Hey, thanks for the warm welcomes guys - I know new guys posting in the wrong sections can be annoying.
Edward - Honestly, I think anything from WWI to WWII production would be fine - prefer military - but I would be game for anything that came closest to the P-08. I might be being too picky for a shooter already. I would honestly not mind putting one together from parts even - I don't know how feasible that really is price wise etc.
I know I want my first Luger to be something I can shoot and get really familiar with - I absolutely wouldn't want to shoot something that would put any historical significance in danger - and in the shooter price range I don't think I will.
When the time comes for my collector piece I'll be looking for a matching WWII production - I have a Great Uncle who didn't make it back from (or out of) France, and my Grandmother has all his letters home. He wrote that he obtained a Luger and buried it shallow in a ditch for the day (He figured if he got caught with it by the Germans, he would be finished). Someone saw him do it, dug it up, and kept it. As soon as I saw that - it made me want one.
mrerick - I saw someone just sold a shooter for $450 recently and just about bounced my head off the corner of my desk.
At any rate, I can't tell you guys how stoked I am to find this community. I've looked around a little and it is insane how much history this pistol has.
Thanks again.