Mitchell Arms P.08

[JBBOOKS]

In my search for a good shooter quality Luger I came across a copy made by Mitchell Arms. It is a stainless steel model and looks just like some of the other guns I have been looking at. My question for the Forum is are the Mitchell Arms P.08 a good quality gun, do they function correctly and do they have any collector value? Being new to the world of Lugers I am not sure what to think of this one.

[rhuff]

I have never personally owned one of these Lugers, but it appears that their quality/functioning is sort of hit and miss. We have a few folks on this forum that own and shoot their Mitchell Lugers and state that they function well.....other are trying to correct their Lugers to make them reliable.

Personally, if I were in the market for a reliable, regular shooter(and who isn't?), I would stick with true P08 Lugers, or the post war Mauser Parabellum Lugers, and not the stainless steel clone models. Others will disagree!!

[mrerick]

"My question for the Forum is are the Mitchell Arms P.08 a good quality gun, do they function correctly and do they have any collector value?"

No, No and none...

[JBBOOKS]

mrerick,
Thanks for the straight right to the point response. I was going to purchase one but I respect your opinion.

[JBBOOKS]

rhuff,
Thanks for the response. It is guys like you that are willing to help the new guy out that keeps me coming back.

[Edward Tinker]

if I came across one for a really good price, I'd buy one, but I'd buy a shooter luger as said above first...

[DTR04]

I can only comment on the one that I own. Dated 1993, I bought it new. I have fired 200 rounds through it with no problem other than the hold open doesn't work. It works manually. Workmanship is OK. I would buy another if the price was right.

[DavidJayUden]

The 1970's Interarms Mauser Parabellums have a much better track history as shooters than does the Stainless steel Mitchell. Just in case one should present itself.
dju

[ithacaartist]

I basically have two, made by Aimco, who made all the stainless Lugers. One is a P.08 9mm and the other is the 1900/2000 .30 Luger commemorative. Neither impresses me as to fit and finish, but although I have never examined one in-hand, I'm led to believe by photos I've seen that the Stoeger branded ones look a lot better than most, which were over-buffed and look "wavy."

I had to dress the claw of the P.08's extractor to keep it the expended round from striking the frame on the way out, hard enough to raise a burr. The ejector is replaced with one from the 70s Mauser, as the original was bendy--because it was ground down too thin at the factory.

The mag well of the commemorative is grossly oversized. Feeding is sketchy when using the mag that came with it, but the flat-sided mags from earlier versions works OK if I fatten it up with a couple strips of masking tape. Not exactly plug and play.

Some original parts will fit on the Aimco pistols, although not the version of extractor on the P.08, unless I grind one's "ears" off.

"Collectible" is in the eye of the collector, so I'll diverge and never say never. They are as rare or scarce as just about any of the originals because there just aren't that many of them. But I wouldn't buy one for a shooter. An original will be at least as robust, and you can actually get parts in the event of a mishap.

[Diver6106]

I have a Mitchell parts kit... So if anyone hears of a frame and breechblock in stainless steel for sale or trade, please let me know.

[hayhugh]

A Mitchell parts kit consists of: ??? and where did you get it?

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by hayhugh

A Mitchell parts kit consists of: ??? and where did you get it?

Typically, it's everything except the "gun" (grip frame).

Since original replacement parts for them are impossible to obtain, I'd think that someone parted one out. Now the question would be what happened to the frame...

[Diver6106]

I imagine it was what remained after the police cut up the frame and breechblock as the ATF parts of the pistol. Confiscated, but owner allowed to keep non-ATF parts? I think this is how many 'parts kits' end up on the market. Sometimes the cut frame or crunched receiver is included, even with machine guns that are demilled.

The only other item missing is a magazine, but I presume a standard Luger mag would fit. Otherwise, Mitchell mags do show up for sale or maybe a standard one can be modified. Just another pistol project of mine.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Diver6106

I imagine it was what remained after the police cut up the frame and breechblock as the ATF parts of the pistol. Confiscated, but owner allowed to keep non-ATF parts? I think this is how many 'parts kits' end up on the market. Sometimes the cut frame or crunched receiver is included, even with machine guns that are demilled.

The only other item missing is a magazine, but I presume a standard Luger mag would fit. Otherwise, Mitchell mags do show up for sale or maybe a standard one can be modified. Just another pistol project of mine.

I just got ahold of a portion of the frame of a small frame Llama .380 that had what the seller called the "California Crunch." I asked if it was available while buying a spare thumb safety, and bingo. Since the Llama is a mini-1911 (spittin' image) its safety lever must also be carefully fitted. I bored a hole in the frame segment on its right side, and I'm hoping to be able to look inside my impromptu jig and see what is going on with all the mechanical interfaces there, after I install the "patient"gun's parts in this cut-away stand-in.

The originals will fit, really sloppy, into a stainless Luger. Fattening them up with strips of masking tape will help. Feeding may or may not happen correctly. Stainless Luger mags are too fat for an original Luger.

[DTR04]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

The originals will fit, really sloppy, into a stainless Luger. Fattening them up with strips of masking tape will help. Feeding may or may not happen correctly. Stainless Luger mags are too fat for an original Luger.

It depends. My Mitchell Arms Stainless uses a magazine identical and interchangeable with original mags. I believe the "fat" magazines are for later Stoeger Lugers. Both were made by Aimco. I read somewhere that Stoeger was developing a .40 S&W version which required thicker magazines. The 9mm frames were modified but, the .40 cal. version was never marketed.

[Rick W.]

DRT04 knows.

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Typically, it's everything except the "gun" (grip frame).

Since original replacement parts for them are impossible to obtain, I'd think that someone parted one out. Now the question would be what happened to the frame...

One known theory...There was a time in the mid-last-century when I knew a person who worked for a major metropolitan police department's crime lab, that when ordered to destroy confiscated pistols, would strip the serial numbered frame of all parts before the destruction of the numbered part took place. He would keep all the removed parts, and sell them as parts kits... to supplement his income...

There was nothing illegal about it... at least at the time, because all the parts were disposed of in the trash...

Just one concept of where "parts kits" come from....