Newbie with 1936 s/42!

Hello!


This is my first posting, good to find a Luger Forum on the �´net as well!


First off I�´ll start by introducing myself, I am 26 years old and live in Norway. Guns have been a hobby of mine for about 16 years. I have been competing with presicion rifles for 15 years, and have been active in a pistol association for 1 1/2 years now. I am employed as a graphic designer, and I study military history (mainly WWII) in my spare time.


Recently I aquired a Luger, a 1936 S/42 (all matching numbers) with original holster and two matching mags. I plan to keep it as a well maintained collectors piece, but I won�´t be able to resist shooting a few rounds every now and then. Norwegian law does not permit having more than one similar gun in the same calibre, which is a pity, as I love shooting the P08. If I�´d had a non-matching P08 just for shooting my .357 S&W 686 and .22 Unique DES 69 would start rusting fom disuse...

I was really excited my first time with it at the range, it was great to see the good old P08 punching holes right in the middle of the target. No adjusting needed at all, all I had to do was aim and fire! A few jams occured, but I suspect this was due to the reloaded 3D 9mm Luger ammo I used. Will use better quality ammo next time, I just impatiently grabbed some ammo on my way out the door...


I have seen that there has been some postings about "collectors or shooters" P08�´s here, but I just wanted to know your opinions, as I�´m no Luger expert regarding dates, rare versions, defining condition of a Luger and so on. I have pictures of my P08 in my online album:





It has not been reblued as far as I can see, the bluing has worn off a bit on the rear between the wooden grips, the original finish has been worn off some places, and this is visible in the photos. A very small part of the left-side wooden grip has broken off in the upper right corner. The strawing is not 100%.


I wonder if you could help me with some questions:


-The approximate value/rarity (I know it�´s a standard 1936 S/42, but the mags + original holster and so on might raise its value?)


-Would you recommend keeping it as a collectors piece or as a shooter?


-Is there some way to restore the wooden grips? They seem to have gotten a bit dark over the years, or should they be that way? Is it difficult to remove wooden grips without breaking them?


I would be most interested to hear your opinions about it. I hear that having one matching mag is good, and two matching mags is quite rare. The name of the owner during WWII is written on the inside of the holster flap, and I�´m currently in the process of identifying his unit and so on. It would be nice to know the full history of the gun.


Cheers,


Ã??yvind L.

Norway