Your First Luger

steven c · 12-04-2010, 03:48 PM

Today I thought I would post pictures of my first Luger. I have had it for about seven or eight years. Never posted pics of it before. It is just a shooter grade but it was nice to add one to my collection that I've always wanted. As time passed, I got some books and did a lot of reading on the Internet and learned how diverse Lugers are.

After some research, I found that the side cover was not numbered on the inside and it should be for that year model. I previously posted a couple of pics of the cover and a member mentioned that he was fairly certain it was Imperial era and quite possibly a force match of the outside number. I will show a few pictures of it on how the side cover fits. In the last few pictures you'll see it beside my last Luger for comparison.

This is a 1938 S/42. It doesn't appear to be an import, with no stamps anywhere on it to indicate that. But there is an odd barrel mark which was hard to photograph. It almost looks like '101' in a way but it may be more of a blemish.

Feel free to add pictures of your first Luger and, if you found it was boosted in some way, what misled you at first? It would be nice to hear others' stories. I find this an interesting topic.

steven c · 12-04-2010, 03:55 PM

Next few shots are of the '38 and '39 side by side. I was very lucky and happy to find the '39. I have been very pleased with it. You'll see the difference in the side covers and also how the fit should look. Remember that a lot of these parts were hand-fitted. I've enjoyed the beauty and craftsmanship in these pistols.

Regards,
Steve

lugerholsterrepair · 12-04-2010, 04:54 PM

Steven, Very nice presentation of your first! And second...

Jerry Burney

Douglas Jr. · 12-10-2010, 08:49 AM

My first Luger is a mismatched built with parts from a DWM 1916 and the toggle train and rear sight from a Navy - everything reblued. This gun was bought by my father in 1984 and it was his first Luger also. I still remember him showing me the pistol when I was 10. It looked SO BIG in my hand...

Then, in 1996 he gave it to me, as he saw that I was decided to collect seriously. I added other Lugers to my collection - all of them collectable pieces - but I still keep the first one. In fact I'm planning to have it restored (with correct finish) and fitted with a 6 in. barrel - it will be a nice shooter.

Douglas.

Lugerdoc · 12-10-2010, 12:40 PM

D, I do have new unblued high front sight base (for use with Navy rear sights) barrels available, but you should check to see if your country allows the importation of barrels. TH

wayne8661 · 12-10-2010, 10:15 PM

My first luger was stolen from my home along with a p38 2 .357s and 3 WW2 german daggers............URRRRRRGH

FNorm · 12-10-2010, 10:43 PM

My first: See albums pg 3 at the bottom. '1914 Erfurt'. A local gun show find.

FN

Hugo Borchardt · 12-11-2010, 12:06 PM

My first was this common 1920 Commercial. I loved the look and feel of this specific gun, and wish I hadn't let it go.

steven c · 12-11-2010, 04:25 PM

Wow guys,
You have some stellar first Lugers. And Wayne, I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I've only had a few German daggers myself. But I do have my first one. It's just a common SA RZM marked, nothing fancy. But as a kid, $75 was a lot of money for me.

Unfortunately I have never shot my first Luger. To be honest, I've never shot a Luger. I live in a metropolitan area now, and places to go shoot are a little hard to come by. Where I grew up in my twenties, I had a quarry to go shoot in. Since the '38 is a shooter, maybe I'll take it out this spring and see if it'll function with that side plate.

I am already looking forward to buying the next Luger I haven't found yet. I collect on a budget, and an artillery Luger is on my list. I've always liked those, too.

Regards,
Steve

CavScoutEurope · 12-13-2010, 05:06 AM

Hi all! I'm brand new to this forum because I just got my first Luger 3 days ago! I'm going to try to post some images of it here if I can figure it out!

alanint · 12-13-2010, 09:08 AM

Welcome to the forum!
You have a nice shooter that appears to be mostly or all matching but may have been reblued at one time. The grips are modern replacements and it has had the script "Kal. 9mm" stamped on the barrel at one point in its life.
Nice gun!

12-04-2010, 04:54 PM	#3
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,775 Thanks: 4,995 Thanked 3,134 Times in 1,439 Posts	Steven, Very nice presentation of your first! And second... Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

12-10-2010, 12:40 PM	#5
Lugerdoc Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: POB 398 St.Charles,MO. 63302 Posts: 5,089 Thanks: 6 Thanked 737 Times in 484 Posts	D, I do have new unblued high front sight base (for use with Navy rear sights) barrels available, but you should check to see if your country allows the importation of barrels. TH __________________ Tom Heller POB 398 ST.Charles, MO. 63302 Tel 636-447-3006 lugerdoc@charter.net

12-10-2010, 10:15 PM	#6
wayne8661 User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kennett Square Pennsylvania Posts: 611 Thanks: 15 Thanked 334 Times in 104 Posts	My first luger was stolen from my home along with a p38 2 .357s and 3 WW2 german daggers............URRRRRRGH

12-11-2010, 04:25 PM	#9
steven c User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: texas Posts: 60 Thanks: 15 Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts	Wow guys, You have some stellar first Lugers. And Wayne, I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I've only had a few German daggers myself. But I do have my first one. It's just a common SA RZM marked, nothing fancy. But as a kid, $75 was a lot of money for me. Unfortunately I have never shot my first Luger. To be honest, I've never shot a Luger. I live in a metropolitan area now, and places to go shoot are a little hard to come by. Where I grew up in my twenties, I had a quarry to go shoot in. Since the '38 is a shooter, maybe I'll take it out this spring and see if it'll function with that side plate. I am already looking forward to buying the next Luger I haven't found yet. I collect on a budget, and an artillery Luger is on my list. I've always liked those, too. Regards, Steve

12-13-2010, 09:08 AM	#11
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Welcome to the forum! You have a nice shooter that appears to be mostly or all matching but may have been reblued at one time. The grips are modern replacements and it has had the script "Kal. 9mm" stamped on the barrel at one point in its life. Nice gun!