Tale of Numbers
 

Always wondered these questions.
1. How many Lugers were made?
2. How many are still in operable condition?
3. How many are in the USA?
Any ball park ideas?

1 - Lots!
2 - Not as many as were made...
3 - Same as #2

that's the best I can do with limited time for research THOR... :D

Maybe someone else has a more accurate answer for you and will post :)

Hi,

Remember the figures of 680,000 and 700 a day during WW1?

These figures are mentioned in several early luger publications and then referenced to by others. Well, since I've got one of the earliest reliable sources here in front of me, I can say this amount originates from DWM itself (in may 1939).

Deliveries by DWM between august 14th, 1914 and december 20th, 1918 to the German armed forces:
680.000 pistols (08/04/LP08)

My estimates for total Parabellum production during it's entire life (up to 1947) is much higher, btw: As much as 3.8 - 4.0 millon!.

If this appears to be much: Think about 95,000 guns per year during a span of 42 years. Not excessively high.

Some rough figures compiled from several sources:
(the year refers to the start of production)

Early 1900 : 26,500
1902 : 2,600
1904 : 81,000
1906 : 81,000
1908 :1,597,000
1908LP : 200,000
1920 : 49,000
1929 : 29,900
1930 :1,050,000
1934 : 943,000

Of course I can't provide figures for the number of lugers in the US. I can however calculate that about 1 percent of licensed guns in the Netherlands is a Luger. Some 400 - 700 are believed to be in private hands here.

Didn't someone say that there were an estimated 100,000 collectors in the U.S.? We can only guess as to the average number of Lugers each has. Then there are the people who have Lugers, who are not collectors. One can only guess the number of Lugers sitting around in someones personal belongings, not thought about much, or almost forgotten...