Inherited weapon - Question out of Germany

[Leupold]

Hi everybody,

I am Thomas from Germany and I got a inherited weapon from my father.
I do not really know a lot about history for the Pistole 08 but unfortunately I cannot ask him anymore.

I made some pictures of the different stamps and hope that here is anybody who can tell a bit about that weapon?

Here you can find the pictures I made from it.

I can take some more if needed.

Thanks in advanced and best regards,

Thomas

[Doubs]

Thomas, welcome to the forum.

Your P.08 is what collectors call a Vopo Luger. It began life as a Mauser made P.08 and was reworked in the 1950's for issue to the East German Volks Polizei. In being reworked, mismatched parts were used from multiple Luger pistols to make a functional Luger. Those parts have been renumbered to match the frame serial number. Old numbers may be obliterated. That's called being "force matched". The receiver is clearly a 1940 production and the toggle train is code 42 which was one of Mauser's "secret" wartime codes to conceal who actually made it.

The barrel has been replaced with a new, East German manufactured barrel dated 752 or July, 1952. The Crown/N proof is also East German. The sunburst with S under it shows that it was issued to East German Police. The S indicates the department that issued it.

Your pictures are very good but we need more overall full pictures of your P.08 showing both sides, top and bottom. We can possibly tell you more about it with those pictures.

[Mac Cat]

The second photo has a nice big VOPO sunburst stamped on the grip strap.
They typically had "bullseye" plastic grips and dark blue extruded magazines marked 2/1001

You can post your photos here - just edit with the "Go Advanced" button.
Then choose "Manage Attachments".
It pops up another window to allow you to chose files to upload.
Works on computers and smartphones.

[Leupold]

Whow,
I did not expected such an detailed answer.
It is highly appreciated ��
I'll will make more photos but unfortunately not in the next two days.
Thank you very much @Doubs, you made my day.

[Vlim]

Well, the order of things is a little different:

Your P08 was used as an occupied Berlin police pistol, shortly after WW2. When the DDR was formed, your P08 was transferred to the East-German authorities and reworked into the standard VoPo style. New barrel, parts replaced where needed.

A nice bit of German history.

[Leupold]

And the new pictures.
I was able to do this today.

[Vlim]

Does it have West-German proofs? That would help date if and when it came to West-Germany. Frankonia imported them in the early 1980s.

The grips look like reproductions. It would have come out of East-Germany with the typical bulls eye VoPo grips.

[Doubs]

Originally Posted by Vlim

The grips look like reproductions. It would have come out of East-Germany with the typical bulls eye VoPo grips.

Vlim, a couple of my Vopo Lugers have walnut grips that do not appear to be original to the pistol. They are as they came to me so I question if all Vopo Lugers came to the West with bullseye grips.

[Vlim]

They didn't all have VoPo grips, but the large majority have.
These grips look a bit off to me.

[Mac Cat]

I impressed with the photo down the barrel to the firing pin !
That's pretty cool.

I'm also curious about the magazines - they don't look familiar to me.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Mac Cat

I'm also curious about the magazines - they don't look familiar to me.

They have the look of fairly recent knock-offs to me. There is no punched staking/follower stop at the top, which is curious. Although the mag bottoms are held by a single pin, which is the older approach on folded sheet metal mags, IMHO those aluminum bottoms look perhaps more fresh than they should.