..so new I've still got the New Guy Smell..

[Whisky]

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let me ask Ron Wood this question.....with any pistol that I would purchase I'd want a gunsmith to "go over it" before I shot it, just to see if there's anything obviously wrong - question tho, would a good smith who's probably not familiar with these pistols be of any benefit ?

also, (tho you're probably very attuned if not a Luger smith yourself) would you have any qualms about shooting any of these pistols ?

thank you.....Bill

[mrerick]

Not Ron, but a friend... Not very many gunsmiths have ever seen a Luger. Even fewer know much about how to analyze or adjust the state of the mechanism. It's fairly unique.

LugerDoc (located in the Midwest) is an expert. I don't know where you're located, but if you ask, you may find one of the collectors on this forum nearby and willing to look at it.

If you want a shooter, consider a later Mauser made pistol. A mismatch, or something with finish condition that is mechanically sound. The Swiss made Lugers (which will be in .30 Luger caliber) are superbly made, and most have been very well maintained over the years.

Marc

[4 Scale]

Personally if I was going to have just one very nice Luger and shoot it a little, I'd go with .30 Luger like the Swiss from Legacy. The .30 Luger round has significantly less recoil/energy than 9mm and just feels less likely to break a numbered part. And in my entirely subjective opinion the 1906 Parabellum with a 4.75" barrel is one of the most elegant devices ever created.

You really can't go wrong with any of the pistols you linked, they are all fine examples.

[alvin]

You are like me. I did not have dedicated shooters either. I mean, no shooters in conventional sense. I fired about 20% of my collection, all great ones. I have never hired a gunsmith checking them before shooting though... they were in great shape, not crappy samples, not parts guns, what could possibly go wrong with those.. and indeed, they all worked well (except one with headspace issue).

But when selling guns, still need to have a warning message, have a competent gunsmith checking it blah blah. That really means, if injured in shooting range, you're on yourself.

[Whisky]

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I really appreciate all the informative replies - I'm located just north of Houston and I believe what ya'll've posted reference having a "local" gunsmith check out any purchase - probably won't happen

for some reason I've been partial about an early .30cal and with my lack of knowledge I can't understand "why" but it's nice to hear that a few others are of the same mind.....Bill

[Ron Wood]

I will echo the notion that not many gunsmiths are sufficiently familiar with Lugers. There are some that is true, and one of the quickest indications that they have some knowledge of the beast is if they can field strip the gun in under 30 seconds (I can do it in 15 ).
I don't think I would have any problem putting a few rounds down range with any of the 3 Legacy guns, they look to be in good condition, but I wouldn't plan on shooting the bejeebers out of any collectible piece.
And I still think the Swiss is my pick!
Ron

[Puretexan]

Once again me just running my mouth.... I bought one from Legacy. I looked at them a bunch before making my choice. They are really nice people. The one I chose was $1995. I asked the guy on the phone if he would drop the price some. He said probably what were you thinking. I wasn't ready and just blurted out $1750. He looked a minute and yeah I can do that. They post the dates they list them, and you can tell if one has been sitting there a while. They want to sell them and will give you a deal. He threw in free shipping and really made me smile. So look at that date and figure what deal will make you happy before you ask. I think the newer Mausers are maybe built a little better, so try for something in the late 30's or early 40's. Good luck.

Paul

[alvin]

Seller has 30% to 40% margin. Give you discount or not depends on he's happy on that day or not Generally speaking, it's a professional service -- many buyers don't know item details nor how to check items in hand, buying from good dealership of a domain is relatively safer. Consider that margin as a service fee.

[Whisky]

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I believe I'm going to contact Legacy today (Wednesday) to see if we can do a deal ref the '06 Swiss .30cal (1906 happens to be my Mother's Birth Year)

so, I'll get back here with "whatever" happens.....thank you folks.....Bill

[Whisky]

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well since I started this thread (and got some very good advice) thought I'd update my quest of finding a Luger

I found an '06 DWM Commercial .30cal Luger on Legacy that really caught my eye - I submitted an offer and after more than a week the offer was accepted :

https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/...er-030618.html

I've also got a 1935 Nazi 9mm being "re-built" at this time and will soon have that in my possession - this pistol will be my "shooter". Here's the fellow's website - my pistol isn't shown but this does show examples of his work :

http://www.lugerman.com/Pages/MainPages/Handguns.html

so, we'll see how my searching has turned out when I get both the pistols (I'm like a kid at Christmas time.....)

[Edward Tinker]

Hello there - first a couple of comments - did you download the FAQ?
In it is a section (and threads on the forum) on how often parts break.
You asked and I'll say, any luger you shoot might break. A shooter, you just replace the part, a collectible and you just went from a collectible to a shooter and lost $1000-$1500 - but it sounds like that might not matter. So, would say, you just made a collectible into a shooter and deprived future generations of its being collectible.

Tom and Kurt Whiteman at Legacy are good people, however, I am biased as I know them personally and consider them close friends.

Lugerman aka Eugene G is also a friend, he can be quick on something you buy and he can be surprisingly slow in delivery, sometimes 2-3 times longer than anticipated.
You could have conducted a search on any of the dealers via the search tool above, sometimes you can learn a lot.

I also suggest you buy books, in addition to lugers.

Ed
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[Mac Cat]

Collectors is a wonderful store, full of history, books, and accessories. It resembles a museum. But, the prices on their Lugers and P38s are very optimistic. I've seen about 15 of them, most in one display case, but some have to be brought out from the back. However, they don't actually sell them for those prices - you will have to go in person and talk to them, sometimes show them some comparisons. If you do buy one, ask to have it appraised by a Luger expert.



My guess is that they really don't want to sell them. The Lugers make for great display pieces.

[Whisky]

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golly gee Whisky, good for you and welcome to you as a new Luger owner, congratulations fella