first luger a Mauser?
 

I am looking at this Mauser at Simpsons, SKU C30396 for $1,795.00. The idea is to have a shootable gun to step into luger ownership. Not sure if my collecting will go further, but I desire a good condition which I can shoot without too much concern of losing value if something breaks. Is it true that WW2 guns are more robust than WW1 era? My thinking goes that I will be getting something genuine with Simpsons, even though paying a little more for this gun.

Any feedback on this particular item at Simpsons would be appreciated.

The common assumption is that metallurgy improvements were made and that the WW2 guns were less prone to metal failures. However, while it makes perfect sense, no one that I know of has actually conducted a test to verify that.
I can't fault your logic in shopping at Simpsons, Ltd, either.
And while you could save a few bucks buying elsewhere, you are paying for peace of mind.
Go for it!
dju

This is a solidly collectable gun, which although more robust than a WW1, are still prone to break parts, as is any modern firearm. If I were to invest in it. I would purchase an entire toggle train from one of our guys here on the site and use that when firing the pistol. They run around $300, or so.

Again, I suggest reading the FAQ - it talks about this :)

and, I would purposely look for a shooter - see if you like the luger to shoot with (find one that is all or mostly matching and has been reblued - or someone states that they have shot it a lot)

Buy a shooter that is already mismatched (but properly fitted) or that is matched but that has finish conditions.

Buy collectible pistols for collecting and historic preservation.

The FAQ document is free, and it is your friend... It's the first step toward "Luger University" where the knowledge is valuable and the tuition can be anything from reasonable to very costly depending on how your approach things...

A good shooter should cost around $1000 to $1100 today.

I purchased my shooter grade luger here. If you are serious post in the WTB shooter grade luger. These gentleman won't let you down.

Here's a link to the pistol https://www.simpsonltd.com/products/c30396

I basically followed your strategy three years ago, getting a $1,700 collectible '36 Mauser from Simpsons on the theory that I'd shoot it and only loose $600 or so in value if I broke a numbered part. It was an attempt to obtain both a nice shooter and a collectible in the same pistol.

In my opinion it was a reasonable approach mainly because I was impatient. I shot it a little but never got comfortable with the risk, and after three months I purchased a shooter from a forum member and "retired" the '36. It is still in my collection and was one of the most enjoyable purchases I've ever made. It taught me to appreciate the beauty of all-matching +90% finish collectibles, and that shooting is more fun with dedicated shooters.

If you are impatient like me, the pistol you are considering appears excellent and is reasonably priced for a dealer purchase. If you are patient, find a shooter either on the Luger forums or Gunbroker or via an auction service like Proxibid. Dealers do have true shooter grade pistols from time to time but they go very fast, within hours of posting in 'new items'.

Yesterday an all matching original finish '15 DWM P 08 sold on Gunbroker for $1,050. I got distracted and failed to bid; I wish I had. My point is, that with patience deals are out there.

Good luck to you, you are about to embark on a very enjoyable journey into Luger ownership.

If it was a 1916 matching (inc. grips) DWM for $1060 , that was me. The wooden floor plate mag is numbered to a different gun.

Don't mean to hijack the thread . My situation ... like the OP I was looking for a "nice " shooter. I started following auctions which were for lower priced matching Lugers , hoping to get the magic "matching shooter". So now , like the OP , I will have to decide whether to use the matching gun as a shooter. I might be more willing to do so at $1060 than I would be at $1795.

Either way , a matching luger is at stake. They're not makin' 'em anymore.

Glad to hear a forum member won the pistol, my loss is your gain. Even getting a deal on an all-matching pistol brings its own issues - to shoot or not to shoot.

I won an all-matching byf with an excellent refinish for under $1,000 a few months back. I thought it would be a great shooter but... I find I am hesitant to fire any all-matching pistol, even refinished ones. A good problem to have I suppose, but still a problem.

Yes , to shoot or not to shoot is at the core of this thread.....

One can always buy more Lugers.....many of us here have done just that!! See how easy it is for me to spend you folk's money??

Yep, started with a Navy about 2 years ago, now I've accumulated about a half dozen more, all Mauser P-08's, with no real end in sight....

I too was looking at that pistol!
Glad to know I'm not the only impatient future Luger owner on here, continuing to fret over whether or not to shoot a matching pistol...
Good discussion in this thread - thx all.
Zk