Looking for first Luger - many questions

[rochte]

Hello all... I found this board after Googling for "what to look for in a Luger" and finding the FAQ. Nice document and very helpful - thank you for that!

I am 45 and live in the metro Detroit area. I am an avid collector of modern military-style rifles, along with the more common (and certainly less expensive) C&R long guns. I've gone through phases where I had to have five varieties of ARs, then G3s, then CETMEs, then FALs. FALs kept me busy for quite a while - and FALfiles.com is still where I spend most of my "forum time" (my username is the same on almost every board, including that one).

I'm ready for something completely different now, though, and that something different is a Luger.

I've always wanted a Luger - in particular, one from the WWII (or at least Nazi) era. I don't like safe queens, but then I also don't like ugly looking guns (e.g., 10% blue, sewer pipe bore, etc) either. If I buy a Luger, I want to be able to shoot it - and probably rather frequently. But I also want it to be reasonably attractive.

My budget will be determined by what I can get by either selling or trading a rifle. Specifically, I have a Daewoo DR200 rifle with ACE stock and pg conversion that I could probably sell (given the current hysteria) for $1200 or more, and I also have a custom-built DSA FAL carbine that might sell for $1500 or more. I want to get rid of one or the other of those, not both. And ideally, I would like to NOT participate in this hysterical market and instead find someone willing to trade.

So, given what I've said above, I'm wondering if someone might be able to advise me on the following points:

1. What are the specifics that I should be looking for in a Luger - condition, matching, manufacturer, etc? Again, in my mind, I would like an "attractive shooter" built somewhere between '33 and '45.

2. This one could trump question #1 immediately - is my whole idea of an "attractive shooter" just plain foolish?? That is, should I instead pick either an attractive, matching collectors piece, OR a shooter - instead of trying to do both?

3. Am I likely to find anyone on this board or perhaps in the wider Luger collector community who would be looking for a trade as I have described (i.e., for my DR200 or FAL)? Or should I just cash-out one of these rifles and go shopping?

4. Am I better off trying to find a private deal (e.g., on this forum) or going through one of the big dealers like Simpson Ltd?

Any other advice, slaps-up-side-the-head, etc are welcome and appreciated! I know almost nothing about Lugers and I am not one to pretend otherwise when I don't know. As I posted on FALfiles earlier tonight (thus far, no replies), "School me on Lugers"!

Thank you!

Regards,
Robert

[Curly1]

Welcome to the forum Robert.

A decent shooter is gonna start around $750 and go up to around $1000. On the low end it may be a reblued finish or have original finish with a lot of wear and probably some pitting.
Or it could be a real purdey vet chromed piece.

Something really nice but you can still shoot around $1500.

Yes I think your best bet is to look for something here. Put a post in the Want to trade or want to buy section and see what you get.

Good luck.

[LWaali]

I'm comparatively a newbie here.. but a shooter and a collector piece are really two different animals.. original parts are rather hard to replace because they are all serial numbered and as such, shooting a collector piece could be a $5k shot... literally.

[sheepherder]

My advice as to acceptably attractive Luger of WW II vintage that can be shot with some confidence is to look for a VoPo/Russian Capture Luger.

These are Lugers confiscated by the Russians after the war and refurbished by East German armorers. Parts may be 'force matched', the barrels may be replaced (with new), grips may be black bakelite or plastic, and worn or out of spec parts will have been replaced (springs, pins, etc).

Magazines will likely be replacements as well.

The only caveat i can think of is that some were 'dipped' [re-blued] and look quite good; others were 'dunked in roofing tar' and look awful...I have a VoPo/RC P-38 that was 'dipped' and not buffed and looks as good as new (or did when it was re-issued).

You should be able to purchase a VoPo Luger for $800+...And it has the added allure of having been used by the East German VolksPolizei following WW II...

[mrerick]

Hi Robert, and welcome to the forum. I'll add my thoughts:

- First make up your mind about whether you primarily want to shoot it or keep a collectable. For the $$$ you're discussing, you could get a nice collectable pistol.


1. What are the specifics that I should be looking for in a Luger - condition, matching, manufacturer, etc? Again, in my mind, I would like an "attractive shooter" built somewhere between '33 and '45.

OK - so look for a Mauser manufactured Luger from the WW-II period or just before that. Something from 1936 through 1942 should work. Look for something over 90% original finish and all matching numbers, including grips but not including magazine.

2. This one could trump question #1 immediately - is my whole idea of an "attractive shooter" just plain foolish?? That is, should I instead pick either an attractive, matching collectors piece, OR a shooter - instead of trying to do both?

No - it's not foolish. For $1000 or less, you should be able to find a high condition refinished or mis-matched WW-II era Mauser pistol. If just one part is not matching, the value comes down into this range. You could shoot this and break a part and not lose more than the cost of replacing the part.

3. Am I likely to find anyone on this board or perhaps in the wider Luger collector community who would be looking for a trade as I have described (i.e., for my DR200 or FAL)? Or should I just cash-out one of these rifles and go shopping?

Put a WTT offer on the forum. Spell out your deal. You may find a taker right off.

4. Am I better off trying to find a private deal (e.g., on this forum) or going through one of the big dealers like Simpson Ltd?

Both options have their advantages. Deal with Simpson, FGS Firearms, Legacy Collectables, Checkpointcharlies, etc... and you'll pay retail, but get the dealer's support. I like these dealers personally...

Ask here about a dealer before you deal with them. There are some with very high quality lavishly illustrated websites that are misrepresenting what they sell.

I have also bought excellent Lugers form members of this forum. Generally, you'll deal at a lower collector price that doesn't have to help pay for employees or rent / overhead.

- - - - -

There are remarkable variations of Lugers that occurred over the long period that they were manufactured. For this reason, and the fact that variations have unique and expected markings, features, appearance and history. For that reason, two very similar looking Lugers can have vastly different values and rarity.

Luger collectors like them as close to original factory state as possible. Those are the ones most highly valued. They were sold commercially, taken into government service, police service and military service. These have vastly differing rarity, and each are unique niches of interest.

For these reasons, it's necessary to educate yourself before spending a great deal on Lugers. The books seem expensive, but the knowledge they contain can help you save even more when acquiring them, and also help you appreciate the history even more.

Marc

[aptech77]

If you got a nice SCAR 17, I have a nice matching 1940 42 rig ill trade ya...

[Greg B.]

Another option is to get a shooter in good mechanical condition and have THOR refinish it. Look around on the forum for pictures of his work. If you want "pretty" as in bran new it doesn't get much better than this.