Not my father's Luger but I'm very happy

mrerick · 04-09-2012, 09:23 PM

Hi Ross, and welcome to the forum!

Very nice DWM. You acquired it at a good price, and it looks to be in very nice condition. Looks like original finish, and the straw is particularly nice looking.

I generally avoid shooting collectable pistols because of the potential for loss of value and the history. Your Luger is collectable and you probably paid slightly below market price for it in my area.

For shooting, keep your eye out for a Mauser made mis-matched pistol from the WW-II era. They can be had for about 2/3 what you paid for yours. Several appear on this site's for sale pages annually, and people like Tom Heller (LugerDoc - who sold me mine) make them available reasonably from time to time.

The Russian Capture pistols now becoming available seem to be a mixed bag of conditions with unreliable descriptions from some of the dealers. You'll see postings here about recent experience with "R-Guns".

If you do fire your Luger, use the regular velocity stuff. No "NATO" or +P loads, and I prefer 115gn over 124gn 9mm.

Another possible approach is to temporarily swap out parts that are prone to damage with replacement originals. The extractor is one part I would consider. Also preference for a fluted firing pin that can vent pressure should a primer blow back. The original non-fluted firing pins can break out the back of the breech block where the firing pin spring guide catch is.

Marc

04-09-2012, 09:23 PM	#5
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,920 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,135 Times in 1,518 Posts	Hi Ross, and welcome to the forum! Very nice DWM. You acquired it at a good price, and it looks to be in very nice condition. Looks like original finish, and the straw is particularly nice looking. I generally avoid shooting collectable pistols because of the potential for loss of value and the history. Your Luger is collectable and you probably paid slightly below market price for it in my area. For shooting, keep your eye out for a Mauser made mis-matched pistol from the WW-II era. They can be had for about 2/3 what you paid for yours. Several appear on this site's for sale pages annually, and people like Tom Heller (LugerDoc - who sold me mine) make them available reasonably from time to time. The Russian Capture pistols now becoming available seem to be a mixed bag of conditions with unreliable descriptions from some of the dealers. You'll see postings here about recent experience with "R-Guns". If you do fire your Luger, use the regular velocity stuff. No "NATO" or +P loads, and I prefer 115gn over 124gn 9mm. Another possible approach is to temporarily swap out parts that are prone to damage with replacement originals. The extractor is one part I would consider. Also preference for a fluted firing pin that can vent pressure should a primer blow back. The original non-fluted firing pins can break out the back of the breech block where the firing pin spring guide catch is. Marc __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.