How did u get your luger?

[Kohaku2416]

Im just kinda currious to where as everyone got their first luger. Like did u find it at a gunshow, or was it at a gunstore? or perahps you got it a more meaningful way as in through the second Great war, or off someone who got it from the war. I am just wondering and quite currious to some of the good stories that could be out their about these fine piece of history.

[thegundude]

My first piece came from a member of this fine site...

[lew1]

I was 15 and was visiting the gun store to get ammo for the 22 caliber rifle I had won the previous week at the festival held by my high school. I saw the luger, which was mis-matched, but only $5.00, so I purchased it and still have it (along with the 22 caliber rifle).

[drbuster]

I got my first Luger many moons ago (1958), when one could buy them through mail order! I saw an ad in Guns magazine from "Ye Olde Hunter". I was short of funds, so could afford the "average" grade for $35! The "pick of the litter" was a staggering $45, out of my league. When it arrived at my doorstep, it was a rebarrelled DWM military with a mismatched sideplate. I should have saved up for that $45 "gem".

[c3006]

lew1
Not that we want you to give to much away but what year was that??

[pipeman45]

I put a very low bid(under $400) on one of the auction boards, and won a nice matching 1940 capture piece.

Now if I could just find a nice long barrel shooter for the same price!

[policeluger]

About 1958, I was 13, I bought a grip safety something or another for $12.00, my father hated guns and anything German military, so he made me take it back to the neighbor who sold it to me. I remember the man had an entire room in his house with nothing but shelves of German helmuts, from Imperial thru WW2...he would let me spend hours looking at all the neat feathered helmets, what a collection, it wasn't until 1979 that I started trying to put a real collection together, still trying today.

[Ron Smith]

My first Luger was a Mauser 4" Kriegsmarine rig in mint condition, that I bought from the vet that brought it back. Gave him $150 for it. Traded it for a pre-64 Winchester 94 30-30 at a gunshow a year or so later.

I'll bet that guy at the show is still laughing at me.

[Stevie]

I had /have been collecting WWI and WWII military handguns from any nation. Six or seven years ago, I decided I needed a Luger P08. A bunch of Lugers had been imported so I went to a gunshow and bought me one. I got a 1920 DWM, well used and pitted, with a few mismatched small parts for $325. Some months later, I was talking to a customer about P38's(pistol, not fighter plane). My boss overheard the conversation and mentioned that his father had a P38 he wanted to sell. I called and found out it was actually a "42" P08. I bought it as well, a excellent condition recent import Luger, made from 3 Mauser P08 pistols but in fine shooting condition. The bosses dad had bought 2 of these and kept a S42 and sold me the "42/42". I paid $350 for the Mauser.

[Vlim]

Looking around for a nice shooter grade Luger I stumbled across an ad which showed a Luger which was advertised as non-matching for a non-matching price. Saw a little yellowish square on the side of the luger and thought it might be a Dutch one.

Gave the guy a call and asked 'is it a Dutch one?', he said he didn't know, just that the upper and lower parts were not numbered equally.

400 Euros later I was the owner of a nice Dutch KNIL luger, with soldered on sideplate. 1928 KOL upper and 1913 DWM lower end, all KNIL parts.

[Edward Tinker]

Excellent thread. More to the story here then your first luger..

I had seen Lugers in the late 1960's and early 1970's in guns and ammo, etc., they interested me. My Dads boss had a luger that he brought back with him, he showed it to me, a byf 41 (?) and I wanted it bad! (after he passed, my dad tried to get it, and the guys kids grabbed it, but they didn't care about the history, I am sure they sold it).


Came across my first luger while stationed in the army in Hawaii, a 1914 Artillery, buffed bad, 9mm for $325. Sold my Colt Python on consignment at another gun store, then went and bought it at the gun store in Honolulu! A year later bought a mismatch 1940/42, top half matched and the bottom matched, somebody screwed up in putting their two guns together!

Still have the artillery, I would imagine that the Python is now worth $450 or so, maybe more, the artillery is worth $800?

Ed

[Rod WMG]

Hummm....Lugers in my part of the world are fairly scarce. A couple of years ago I bought a mismatched artillery with a repro holster (I think) and a "Persian" stock. I have since taken the pistol to Thor for his fine work and bought another repro holster/stock rig from our own Ron Smith.

I'm sure I have hundreds more in this than I can get out of it, but I try never to sell guns and I plan to enjoy the heck out of it.

I'm really a DA sixgun man, but I do love Lugers, particularly navies. I'm just too old to start really researching a new area.

[MikeP]

BYF 41 at a gunshow for $25 in '64. Nice brown holster.
Matching, 5% finish, smooth grips and smooth bore-always wondered where it had been to have so much wear.

Later while in SF Training Group I saw a couple lugers and MP 40s in our fgn wpns pool in about the same shape.

[Hugh]

When I was in college in the '50's a buddy's uncle that was in WWII had a Luger and a M1 Carbine. We used to motorboat down LaForche Bayou and shoot turtles off logs with both. Apparantly his uncle had an unlimited supply of ammo, because I don't ever remember having to buy any! He had a standard 4" Luger and an extra artillery upper that we used to interchange as the mood hit us. After I graduated and was working in Montana, I went to a gunshow and bought an all matching 95% 1915 DWM with holster for the princely sum of $45 (still have it). When I was in Kalifornia in the early '60's the pawn shops were full of Colt SA's and Lugers for $100, but I was into Winchesters at the time.

[hqbmw]

My first Luger was in my stocking hung by the chimney. It squirted water.

Jack Hiles
Mesa AZ

[wlyon]

My first luger was purchased in 1946 from a neighbors cousin for 25 shots from my BBgun. However when my father caught me with it , it was promptly returned to the cousins father. Have been interested in them since then. For some reason have never found such a deal again. Oh well maybe tomarrow./

[Railsplitter]

I got my first Luger from a WWII veteran who took it off a german officer during the "Battle of the Bulge"...Thanks Dad !!

[Daniel]

In the mid-60's one of the members on the shooting team mentioned he had a luger and I pestered him until he sold it to me for forty bucks. Didn't care what it was as long as it was a luger and would shoot. Found out later it is called a 1915 DWM all matching except the sideplate which was com'l marked #97 and I needed a #86 to be all matching. Fast forward twenty years and many hours picking through luger parts at gun shows, behold ...I found the correct numbered sideplate in the correct condition for twenty bucks !! Walked around the show strutting like the "**** on the walk". Stopped at a engraver's booth while he worked on a piece , when he finished and the crowd drifted away, he pushed back his safety face shield.....it was the same guy I bought the 1915 from !!! Whatta surprise !! We had drifted apart when he retired and he was now pursuing his hobby following the gun show circuit engraving guns. We had a great reunion and I told him the story about finding the correct luger part and him at the same show! We were both in awe...we still stay in touch......I still have the luger and many more , but this one is special.

[broomhandle]

HI All,

I wanted a shooter P-08 for along time. I lived in NYC and could not have a pistol there LOCAL LAWS are STUPID!.
Thirty-five years later I saw all the Russian capture pistols coming in to the country.and was going to buy one.
The guy I went to the show with said he had one & never shot it. I told him if it was in the same shape the Russians were, I would buy his.

Well I bought it and later found out it was a Mauser Banner 1940 Police P-08. He bought it from a old non-com he served with in Nam ,he got it in Holland.

I bought a nice 1917 late model Artillery at the MAX show last year. I had a VERY knowledgable member here look it over. THANKS George A.
The story was a military police officer found it in a bunker, a few days after the action passed in that area.

I'm looking for a good/ nice/fair repro wood stock. If any of you have updated your collection let me know what you have & how much you want for it.

Be well,
broomhandle