Help on figuring out P08 Luger details

[Don Nguyen]

Looking to possibly purchase this Luger. This will be my first Luger, so hopefully there are some more knowledgeable people on here who can shed some info on what to look for when purchasing the luger and if there's anything that they can ID from the pictures that the owner sent me below.

Of course, I would forget to take pictures of something. I forgot take pictures of the front of the lower receiver, but it is matching number with the upper/barrel. This one comes with an aftermarket magazine. One of the wooden grips were also slightly loose, but I am assuming that may be a normal issue, since the wood pieces could simply be worn?

My primary interests would be if the finish is original or if it has been redone, all of the pieces/parts are era correct, and the barrel's lands look good enough to be a shooter.

The owner of this Lugers is asking $800 for this one in 9mm.























-Don

[rhinemann]

Hi Don
To me the pistol looks to have been re blued. Parts of the pistol look to be buffed and appear to have pits that have been blued over.
Jeff

[John Sabato]

From the photos you have posted, it is obvious to me by some rounded edges that should be sharp, that at the very least the upper receiver and sideplate have been refinished.

IF the gun is otherwise in good condition (and it appears to be) It would be classified as a shooter grade and not a collectible gun, and the value would be closer to $650 or possibly $700 IMHO. If you are looking for a shooter, then this would be a good example. If you are interested in a collectible pistol, look elsewhere... Just my $0.02

[Sergio Natali]

Hi Don and welcome to this Forum of Luger enthusiasts.
From your pictures I think you've got a nice gun, but it depends on what you want it for, are you looking for a collectible to keep in the safe or to a shooter for the range?
For the reasons mentioned above that I share, probably that Luger cannot qualify as a vintage collectible but it's probably a very good shooter.
Hence if you get it I would advise you to have it checked by a reliable armourer first as these old warhorses should never be fired with modern high speed and high power ammunition.
Safe shooting.


Sergio

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks for the info/input thus far.

Originally Posted by luger.parabellum

Hi Don and welcome to this Forum of Luger enthusiasts.
From your pictures I think you've got a nice gun, but it depends on what you want it for, are you looking for a collectible to keep in the safe or to a shooter for the range?
For the reasons mentioned above that I share, probably that Luger cannot qualify as a vintage collectible but it's probably a very good shooter.
Hence if you get it I would advise you to have it checked by a reliable armourer first as these old warhorses should never be fired with modern high speed and high power ammunition.
Safe shooting.


Sergio

Thanks. Mainly looking for a shooter right now, since it'll be my first luger, I don't want to venture too far into the collector realm, as I'll be getting myself into deeper waters than I could manage right now.

Mainly looking to find a Luger (or make sure this one) is priced fairly. I don't mind a non numbers matching Luger. However, I would prefer to purchase a Luger that hasn't had much modification from the original as possible.

-Don

[DavidJayUden]

$800 is not outrageous, as sometimes these can be hard to find. Consider the issue of sales taxs, FFL transfer fees, any extra parts or ammo that can be thrown in to sweeten the deal. Hands on the gun is always better than photos over the 'net.
The photos are not great, but several spots do look rounded, suggesting buffing wheel contact. Some of the bluing looks spotty, sort of like cold bluing, but many of the Lugers of this era had "thin" bluing, so it's tough to be sure.
Maybe see if the owner will accompany you to a shooting range to see how it functions? Each time it jams knock $25 off the offer price...
dju

[rhuff]

In my part of the country, that price is not out of line for a good reliable shooter Luger. As noted above, it has been refinished, and is a mixture of non-original parts. That does not make it bad as far as a shooter goes. My main range Luger has a lot of different numbered parts, and performs very well. If this gun functions well, then I would say that the price is in the ballpark.

[Don Nguyen]

The same owner also had this second luger, a commercial model from what I am aware, in .30 calibre. He was asking $1100 for this one. Mainly as comparison sakes, although it may be hard to tell from pictures, does this one look to be refinished as well? Just trying to get a good gauge of idea how a refinish versus a non refinished one is suppose to look like.

























-Don

[lugerholsterrepair]

This is not a pretty commercial. Frame looks painted? $1100 is WAY too high for this one. If it were a 98% beautiful blued example maybe..

Your shooter..mismatched sideplates are always a concern. Make sure it shoots. Good advice from many above..

.30 Luger is an antique ammo, expensive and not readily available at local stores. Stick with a 9MM A direct buy from a Friend is mostly worth a hundred bucks to me..$800 is reasonable..

Make sure it shoots...

Mauser is better than DWM for a shooter. Mauser made some changes to beef up parts they knew were break prone.

[spacecoast]

If it shoots well, it's hard to go too wrong for $800.

[Don Nguyen]

Is the barrel being fairly worn down of any concern? The owner was stating that Lugers were known to come from the factory with slightly less barrel rifleing than people are accustomed to these days. I guess best way is to take it to the range and shoot it if possible.

I suppose if I want to eliminate most of the guess work, the best bet would be ordering a Luger from checkpointcharlies or simpsonltd.

-Don

[DavidJayUden]

I think the consensus here is that Lugers generally shoot just fine with worn-looking bores. So don't sweat it until you find that it won't keep them on the paper at short ranges. Which I don't recall happening.
dju

[Sergio Natali]

Don

From the pictures that you posted I think I would prefer the first gun.
Especially if for the time being you've got no intentions of venturing into the collector's world.
I agree .30 Luger is a bit of an obsolete ammo, not many people use it anymore, it's a bit more complicatd to reload, pretty expensive and far from being available at the gunshop down the road.
Would be a good advice to stick with a 9MM.
my2cents

Rgds


Sergio

[Don Nguyen]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

I think the consensus here is that Lugers generally shoot just fine with worn-looking bores. So don't sweat it until you find that it won't keep them on the paper at short ranges. Which I don't recall happening.
dju

Thanks for the info. My next task if I purchase this Luger is finding a period correct magazine for it. I've seen a few sell on ebay, but I am not exactly sure how you can determine their authenticity there or not.

[DavidJayUden]

My next task if I purchase this Luger is finding a period correct magazine for it

Why? When using non-original Lugers as shooters, there is absolutely no reason to use a "period correct" magazine. Generally the re-pops. like Mec-Gar, function as well or better than the older ones. And at a much lower price.
The fact that you want a period correct magazine for your re-blued shooter, suggests, to me at least, that what you really want is a low end collectable gun with original finish, matching numbers, etc. I'm guessing you can get into one for around $1200 if you look long and hard.
But if you spend $800 on a shooter and $200 on a period correct mag, well, you do the math...
Just my $.02
dju

[Sergio Natali]

Yes, is fact I would NOT use an original mag at the range. Remember that those mags are 80 or even more years old, a modern MEC-GAR would be easier to find, a lot cheaper, and surely safer!

Sergio

[Lugerdoc]

Don, I have new mecgar mags instock @$35 + $5 S&H. Also have several appropriate original FXO mags available in the $150 to $200 range. TH lugerdoc@charter.net

[Don Nguyen]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

My next task if I purchase this Luger is finding a period correct magazine for it

Why? When using non-original Lugers as shooters, there is absolutely no reason to use a "period correct" magazine. Generally the re-pops. like Mec-Gar, function as well or better than the older ones. And at a much lower price.
The fact that you want a period correct magazine for your re-blued shooter, suggests, to me at least, that what you really want is a low end collectable gun with original finish, matching numbers, etc. I'm guessing you can get into one for around $1200 if you look long and hard.
But if you spend $800 on a shooter and $200 on a period correct mag, well, you do the math...
Just my $.02
dju

I didn't realize magazines went for that much. I had seen several go for around $80-100 on ebay, so that's what I was thinking their general price range would be.

Base on your guys' suggestions, I will just purchase this one and leave it as is and instead keep an eye out for an overall low end collectors gun that's complete for slightly more, to add onto this one later on.

[DavidJayUden]

Spoken like a true Luger addict...
Welcome to our world.
dju

[rhuff]

Buying a Luger is like eating "one peanut".....there will be others soon.