Will pickup my first P08 over the weekend. - Page 2

Mac Cat · 03-07-2023, 11:07 PM

I agree with "W" for the suffix. Good example in Hallock & Kant p. 135

Karl · 03-08-2023, 11:19 AM

Joe,

The mis-matched side plate on your Luger appears have a Gothic "S" found on 1934 K-date lugers.

KFS

Vlim · 03-08-2023, 11:34 AM

Keep an eye out for a correctly numbered side plate.
As all are 2-digit, the chance of finding the correct number are quite good. Your 1934 plate will make a good trade or sale.

Itsjohncena6969 · 03-09-2023, 01:45 PM

It's a shame it doesn't have any more identifying features, with it being dated 1937, it would be interesting to see if it ever saw use in the war.

Vlim · 03-09-2023, 01:55 PM

I can pretty much assure you that a 1937 army accepted P08 saw service in WW2. To be honest, that's a pretty silly remark to make.

Itsjohncena6969 · 03-09-2023, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vlim

I can pretty much assure you that a 1937 army accepted P08 saw service in WW2. To be honest, that's a pretty silly remark to make.

That does make sense.

How can you tell its army accepted?

Vlim · 03-09-2023, 04:18 PM

The WaA stamps on just about every part.

Plus, the P.08 was a military contract pistol to start with.

Commercial Parabellum pistols have different markings, commercial proofs, etc...

day late · 03-30-2023, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Cat

The side plate can be replaced, but beware, they don't always work smoothly. That's a crucial part in the path from the trigger to the sear. Still, it's something you can replace, even with an un-numbered side plate.

Tell me about that. This PO8 I'm working on was missing a side plate. I'm glad I had metal milling tools around to work on the replacement. Works fine now, but at first.....

mrerick · 04-06-2023, 12:20 PM

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your first Luger.

The original bakelite grips were made by a company called Ritzmann and are rather valuable. There have been many reproductions made, so getting a look at the back of these would help us identify what you have. Remove them with great care. it's easy to damage them.

We publish a very comprehensive FAQ PDF document. Just follow the FAQ link at the top of every forum page and you'll find it. It's free and much more valuable than it's price.

With mismatched and hand marked parts, your Luger is considered a "shooter" and you should inspect, clean and prepare it. Use standard velocity 9mm Luger ammunition. 115gn or 124gn should shoot fine if the replacement parts were properly fitted.

The members here have a great deal of background on these pistols. Please take the time to read what we've already shared in the FAQ.

BTW, it's not wise to obsess about trying to return a mismatched pistol to something that appears to be matching. One side plate in 10,000 has the numbers that will match the rest of a pistol. Mauser plates generally have digits relating to the first numbers of the serial number inside the side plate. Besides, the reason parts are numbered is that they were hand fitted at the factory. This helped keep them together during their later service in the field. "Matching" means that the parts left the factory with the rest of the pistol.

There is an art to properly fitting Luger actions.

03-08-2023, 11:19 AM	#22
Karl Lifer - Twice Over Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Savannah Posts: 522 Thanks: 0 Thanked 271 Times in 118 Posts	Joe, The mis-matched side plate on your Luger appears have a Gothic "S" found on 1934 K-date lugers. KFS Attached Images

04-06-2023, 12:20 PM	#29
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,909 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,110 Times in 1,510 Posts	Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your first Luger. The original bakelite grips were made by a company called Ritzmann and are rather valuable. There have been many reproductions made, so getting a look at the back of these would help us identify what you have. Remove them with great care. it's easy to damage them. We publish a very comprehensive FAQ PDF document. Just follow the FAQ link at the top of every forum page and you'll find it. It's free and much more valuable than it's price. With mismatched and hand marked parts, your Luger is considered a "shooter" and you should inspect, clean and prepare it. Use standard velocity 9mm Luger ammunition. 115gn or 124gn should shoot fine if the replacement parts were properly fitted. The members here have a great deal of background on these pistols. Please take the time to read what we've already shared in the FAQ. BTW, it's not wise to obsess about trying to return a mismatched pistol to something that appears to be matching. One side plate in 10,000 has the numbers that will match the rest of a pistol. Mauser plates generally have digits relating to the first numbers of the serial number inside the side plate. Besides, the reason parts are numbered is that they were hand fitted at the factory. This helped keep them together during their later service in the field. "Matching" means that the parts left the factory with the rest of the pistol. There is an art to properly fitting Luger actions. __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

03-07-2023, 11:07 PM	#21
Mac Cat Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 728 Thanks: 2,092 Thanked 608 Times in 328 Posts	I agree with "W" for the suffix. Good example in Hallock & Kant p. 135

03-08-2023, 11:34 AM	#23
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,988 Times in 1,205 Posts	Keep an eye out for a correctly numbered side plate. As all are 2-digit, the chance of finding the correct number are quite good. Your 1934 plate will make a good trade or sale.

03-09-2023, 01:45 PM	#24
Itsjohncena6969 User Join Date: Mar 2023 Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 2 Posts	It's a shame it doesn't have any more identifying features, with it being dated 1937, it would be interesting to see if it ever saw use in the war.

03-09-2023, 01:55 PM	#25
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,988 Times in 1,205 Posts	I can pretty much assure you that a 1937 army accepted P08 saw service in WW2. To be honest, that's a pretty silly remark to make.

03-09-2023, 04:18 PM	#27
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,988 Times in 1,205 Posts	The WaA stamps on just about every part. Plus, the P.08 was a military contract pistol to start with. Commercial Parabellum pistols have different markings, commercial proofs, etc...