Does that mean this pistol was made in 1918? I don't see any other markings around the chamber other than the 1918 date that I thought was a model designation.
Military P-08 were stamped with their date of manufacture over the chamber. This was required by the Army in WWI, and by the Heers Waffenamt (WaA, Military Weapons Office) thereafter.
The caliber designation on the bottom of the barrel is interesting. I've never heard of the caliber being measured from land to land. Thank you, it's good to know for sure it's a 9mm.
The 8,83 caliber measurement under the barrel was another Army requirement. 9mm P-08 were allowed a munufacturing tolerance between 8.82mm-8.86mm, and after test firing the land-to-land distance had to be measured and stamped under the barrel to certify compliance.
1)Anyone know if the mags GunParts are selling, with the plastic bottoms, are any good?
Aftermarket magazines which are commonly found these days are Mec-Gar and KKK. They both have plastic bottoms. The Triple-K magazines have a decent reputation, but only hold 7 rounds. Call Gun Parts and find out, and if it is not one of these don't bother.
Actually, if you do this exercise, please let us know.
2)What do the proof or inspectors marks on the right side tell you?
The P-08 underwent constant test and measurement during manufacture. The Army test stamps and proofs on the right side of the gun were the major and final certification marks. The Crown-over-letter stamps were the individual hallmarks of the responsible inspectors, and the Eagle was the stamp of the proofing office.
The rearmost stamp was the first applied, and certified that the receiver had been hardened to the specified tolerance and that the date had been stamped on top of the receiver.
After the pistol had been assembled it was inspected and passed with the c/Letter next to the hardness stamp. It then went to power proof, where it was tested with two over-pressure proof caartridges. On passing this the receiver, barrel, and breechblock were stamped with the Imperial Eagle proof stamp.
From there the pistol went to shooting-in, and was returned for final inspection. If it passed this it was given the third--rightmost--c/Letter stamp, which certified its acceptance by the Army.
3)Do these pistols shoot lead bullets good or should I stick with FMJ's?
Apt question. 9mm P-08 hate soft-nose bullets--it is almost always a guarantee for feed jamming. Same with hollow points.
4)Considering that it has been reblued and will have aftermarket grips and mag, what is the ballpark value? I'm not going to sell it, I'm looking forward to shooting and admiring it for sometime to come. I'm just interested in how much equity I gained for my collection. I know I "stole it" at $100 but the FFL holder I bought it from considered it a "parts gun" and I gave him what he was asking for it.
A functioning Luger as you describe is fairly valued in the $500 range. Lugers were extensively hand-finished and individually tuned to assure their function. This is the reason for serial numbering, and the practical reason for maintaining matching parts. A "parts Luger" is prone to malfunction, and worth correspondingly less if they do not function properly.
--Dwight
|