Finding a P-08 Today

johnii · 12-09-2013, 04:24 PM

I was born in 1957 and remember the 1960's and even 1958 and 1959. I was never interested in P-08s although I remember the squirt guns patterned after them filled with water to spray somebody back in 1962. The P-08 was an available squirt gun in 1962 and that was when I first saw a "model" of a P-08 in first grade.

In the 60's there was a killer named the Zodiac in the Bay Area and I lived in the Bay Area (Kentfield, CA) when this was happening. He used the P-08 in a town just off Interstate 80 from Black Point to Reno. Then the P-08 was identified as the weapon used by the Zodiac. The P-08 by this time appeared in a lot of WWII movies and also with Frank Sinatra (and others) in the First Deadly Sin and the Manchurian Candidate. I remember these movies as a youngster. Then the P-08 is all over the movies about the Third Reich and WWII. I still had no fascination for the P-08. Until I finally shot one after shooting Hi Powers and CZ 75s and Beretta M-9s. My first two P-08s were DWM commercials and then I got a real P-08 from WWII (the 1937 S/42 Mauser) recovered from a WWII veteran who used it to buy a new roof over his house with a roofer and the roofer walked into my door with it after roofing our house and he wanted to know if I'd buy it and I took it apart seeing all matching except for the magazine and bought it from him for $900. I told him ahead of time he might get more looking elsewhere to sell it but he decided to sell it to me. That is the Story of the 1937 I've pictured here, Serial number 4068 suffix "b". Not reblued all original and it shoots a foot high at 50 yards but other than that it is deadly accurate when you aim low!

Then I got the 1936 reblued all original without the Mauser Bump but all matching in steel except for the grips. Matching magazine included.

The DWM's I had had mismatched parts and neither one of them shot 100% reliability. These do.

I think matching parts make the difference. Whether reblued or not.

To date I find a working P-08 hard to find without paying for it. To date I know there are reproductions that cost too much to make to be a real success.

I am here to continue the journey to find WWII Military S/42s of other dates with all matching parts. I am not going to do DWM or Erfurt or Swiss or Navy or other. I am concentrating on true WWII Third Reich Soldier P-08s. That is my interest.

I suppose that is also my endorsement for anyone finding an S/42 Military Third Reich P-08. I know there are rarities in the Swiss Luger and the Navy and other things but to me I like the S/42 over the rest and I can buy more of them than one rare Navy or Swiss Luger. Does this make sense?

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12-09-2013, 04:24 PM	#5
johnii User Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 52 Thanks: 13 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I was born in 1957 and remember the 1960's and even 1958 and 1959. I was never interested in P-08s although I remember the squirt guns patterned after them filled with water to spray somebody back in 1962. The P-08 was an available squirt gun in 1962 and that was when I first saw a "model" of a P-08 in first grade. In the 60's there was a killer named the Zodiac in the Bay Area and I lived in the Bay Area (Kentfield, CA) when this was happening. He used the P-08 in a town just off Interstate 80 from Black Point to Reno. Then the P-08 was identified as the weapon used by the Zodiac. The P-08 by this time appeared in a lot of WWII movies and also with Frank Sinatra (and others) in the First Deadly Sin and the Manchurian Candidate. I remember these movies as a youngster. Then the P-08 is all over the movies about the Third Reich and WWII. I still had no fascination for the P-08. Until I finally shot one after shooting Hi Powers and CZ 75s and Beretta M-9s. My first two P-08s were DWM commercials and then I got a real P-08 from WWII (the 1937 S/42 Mauser) recovered from a WWII veteran who used it to buy a new roof over his house with a roofer and the roofer walked into my door with it after roofing our house and he wanted to know if I'd buy it and I took it apart seeing all matching except for the magazine and bought it from him for $900. I told him ahead of time he might get more looking elsewhere to sell it but he decided to sell it to me. That is the Story of the 1937 I've pictured here, Serial number 4068 suffix "b". Not reblued all original and it shoots a foot high at 50 yards but other than that it is deadly accurate when you aim low! Then I got the 1936 reblued all original without the Mauser Bump but all matching in steel except for the grips. Matching magazine included. The DWM's I had had mismatched parts and neither one of them shot 100% reliability. These do. I think matching parts make the difference. Whether reblued or not. To date I find a working P-08 hard to find without paying for it. To date I know there are reproductions that cost too much to make to be a real success. I am here to continue the journey to find WWII Military S/42s of other dates with all matching parts. I am not going to do DWM or Erfurt or Swiss or Navy or other. I am concentrating on true WWII Third Reich Soldier P-08s. That is my interest. I suppose that is also my endorsement for anyone finding an S/42 Military Third Reich P-08. I know there are rarities in the Swiss Luger and the Navy and other things but to me I like the S/42 over the rest and I can buy more of them than one rare Navy or Swiss Luger. Does this make sense?