurgy of these Mauser made Lugers was excellent, and represented an advance over the alloys used in earlier generation pistols.

Marc

Marc

Marc

I was under the impression that during January and February 1941 Lugers were still being produced with the manufacturer code "42".

I think I was told somewhere that my 41 BYF 8024o had been
produced around May.

I've been wrong before.:o

Congrats on your first Luger, and welcome to the forum. Be aware that Lugers are like peanuts.....it is difficult to have just one. Enjoy!!

I bought it as an investment and to fill a gap in my rather random collection of cool guns. It was reportedly a GI Bring-back and that seems to ring true. I think I paid a little too much but that balances out a fairly good deal I got for a couple of other things the seller had. Since I plan to have it a while, the value will eventually catch up to what I paid anyhow.
So, gentlemen, what would a fair 'retail" price be for the gun with the holster? Curiosity is getting the better of me.

actually I like to hear, I paid $.00 for it - but no one ever admits to that

I would say its is at the low end collector arena. I don't remember if you said if it was all matching? What is the magazine? Did you get a second magazine or a loading tool in the holster?

$600 is a cheap Luger shooter - i figure the holster is worth $150-$200 - Its in decent shape, but stitching is a bit loose.

$700-$900 for the luger and holster - maybe a bit more, but depends on bore condition, etc. I think in real life it probably looks better?
Usually an investment is a bit nicer, a rougher example will only go up a bit over time, so depends on how much you paid...

ed