Quality & Durability of Mitchell Luger

jrx15759 · 07-06-2008, 10:58 AM

Does anybody have an opinion on the quality and durability of the Mitchell lugers? I want a luger for a shooter and a friend of mine suggested I investigate the Mitchell luger.

Ron Smith · 07-06-2008, 11:20 AM

Hi Jeff,

My advice would be save your money. Mitchell's are of questionable quality, and are reportedly unreliable.

Fine an original of "shooter" quality with mis-matched parts or that has been refinished, or one of the Finnish Lugers. Often you can find them for under $1000 and sometimes in the $500-$600 range.

Welcome to the forum...

Ron

LugerVern · 07-09-2008, 09:52 AM

They can be very bad in functioning. I purchased one and even after polishing, re chambering and trying several brands and weights of ammunition could never get a full box of ammunition through it. I ended up selling it and getting a nice Mauser that not only functioned perfectly, shot nice tight groups too.

To this day I am not sure what the problem was, they appeared very tight, but maybe that was where the problem lay, stainless sliding on stainless is just not the same as other metals, binding can occur with even small amounts of dirt/debris.

Ron's advice is good!

Those guns are sure pretty though, they make nice presentation cases and gifts to non shooteres

Vern

Edward Tinker · 07-09-2008, 11:31 AM

The Interarms (which are actually Mauser made 1970's pistols) are really nice ones too.

I screwed up at the gun auction, there was an Interarms, in the box and it only went for $550; I was distracted or would have bid on it....

ed

jamese · 07-10-2008, 08:59 AM

I have never owned one, but I have helped the local gunsmith work on a couple. Both were made with very soft SS and the frame ramps that break the toggle action started to bow out causing the gun to jam after only a few 100 rounds.
The parts are not the same as a PO8 even though they look interchangable.

Save your money and buy a real Luger

Jim

John Sabato · 07-10-2008, 01:39 PM

I think Steve Richards should chime in with his opinion on this thread since I am pretty sure he owns at least two of these... Steve, are you listening?

Aaron · 07-10-2008, 06:18 PM

Four Mitchells have periodically passed through my hands unintentially through multiple trade deals. None of them functioned even passably and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. They sold for about $400 each, one with three spare mags!

LugerVern · 07-11-2008, 03:31 PM

Rick

Not sure if you are asking about why I re chambered that gun I owned? I found that the chamber was overly tight, using a new reamer I was surprised at how much metal was removed-- this fixed perhaps 80% to 90% of the problems I was having.

I always thought this was a factory fluke and that I had gotten hold of a gun toward the end of tool life, it wasn't until I came to this forum that I realized so many other people also were having trouble.

Vern

383 magnum · 07-13-2008, 10:05 AM

There was a Swedish guy who used to post on here who had rather strong feelings about the Mitchell Lugers. As I recall, he called them "pure rubbish" and a "piece of American crap."

unspellable · 07-30-2008, 07:05 PM

My Mitchell has given me no problems thus far. On the other hand, I haven't run all that many rounds through it as of yet.

John Sabato · 07-31-2008, 12:21 PM

TAC... a 383 Magnum is an older type of Chrysler Corp V-8 engine...

wdavid431 · 08-01-2008, 10:16 AM

It seems with the Mitchell Lugers some are bad while some are good. The people with bad ones speak up first and often. On the other hand, those with a good Mitchell hardly talk about it, they just shoot it.
I have a 1992 stainless Mitchell Luger which I have fired many times, using 115 fmj Winchester from WalMart, and have had no problems with it. This I believe makes my pistol one of the lucky (fortunate) ones with no problems.
I understand the Mitchell were made from castings of the 1942 Mauser and has some of its faults. But I am not sure about that as the 1942 Mausers seem to be a great Luger.

383 magnum · 08-24-2008, 08:22 AM

Hello Tac,
I haven't been on the forum in a while and just saw your question. A 383 magnum is one of the motors used in the Dodge Charger and other Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth cars from the "muscle car" era.

Steve Richards · 08-25-2008, 01:27 AM

I do own two of the stainless guns. One in 9mm with a 6" barrel and one in .30cal with a 4.75 inch barrel.

At first I had some trouble with the 9mm but I sent the top back and Mr. Romo replaced a couple of parts and it has functioned very well since then. They are test fired with 115gr S&B ammo so that is what I shoot when I have a choice. One of the ranges here requires use of their house ammo and it woks very well but is very dirty. My hands come out black after only a few rounds but the gun works without a hitch. The Clackamas county Sherrifs Dept range also require their ammo to be used and it will not function in my gun.

The .30cal will work flawlessly with some reloads that I bought from somebody who is no longer in business but will not work with Fiochi. I cannot get the .30cal Hornady bullets to slide up the magazine in the reloads that I tried. The soft lead tips seem to grab the magazine. Some experimenting with length is probably called for.

I like mine and plan to keep and shoot both.

Steve

Steve

LugerVern · 08-25-2008, 10:59 AM

The early reports of the Mitchell Luger ( 1991-1992) were consistently none complimentary, it would be interesting to find out if production methods improved as they were produced. If they did, then the later guns might represent a good value in todays market.

It would be interesting to survey the serial numbers of those guns in members hands that function with few problems.

Vern

Steve Richards · 08-25-2008, 10:01 PM

Both of mine were made after Mr. Romo no longer dealt through Mitchel. The 9mm is marked AIMCO with a year 2000 stamp. Serial # 69064. The .30 is marke OFM Cor. with an OFM crest similar to the DWM scroll crest and is # CR8135. It is the newer of the two.

As I mentioned, both are sensitive to the ammo used but will function reliably with what they like.

HisSoldier · 09-24-2008, 12:10 AM

I know of a NIB stainless Luger for $895. Now you guys have me thinking about it again.

07-06-2008, 10:58 AM	#1
jrx15759 User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Quality & Durability of Mitchell Luger Does anybody have an opinion on the quality and durability of the Mitchell lugers? I want a luger for a shooter and a friend of mine suggested I investigate the Mitchell luger.

07-06-2008, 11:20 AM	#2
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Hi Jeff, My advice would be save your money. Mitchell's are of questionable quality, and are reportedly unreliable. Fine an original of "shooter" quality with mis-matched parts or that has been refinished, or one of the Finnish Lugers. Often you can find them for under $1000 and sometimes in the $500-$600 range. Welcome to the forum... Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

07-09-2008, 11:31 AM	#4
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,911 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,502 Times in 2,077 Posts	The Interarms (which are actually Mauser made 1970's pistols) are really nice ones too. I screwed up at the gun auction, there was an Interarms, in the box and it only went for $550; I was distracted or would have bid on it.... ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

07-10-2008, 08:59 AM	#5
jamese User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: South Florida Posts: 789 Thanks: 0 Thanked 84 Times in 34 Posts	I have never owned one, but I have helped the local gunsmith work on a couple. Both were made with very soft SS and the frame ramps that break the toggle action started to bow out causing the gun to jam after only a few 100 rounds. The parts are not the same as a PO8 even though they look interchangable. Save your money and buy a real Luger Jim __________________ The "truth" is a matter of Perception

07-10-2008, 01:39 PM	#6
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,150 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	I think Steve Richards should chime in with his opinion on this thread since I am pretty sure he owns at least two of these... Steve, are you listening? __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

07-09-2008, 09:52 AM	#3
LugerVern User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 563 Thanks: 1 Thanked 34 Times in 27 Posts	They can be very bad in functioning. I purchased one and even after polishing, re chambering and trying several brands and weights of ammunition could never get a full box of ammunition through it. I ended up selling it and getting a nice Mauser that not only functioned perfectly, shot nice tight groups too. To this day I am not sure what the problem was, they appeared very tight, but maybe that was where the problem lay, stainless sliding on stainless is just not the same as other metals, binding can occur with even small amounts of dirt/debris. Ron's advice is good! Those guns are sure pretty though, they make nice presentation cases and gifts to non shooteres Vern

07-10-2008, 06:18 PM	#7
Aaron Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 1,008 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	Four Mitchells have periodically passed through my hands unintentially through multiple trade deals. None of them functioned even passably and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. They sold for about $400 each, one with three spare mags!

07-11-2008, 03:31 PM	#8
LugerVern User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 563 Thanks: 1 Thanked 34 Times in 27 Posts	Rick Not sure if you are asking about why I re chambered that gun I owned? I found that the chamber was overly tight, using a new reamer I was surprised at how much metal was removed-- this fixed perhaps 80% to 90% of the problems I was having. I always thought this was a factory fluke and that I had gotten hold of a gun toward the end of tool life, it wasn't until I came to this forum that I realized so many other people also were having trouble. Vern

07-13-2008, 10:05 AM	#9
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	There was a Swedish guy who used to post on here who had rather strong feelings about the Mitchell Lugers. As I recall, he called them "pure rubbish" and a "piece of American crap."

07-30-2008, 07:05 PM	#10
unspellable User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 768 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts	My Mitchell has given me no problems thus far. On the other hand, I haven't run all that many rounds through it as of yet.

07-31-2008, 12:21 PM	#11
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,150 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	TAC... a 383 Magnum is an older type of Chrysler Corp V-8 engine... __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

08-01-2008, 10:16 AM	#12
wdavid431 User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 135 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	It seems with the Mitchell Lugers some are bad while some are good. The people with bad ones speak up first and often. On the other hand, those with a good Mitchell hardly talk about it, they just shoot it. I have a 1992 stainless Mitchell Luger which I have fired many times, using 115 fmj Winchester from WalMart, and have had no problems with it. This I believe makes my pistol one of the lucky (fortunate) ones with no problems. I understand the Mitchell were made from castings of the 1942 Mauser and has some of its faults. But I am not sure about that as the 1942 Mausers seem to be a great Luger. __________________ W David

08-24-2008, 08:22 AM	#13
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Hello Tac, I haven't been on the forum in a while and just saw your question. A 383 magnum is one of the motors used in the Dodge Charger and other Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth cars from the "muscle car" era.

08-25-2008, 01:27 AM	#14
Steve Richards User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Beaverton, Oregon Posts: 487 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I do own two of the stainless guns. One in 9mm with a 6" barrel and one in .30cal with a 4.75 inch barrel. At first I had some trouble with the 9mm but I sent the top back and Mr. Romo replaced a couple of parts and it has functioned very well since then. They are test fired with 115gr S&B ammo so that is what I shoot when I have a choice. One of the ranges here requires use of their house ammo and it woks very well but is very dirty. My hands come out black after only a few rounds but the gun works without a hitch. The Clackamas county Sherrifs Dept range also require their ammo to be used and it will not function in my gun. The .30cal will work flawlessly with some reloads that I bought from somebody who is no longer in business but will not work with Fiochi. I cannot get the .30cal Hornady bullets to slide up the magazine in the reloads that I tried. The soft lead tips seem to grab the magazine. Some experimenting with length is probably called for. I like mine and plan to keep and shoot both. Steve Steve

08-25-2008, 10:59 AM	#15
LugerVern User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 563 Thanks: 1 Thanked 34 Times in 27 Posts	The early reports of the Mitchell Luger ( 1991-1992) were consistently none complimentary, it would be interesting to find out if production methods improved as they were produced. If they did, then the later guns might represent a good value in todays market. It would be interesting to survey the serial numbers of those guns in members hands that function with few problems. Vern

08-25-2008, 10:01 PM	#16
Steve Richards User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Beaverton, Oregon Posts: 487 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Both of mine were made after Mr. Romo no longer dealt through Mitchel. The 9mm is marked AIMCO with a year 2000 stamp. Serial # 69064. The .30 is marke OFM Cor. with an OFM crest similar to the DWM scroll crest and is # CR8135. It is the newer of the two. As I mentioned, both are sensitive to the ammo used but will function reliably with what they like.

09-24-2008, 12:10 AM	#17
HisSoldier User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oregon Coast Posts: 95 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 10 Posts	I know of a NIB stainless Luger for $895. Now you guys have me thinking about it again. __________________ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom