Luger ID

[Dok]

Welcome to The Luger Forum NYer. Like you, I am a shooter, and purchased my first Luger with that in mind. Let me shed some brief light on the whole Luger Collecting picture for you in hopes that it will make your choice easier.


First of, all of the info you've shared with us regarding the condition of this Luger is relavent ONLY if you are buying this Luger as a collectible. Collectors (generally) would not even consider shooting one of their prizes. The value of the Luger is based primarily on three things:


1) The variation (year, model, caliber, manufacturer etc)

2) Matching numbers on all small parts and magazines

3) The condition (% of blue, % of straw, pitting, grips etc)


If all these things rate well, then not only is $600 an excellent price, but probably a lot less than the gun might be worth, and a collector would tell you shouldn't even consider shooting it. If you were to fire it and the firing pin (which would be numbered to the gun) were to get broken, an un-numbered replacement would instantly devalue the gun several hundred dollars.


Now all that said, a "shooter" Luger, is one which does not qualify as a collectible. It may have been previously reworked (refinished), or may have mismatched small part numbers. $600 is a little high for a shooter, but not painfully so, I would gladly pay $600 for a piece of history to shoot. My "shooter" cost me $800 by the time I was finished restoring it... and worth every penny!!!


I think you need to really evaluate why you wamt this Luger, your post indicates that you really want to take this puppy to the range on a regular basis (my kinda guy), if so, there's nothing to stop you buying this one and shooting away... however you should know that an 87 year old weapon will need a bit of work to have it fire reliably, so you will undoubtedly be replacing springs, and possibly other parts once you actually shoot it, and that will alter the collectibility of this piece forever. If you are OK with that, then you could certainly go with this one, although my sense of it is, you might be better off with a mismatched Luger that has no collector value to start with, rather than take a possibly collector grade Luger and devalue it by shooting or restoring it. And if you are ultimately going to invest more money, why not start lower? $600 is a great price for a genuine collectible, but I would try for a lower price for a shooter.


Like you, I always wanted a Luger, but I know I'm not a collector, so I set out to buy a non-collector grade pistol, and shoot the hell out of it. (See my Luger in the Owner's Corner under Dok) Ultimately the choice is yours, but all the markings and matching numbers, and other historical info is really for the collector not the shooter. I hope this helps.


Dok (Webmaster)