What is my Luger (and what's it worth?)

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

A Bohler barrel on a DWM indicates a replacement barrel.

On the contrary, Boehler barrels are original to some 1913 and 1914 DWM P08s. They were not used as replacements.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

On the contrary, Boehler barrels are original to some 1913 and 1914 DWM P08s. They were not used as replacements.

George, I corrected my post. Thank You!

(I'll make a mental note that Bȍhler barrels were not used as replacements).

[Pistol]

Originally Posted by lugermom

Hey Pistol, I think I got the information in just one photo! Please let me know if it’s not right.
I didn’t even know there was lettering under the barrel/on the frame, so I’m excited to see what it means.

Yes, looks good!

[mrerick]

Heather, as you can see there is a great deal of detail to be discerned from pictures of Lugers, and a remarkable amount of depth of history and research involved in those small details.

Very large reference volumes have been published about the Luger pistol as a result.

This site has some of the world's experts on these details of Lugers. It's quite a remarkable resource, especially when you observe how freely collectors share this information.

There is always something more to learn about Lugers. I refer to the reference books as "Luger University", but the people collecting them often have gone much deeper than that in their research and understanding.

There are some details that are more obscure than others, and that is one of the real advantages of a website / discussion board like this one.

We get a wide range of new Luger owners asking questions here, and welcome them all.

Your Luger is particularly interesting and collectible. That is not always the case.

Lugers often have a long service life. Your Luger was originally acquired by the German military during the Imperial era. As you suggest in post #7, it was most likely brought into Canada by a returning veteran of either WW-I or WW-II. Since the magazine is later, it's more likely a capture from WW-II, but don't forget that replacement magazines could come from any source at any time.

"2995a" is your Luger's legal serial number. It should have been imported with that number, and any documentation referring to it in the USA should use that number.

The use of Boehler steel barrels on DWM Lugers was discussed here several years ago:

https://luger.gunboards.com/showthre...-STEEL-BARRELS Your Luger would fall toward the end of the 1914 list reported to Jan.

One of our European based researchers ("Vlim") confirms in this thread that a close relationship existed between Boehler and DWM prior to 1928. This would imply that Loewe's DWM would be a Boehler customer for a number of supplies.

In Sturgess extensive study of the Luger on page 1055 (red edition) he indicates that DWM acquired it's barrel steel from Boehler in Vienna, and that this was used (both unmarked and around 1913 marked by batch) by DWM when they were manufacturing Lugers. I'm not sure of Sturgess' source for this detail, but since it includes process information through 1942, it was probably August Weiss.

After two world wars, the records from DWM's Berlin / Charlottenberg operations have not surfaced, and original documentation may no longer exist. After Luger production was transferred to Mauser in Oberndorf in 1930, the manager of pistol production August Weiss brought some documentation (as well as tools, gauges, in process parts and supplies like steel) with him in a train. The inventory of that was found in Oberndorf. I'm not aware of original DWM or BKIW documentation of the acquisition of Boehler steel or it's usage in Lugers.

[DavidJayUden]

Regarding who owned it and when, there is no way to determine the history of the gun beyond the year and place of mfg, unless there are unit markings, which there are not in this case. However in your case we do know who imported it from Canada.
dju

[lugermom]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

However in your case we do know who imported it from Canada.
dju

Jeez, do you guys have a list somewhere?

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by lugermom

Jeez, do you guys have a list somewhere?

The OP said it was imported from Canada.

[lugermom]

[lugermom]

So gang, I kept wondering why when I clicked on the link to the FAQ .pdf, nothing happened. I forgot that on my computer, .pdfs don't always open in a new window, you have to click on the bottom toolbar to get them to open. (Facepalm.)

Thank you so much for your patience in giving me so much information, some of which I could have looked up myself if I had remembered how to open a blankety-blank .pdf file!

I owe you all a box of donuts.

[DavidJayUden]

I say that about the import mark only because I have seen multiple others imported from Canada that were likewise stamped very discretely.
dju

[lugermom]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

I say that about the import mark only because I have seen multiple others imported from Canada that were likewise stamped very discretely.
dju

Naw, it's all good. And yes, I'm appreciating the subtle/small/neat import marks. I've heard that not all importers do such a neat job.

[Sergio Natali]

Welcome to this Luger forum from Italy.

I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm not new to this hobby by any means, FWIK you seem to have a pretty good collectible LUGER, and your close up pictures will surely help the veteran collectors on this site to advise you in the correct direction.

[Pistol]

So, "one down" with how many more to go?

Keep the photos coming.

[lugermom]

Three more to go. One isn't in the country yet.

Next 3 will be easier!

[DonVoigt]

I'm sure we are all curious about how much it cost to complete an export/import to the US?

There are some lugers in Canada that I've thought about- but the usual answer is that "it costs too much to do the export/import".

[lugermom]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

I'm sure we are all curious about how much it cost to complete an export/import to the US?

There are some lugers in Canada that I've thought about- but the usual answer is that "it costs too much to do the export/import".

It's not all that hard or expensive to do the export/import from Canada to the US, once you figure out how it works. I think if you're only importing one weapon, it's about $300, but if you're sending a bunch, there is a "bulk discount." That price includes removing the gun from the Canadian registry, doing the paperwork, stamping the gun(s) for import into the US, and shipping them to a FFL near you. Once they arrive at the FFL, they transfer the gun(s) to you. I paid $25 each for this service.

So maybe that sounds like a lot, but it's offset by the fact that quite a few handguns are classed as "prohibited" in Canada, which means they can only be owned by law enforcement, military, etc., and their heirs who are grandfathered in IF they can obtain the necessary licensure and meet the storage requirements, etc. (I think the Canadian government is being circumspect about giving out new permissions to own prohibs--I'm not at all sure that younger LE/Military even qualify--would have to check on that.) So as you can imagine, it's an ever shrinking group, which makes it tough to sell these weapons in Canada. If they're not already selling at a fraction of what they'd go for in the US, I think they will be as the number of possible owners continues to shrink.

One other note is that there seems to be a perception among Canadian gun owners that the government will make it impossible to export to the US--they'll tie the whole thing up in interminable paperwork. But that wasn't our impression--the Registry people were generally very helpful. My impression is that while they don't necessarily want these weapons in the country, they don't want the bad publicity of destroying them, either! The registry people even have a page on their website laying out how to do the export.

If it would be of interest to the group, I'd be happy to write up something specific and fact-checked (as opposed to my sort of general statements here) about how to do the export/import. It seems to me that there are probably quite a number of prohibs in Canada whose owners would be ok with letting them go but don't know how to go about it. US buyers who have the information might be able to make some good purchases!

[DavidJayUden]

I actually bought a couple of Lugers from some Canadian on this forum a number of years ago. Not sure what the seller had to go thru, but it was a complete nothing-burger for me.

[Edward Tinker]

Just an FYI - for each new gun, four pictures minimum can tell a lot - 1. full top (shows date or no date), 2. full right, 3. full left, 4. front of the frame where the serial number is and if any suffix.

Then add if any stray markings (unit markings, odd markings that are exterior, not interior unless asked (most interior markings are worker markings an dno one can tell you what they mean).

Ed

[DonVoigt]

Thanks for the detailed info.
I was under the impression that a Canadian exporter had to ship the imported pistol to a US "importer" - who then marked it and would sell it on.

I still don't think it can go to just any FFL dealer directly- but then I may be wrong again.

Or your exporter may also have a location in the US and is both exporter and importer?

[mrerick]

I for one would appreciate a thorough write up of the process and your experience. Use your exporter / importer as an example.

A PDF file or something I could work with to turn into a PDF file would work.

Don is right about importing firearms. You must have an importer FFL. I know of a few (people like Simpsons Ltd in Galesburg, Il) that do collectible firearms. It's a class 08 Importer FFL.

https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/...-licenses-ffls

A form 6 is used:

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/import-...fense-articles

Marc