Holster Information?
 

So I received this holster with a 1920 commercial Luger which an export mark. I would be more surprised if the pistol and holster had any historical connection whatsoever since this holster appears to be a Nazi holster while the pistol was sold outside of Germany. That said, the holster has markings on the back and I was wondering if any of you could give some insight on it. Firstly, is it even a Luger holster or is it one for a P.38? Secondly, does anyone know what the markings can be traced back to? Markings on the back are "FR & K. Voegels Koln-Deutz 1938" to the right of it are the typical Nazi eagle and Hakenkreuz (Swastika) with 'WaA387" underneath of it. Thank you in advance for any information you provide!!

You're right about no connection between them. It's a Luger holster, military configuration, and although it has a couple of obvious problems, I think a restoration/repair would do it good. Handily enough there's a member who is Luger Leather Meistro, Jerry Burney aka lugerholsterrepair The P-38 was adopted in 1938, but I'm pretty sure none were delivered until 1939.

I would love to give it a true restoration job, though I am a college student on a college budget. The Luger itself is in fantastic condition and I am capable of performing the preventive maintenance on it but I am not entirely sure that at this point I can take the hit for a restoration job for it. What can I do to try and preserve it as best I can in the meantime?

David, Thanks! Very kind of you to say..Quinton..What can I do to try and preserve it as best I can in the meantime?

Storage is key here..cool, dry, dark and don't put anything heavy on it. if you are going to store it laying on the belt loops cut some cardboard and slip it into the loops. This keeps the top of the loops from cracking. You can search this site for storage tips..many words written about the subject!

As mentioned it is a luger holster by Franz & Karl Voegels, made in 1938. The "Eagle/WaA 387", is the military waffenampt inspector number, who was assigned to the Koln district area in 1938.

Jerry can certainly restore this holster though, and get it looking original again. I'm surprised you can afford a luger on a college budget!? :eek:

Matt:cool:

If I were you I would at least get a rough quote from Jerry on the needed repairs.
I have always been amazed by his prices and the work may be less than you would expect.

"Jerry can certainly restore this holster though, and get it looking original again. I'm surprised you can afford a luger on a college budget!?"

Well I "could" afford it, I just had to use my entire tuition refund check to do so since I didn't want to wait for my tax refund in April and a Luger is a weapon I have always wanted to own since I was 10 and first got into the World Wars. Now here I am, barely a month after buying a collectible model w/Holster, and I can hardly wait until next year so I can go out and find a shooter grade one since I put 100 rounds through the collector one and loved it (no malfunctions of FTF whatsoever, only the hold-open bar didn't work upon emptying the mag but it works manually and beggars cant be choosers in that regard) but am very afraid of doing it ever again.

Hi Quintin, and welcome to the forum.

You will make a good choice by not firing a collectible Luger. These older firearms do break, and breaking a numbered part is a considerable historic and financial loss.

Your holster is collectible. It should be restored at some point, and Jerry is the international "go to" guy for that work. He has the background and skills to do it right.

Don't store your Luger inside the holster. Get a "borestore" or "rug" type cloth zipper gun case. It needs to be secured as well. I remember being in school, and that my state university was a high risk area for losing things. At that time, we could have firearms at university and the campus police had a facility for storing them. Different times.

You'll probably enjoy our FAQ document. Download the PDF by following the link to "FAQ" at the top of the page and then the link to the document post toward the top.

Welcome and please get to know our forum community.

Marc

Marc,
Thank you very much. The 100 rounds I did shoot are the last ones which that particular Luger will ever so much as have chambered in it, you just never know when your last day will be, no matter our age or position in life, and I wanted to at least shoot one to say that I have. I do plan to have the holster restored by him as he has already given me a price quote for it. I had read beforehand to not store the Luger within the holster and currently do have it wrapped with a RemOil partly soaked rag (carefully making sure to keep the oily section around the toggle/barrel/Reciever away from the grips) in a gun case. I have both stored back at home as opposed to with me here at my school apartment for the safety precautions as mentioned. Thank you

I have seen more guns "ruined" by storing them in zipper cases than I care to remember.
When stored in a zipped case- they can't breathe- i.e. exchange air to eliminate moisture.

If you must store in a case, leave it unzipped, a nylon or other sock is better. Keep in a cool, dry place. The storage area really should be climate controlled, like a house with ac and heat. Not in an attic or basement or un-occupied house.

Safes are the same way, they should be in a climate controlled area or must be provided with a heat source in side to keep condensation away. "Drier" units are also ok for a safe if properly rotated and "re-charged or is is de-charged".

Of course oil the metal before storage. If you are going to store the luger long term and not in a well controlled environment, I'd also remove the grips.

JMHO, based on 50+ years of firearm storage and use.

I am keeping it in the fully finished basement of my home address (not my college one) which is climate controlled and has a de-humidifier downstairs. It is my first Luger and we did not opt to keep it in the gunsafe we have in the garage due to the temperature swings which would occur there. Is keeping it wrapped in the rag (which is an old T-shirt) an okay way to store it?

Is there no where in the house you can store it?
I don't like basements , even with a de-humidifier- need for a dehumidifier explains why.

If you wrap it in an oily rag for storage, I'd remove the grips carefully and wipe down the frame also. Leave the grips off. You don't want to "oil" the wood.

JMHO.:)

Also add some sort of moisture wicking product near the pistol to help with any excess humidity.

Unfortunately there really is no other area in the house to store it in a safe manner that isnt in the kitchen or living room there. The basement is where we keep all weapons that we cant fit into the family gunsafe (which is already at max capacity and out in the garage, so not ideal either)