41 (I think) Luger

[Lopezlandauro]

Hi guys, new here.

A few months ago I bought this P08, down here Lugers are very rare so I just grabbed it.

All parts match with the serial number, even the magazine bottom, it looks it's worn by a lot of holster carry and the years, but its like I found it, no re-bluing or restoring, I just cleaned, oiled and store it.

The right side of the frame has 2 German army eagles over a 135, and a little larger eagle on a svastika. On the barrel there's another tiny eagle. It has bakelite grips but unfortunately on the them is kinda loose. I haven't shot it yet (oh but I want to), I think I'll reload some low charge 9mm for that.

I got it from a guy whose grandmother was italian and came to Southamerica with the Luger among her stuff, not long after WWII ended. The guy is not into guns, but I am and "helped" him to get rid of it.

All information you might on it, have would be appreciated. Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I can shoot better ones if needed.

















Best,

Rod

[Arizona Slim]

Hi Rod, and welcome to the forum, looks like a pretty decent Luger and with a matching mag to boot , congratulations.

LON

[alanint]

Welcome to the forum!
What you have is not a real "matching mag". What you have is either a DDR or Russian capture Luger that has a magazine "forced matched" to it, (note "A" suffix on frame and "D" suffix on the magazine). The big "X" on the frame next to the serial number would also indicate Russian involvement in this gun's history as is the "force matched" side-plate, which comes from a former police pistol (note different font and cut for sear safety). Even the barrel concerns me, as it has no letter suffix and the font on the numbers does not look the same.
So at the very least, the story of direct World War 2 involvement would be doubtful. This pistol was acquired sometime post WW2 from DDR or Russian capture stocks and it ended up wherever you acquired it.

[DonVoigt]

Lopezlandauro,
welcome- please tell us where "down here" is!

Sorry to say but the "guy" was either mis-informed or lying. As explained above the
Luger you have is a Russian Capture , called "RC" for short.

I'm afraid that there is no way that an Italian Grandmother brought it in her stuff.

The Russians, having captured tens of thousands of Lugers, re-worked and re-blued and stored
them for possible future use. Over the last 20 or so years they have sold off stocks at several times.

Yours is typical of the mixture of parts resulting from the Russians "re-conditioning_ them.

[mrerick]

Hello Rodrigo and welcome to the forum.

As already mentioned, you have a mostly matching Mauser manufactured Russian Capture Luger made in 1941.

The metallurgy of these later Lugers is excellent, and this should make a very good shooter if it is in good mechanical condition. And... they are fun to shoot!

Use a standard velocity load 9MM Parabellum cartridge. Try things in the middle of the powder range initially. Stick to FMJ Ball or Truncated Cone Lead bullets.

And yes - trust the gun and not the story.

Depending on the cause, there are a few options for tightening up grips. Start by using some small "O" rings on the screws. Progress to filling with slow setting epoxy and then forming (reshaping) broken areas as needed.

If they are original grips, try to find some of the post war original Russian or East German plastic grips.

Marc

[Sergio Natali]

Welcome aboard, if you like Luger pistols I'm sure here you'll find a lot of Luger devotee ready to give you the most correct info about this beautiful firearm.

I must agree with the previous three posts, you've got a nice Luger, although I'm afraid is not a "collectible" is exactly what I recomend people to look for when they ask about a good shooter.

Rgds


Sergio

[Lopezlandauro]

Thank you very much for the information guys.
I was born, raised and live in the beautiful Peru, although I lived a couple years in Indianapolis, down here is Peru, home.
I wasn't looking to discover a million dollar collectible, I just wanted to know more about my Luger.

Actually, the guy who sold me the gun is a friend, I didn't know "la nonna", but I did knew her son (my friend's father), and I heard that story for years, she did come from Italy in the 50s with the gun. When the father passed away over a year ago, my friend didn't want the gun, but he neither wanted to sell it to anybody (after all, it's dad's and nonna's gun), so knowing how much I like guns, he called me and asked for some $300 that I immediately tossed out of my wallet. The Luger has been stored for over 50 years, wrapped with a cloth in a closet. Now it's in my private collection, and I'm glad to read that it's not a precious piece that belong to a museum, but a nice shooter!!

So it's very strange that it's a Russian capture, because the story is partially true, they are Italians and have been living in Peru for so long, but who knows, maybe nonna traded it in a border or swapped by food or anything before she jumped on a boat for America. We'll never know the real story, but the fact is that is was a Nazi handgun, and who knows what kind of action it has seen.

Thanks again.

Rod

[DonVoigt]

Welcome again!

Yes it is/was a Third Reich pistol, and quite likely saw action on the Eastern Front, or at least in the eastern Part of Germany or Berlin- since it was "captured" by the Russians.

As we say, "If it could only talk", but it has told us some of its story.

[Lugerdoc]

Ron, I supose that la nonna could have picked up a WW2 Russian captured PO8 in ITaly in the 1950s. It's also possible that Russians may have supplied some of these lugers to some of the south american communist "liberation" armies during this period. Perhaps grannie was a commie. TH

[Lopezlandauro]

Or maybe, nonna (young by then) was a OSS spy, recruted among the resistance, killed a high SS officer with the help of Russians who betrayed her later, so she had to escape to Southmerica!! (she would have been shot in Northamerica for working with the commies) Who knows!!


Rod

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Lopezlandauro

Or maybe, nonna (young by then) was a OSS spy, recruted among the resistance, killed a high SS officer with the help of Russians who betrayed her later, so she had to escape to Southmerica!! (she would have been shot in Northamerica for working with the commies) Who knows!!

Yes...Quite...

I personally like the VoPo/RC Lugers and P38's. The idea that they were refurbished by East German/former Reich armorers and saw service with whatever agency after 1945 intrigues me. I wish more Luger investigators would explore their post-WWII provenance.

Pristine examples of Lugers that have sat in collections since they were made and never saw service anywhere bore me. Lugers with unit designations, foreign proof marks, field expedient modifications/repairs, police use, and display 'typical' wear interest me.

How it came to be in Peru is a mystery.

In any event, the VoPo/RC Lugers are gaining interest among collectors. They are generally of excellent condition, being literally rebuilt by the original armorers/workmen who made/repaired them. Most show new barrels, and were assembled from parts that were examined and deemed usable. The ones I have examined (and I own one) were 'hot dipped' to refinish them and not buffed. Grips most often are the 'bullseye' pattern black plastic grips.

Great pistol to own.

[Sergio Natali]

Apart from the fact that I don't think is that easy to smuggle a gun out of this country where there is a very strict gun control, and in the fiftyes I'm sure it was even harder... in any case it's always better to listen to the gun not to the story...


Sergio