New Luger Guy

xcvii90 · 02-27-2025, 01:58 AM

My dad inherited a Luger from his step father in 1970. Not being a gun guy, dad kept it wrapped in a rag in his dresser drawer for fifty three years. When he passed away in 2023, I inherited it. I wasn’t really a gun guy either, although I was on a high school rifle team in the 1980s. But I mainly only shot small bore rifles, and didn’t really have an interest in pistols… until now.

When I inherited the Luger, I was fascinated. I am a mechanical engineer by trade, so I appreciate the elegance of these machines. But I found myself woefully ignorant. So I sought out help from my son in law and a local gun shop run by a Vietnam Vet. Not to mention the great community on this forum.

As soon as I got my hands on it, I took down the gun and cleaned it. That’s when I learned my first lesson. I thought all Lugers were 9 mm, but in fact, this one is a 7.65 Parabellum. All numbers match and it appears to be very lightly used. I believe it was manufactured in 1919, and is stamped GERMANY near the serial number.

The pistol was in great shape with all matching numbers annd on blemishes and pristine wood handles. The only exception is that the trigger lever pin was missing. My local gun shop guy said he could get me one and mark it up, or I could order one myself for a fraction of the price and install it myself. So I ordered a used part online and slipped it into place. I ordered ammo online and I excitedly went to my local range to try it out.

I fired own round, and it broke. Suspecting the trigger lever pin, I took it down and verified that was the problem, but upon reassembly, it didn’t work. So I set it aside and proceeded to put 100 rounds through my dad’s Remington Model 68 single shot rifle that I also inherited but
hadn’t fired since 1985.

When I got home, I took down the Luger and cleaned and inspected it. Apparently when I took it down at the range, I allowed the barrel to slide too far, and the linkage that connects the toggle to the recoil spring became disengaged. It is reassembled properly, and now I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get back to the range. But also, thanks to this forum and specifically LugerDoc, I learned that I need to properly seat the trigger lever pin so it doesn’t come loose when firing.

So after this saga, I leave you fellow forum readers with a question… to shoot or not to shoot? Part of me wants to keep this lightly used specimen in pristine condition and only put a few rounds through it. But part of me feels it is a machine that was meant to be used and although it has matching numbers, it isn’t like it once belonged to Hermann Göring and has significant value. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

02-27-2025, 01:58 AM	#1
xcvii90 New User Join Date: Jan 2025 Location: USA Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 1 Post	New Luger Guy My dad inherited a Luger from his step father in 1970. Not being a gun guy, dad kept it wrapped in a rag in his dresser drawer for fifty three years. When he passed away in 2023, I inherited it. I wasn’t really a gun guy either, although I was on a high school rifle team in the 1980s. But I mainly only shot small bore rifles, and didn’t really have an interest in pistols… until now. When I inherited the Luger, I was fascinated. I am a mechanical engineer by trade, so I appreciate the elegance of these machines. But I found myself woefully ignorant. So I sought out help from my son in law and a local gun shop run by a Vietnam Vet. Not to mention the great community on this forum. As soon as I got my hands on it, I took down the gun and cleaned it. That’s when I learned my first lesson. I thought all Lugers were 9 mm, but in fact, this one is a 7.65 Parabellum. All numbers match and it appears to be very lightly used. I believe it was manufactured in 1919, and is stamped GERMANY near the serial number. The pistol was in great shape with all matching numbers annd on blemishes and pristine wood handles. The only exception is that the trigger lever pin was missing. My local gun shop guy said he could get me one and mark it up, or I could order one myself for a fraction of the price and install it myself. So I ordered a used part online and slipped it into place. I ordered ammo online and I excitedly went to my local range to try it out. I fired own round, and it broke. Suspecting the trigger lever pin, I took it down and verified that was the problem, but upon reassembly, it didn’t work. So I set it aside and proceeded to put 100 rounds through my dad’s Remington Model 68 single shot rifle that I also inherited but hadn’t fired since 1985. When I got home, I took down the Luger and cleaned and inspected it. Apparently when I took it down at the range, I allowed the barrel to slide too far, and the linkage that connects the toggle to the recoil spring became disengaged. It is reassembled properly, and now I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get back to the range. But also, thanks to this forum and specifically LugerDoc, I learned that I need to properly seat the trigger lever pin so it doesn’t come loose when firing. So after this saga, I leave you fellow forum readers with a question… to shoot or not to shoot? Part of me wants to keep this lightly used specimen in pristine condition and only put a few rounds through it. But part of me feels it is a machine that was meant to be used and although it has matching numbers, it isn’t like it once belonged to Hermann Göring and has significant value. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated.