After three months of ownership I finally decided to shoot my 1939 Mauser P.08 (military stamps & match #, except mags). First off I just have to say that the experience was simply thrilling! Actually it was better than thrilling. I know this is nothing new for most of you and you probably can’t even recall your ‘first Luger time’. But, this was my first outing and the occasion was pure bliss.
First the good news: nothing broke. Yes, I was worried about that, despite many of you reassuring me that Lugers aren’t made out of glass. The experience was both satisfying and electrifying.
I didn’t use the two period correct mags that came with the gun. I used an ERMA mag that I bought from MikeB and two recently purchased new Mec-Gars. I used the recommended Winchester WB 115gn RN and she went bang every trigger pull. I intended to only shoot 16 rounds, but before I knew it I put 40 down the pipe.
At 50’ I didn’t hit anything until I got used to the trigger and sight picture. My Lyman gauge told me that my trigger pull averages 9.2lbs. Is that normal?
I am right handed and was hitting low and to the left, so I probably was jerking the trigger. I tend to do that. I got better with almost every shot. To no one’s surprise, I got extremely accurate when I stepped up to the 25’ marker. Notice the marks on my “homemade” steel plate target.
The only operating problem I encountered is when I first swapped mags. With the second mag inserted and the toggle back, everything locked up. That is, I initially could not get the toggle to return to battery and I couldn’t get the mag release button to release the mag. I put the safety on and fiddled with it for a while until I got the mag to drop and then got the toggle back to battery. I reinserted the mag and racked without incident. Perhaps it was just newbie operator error. It did not happen again. Everything functioned well. Some brass flew 15’ to my guesstimate, so no apparent extraction or ejection issues. LOL However, I did notice most of the brass had unusual and slight dent marks near the opening that I am not used to seeing with other pistols’ brass. What’s up with dat?!
I took a few photos of my range, bench and gear. Afterward I did a thorough cleaning and tucked it away. I brought my HK P30s along, but didn't shoot it.
Oh, did I forget to tell you what a thrill it was to shoot my 1939 Luger?!