New Purchase of a P08
 

New to this site and collecting P08's. I purchased this last weekend at a gun show to start my collection. So far what I've read here is about all I know about P08's. I was hoping on getting some more insight on what I have and if it was a good start or not. Thanks

Very nice BYF you have there! What state was the gun show in? Haven't seen too many lugers here in Ohio at gun shows.

Hello Wally, and welcome to the forum.

Looks like you found a nice one.

You'll probably enjoy the forum's PDF FAQ Document. It has a large number of questions answered about Lugers and some good reference material. Just follow the link at the top of each page and download your copy.

Marc

The Gun Show was in Greenville, SC. There were a few P08 and P38 there, but always wanted the Luger.
I have read some of the FAQ for beginners. There is so much information there its hard to know where to start. I will be getting the books on P08's to help with decoding the pistol.
If anybody would like to chime in on the help with the decoding, feel free, Thanks

What can I help to decode?

It's a Mauser made Luger from 1941. Sometimes nicknamed a "black widow" because of the bakelite grips and magazine base. "byf" was their concealment code.

The magazine was made by Haenel Schmeisser. "fxo" was their concealment code. The Eagle/37 is the government acceptance stamp.

P,08 is the German designation for the model of pistol.

The "8.83" is the bore gauge. "g" is the suffix and part of the serial number, "3375g" (I may have misread the letter, is it "y"? The samples are at the end of the FAQ document.

The "WR" entwined symbol inside your pistol is the internal factory inspection mark.

The marks on the right front of the receiver are the government acceptance and proof stamps.

These late Mauser made Lugers are very fine pistols, made to high standards with advanced metallurgy and fitted by hand. Consider doing the hot pin test inside your grips to ensure that they are, in fact, original bakelite.

You hold a piece of history. Take good care of it!!!

Marc

Nice pick up!

Thank You Marc, I have been reading the FAQ, but it's hard to know where to start. I have been looking at books to buy and will hopefully pick up a few to help with the id's and further collecting. Would this Luger, in your opinion, be a shooter or collector? Thanks for all the information,,

No need for the hot pin test on the grips. They are genuine originals and in excellent condition from the photos. I collaborated on a study of these grips years ago with another member Luke Smithwick... haven't heard from him for several years now. I wonder if he is still around...

John, Luke's still kicking. He called me within the last year.

This is a gun for collecting. All matching, original finish. A broken part would reduce it to more of a shooter.

John has a better eye for the grips than I do.

If you want a Luger for shooting, find one that has properly fitted mismatched parts or one with finish conditions.

My own shooter is a 1937 all matching Mauser with a rash that was probably caused by moisture accumulated while it was stored in a leather holster.

The FAQ document is searchable and the index has direct links to the many articles.

As to books, the best study is the Sturgess and Gortz study published by Simpson Ltd. It's worth every penny., and probably the most exhaustive study of any industrial object in history.

Joop van der Kant and Don Hallock published a more focused book on the Mauser Parabellum which shows all the variations. It's out of print now, and used are starting to rise in price.

Thanks George, curiosity got the best of me before you answered and I dug into my records and found his email... He responded almost immediately... Good to hear from you and him.

Happy New year!