Newbie wants to buy one Luger

I used to collect military weapons 20 years ago. I sold everything in 1991 to finance grad school. Now I'm starting over. My plan is to acquire one each of the major military handguns used during WWI and WWII. My question is where I might find a reputable collector/dealer to sell me a Luger. I'll gladly pay fair market for an original/correct pistol and I'm not picky about the mfr. or model. I know my way around 1911's but not Lugers and don't want to get burned. Any ideas? All help appreciated.

contact me awbu@kvmo.net

[Dok]

You can also deal with Ralph SDhattuck (World of Lugers) or Bob Simpson (Simpson Ltd) both of which are listed in our Links & Resources Pages on the sidebar menu.


Dok (Webmaster)

[Kyrie]

Hi Kevin,


I can heartily recommend Ralph Shattuck. Iâ??ve been dealing with Ralph for better than thirty years now and have always been a satisfied customer. Here is contact info:


Ralph E. Shattuck

19044 N. 98th Lane

Peoria, AZ 85382

Voice: 602-566-0551

FAX: 602-566-1683

RALPH@WorldOfLugers.com

URL: http://www.worldoflugers.com/


Hope this helps!


Best regards,


Kyrie

I purchased my first from Shattuck and still having problems it was sold to me a a shooter, but it jammed from the first shot and is still jamming. Also I need a bill of sale for the ffl dealer and can,t get one from ralph, and the dealer won't let me use his place of business untill I get this to him, So I say buyer beware

[Dok]

I think I understand that you bought a shooter Luger from Ralph and that you are having problems with it jamming. Well jamming and Lugers are synonymous. There are a number of solutions to fix the jamming problems, many of us have suffered them (and some of us just live with it as part of the joy of owning a Luger).


Now what I don't understand is, if you have your Luger, why does the FFL dealer require a Bill of Sale, and why do you need to use his place of business, and what does this have to do with your Luger? It's all very confusing.


Dok (Webmaster)

The gun jammed on the first shell I shot. I would think the dealer would have made sure the gun worked, as I gave him a free hand in picking out the shooter for me.

This was only done because of the high praise the farum gave him. The dealer use lets me use his FFL lic to purchase gun and have them shipped to him. He will not let me use his license again until get him a bill of sale . haVE REQUESTED A BILL OF SALE 3 TIMES FROM RALPH AND SO FAR HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY THING. i SURE MOST PEOPLE GET BILLS OF SALE WHEN THEY BUY SOMETHING OF THIS NATURE.

[Thor]

Larry, Ralph has always given me a invoice showing my purchases. I am sure he doesnt fire any of the "shooter" guns he purchases for resale. He has a great return policy but he is a little hard to get hold of due to all the gun shows he goes to. If the gun has mechanical problems most of the time a change of springs or a new magazine will usually fix the problem for less than $20. The term shooter vs collector usually means the shooter gun can be fired without loss of value. I am sure if you contact Ralph and let him know the problem he will help you. Thor

I have not received a bill of sale or invoice from ralph and I have had the gun over a month now. Ralph knows i need a bill of sale or invoice as I have left mess on his telephone answering machine and have e-mail him requesting this. Big norm and some othe people have been trying to help me to get this thing to shoot. I live in Nebraska and there is not many luger people I can find,

[Dok]

I would keep after Ralph, he often doesnâ??t get back to folks because he spends so much time away from his house at gun shows etc. I would continue to try to reach him, he is a reputable dealer, and will give you whatever you need. Too many folks on this forum have dealt with him for years to believe that this is deliberate. You didnâ??t say you spoke with him and he refused to give you a bill of sale, so my reading is you havenâ??t reached him yet. Continue to try to get in contact with him.


On the subject of the jam... I would never assume that Ralph or any dealer would â??knowâ?� that my pistol Iâ??m buying from them jams or for that matter any other specific detail other than that it was mechanically sound, and that the condition was as advertised. Certainly the FFL dealer WOULD NOT test fire it! Itâ??s not his weapon, he is merely acting as transfer agent, and has no vested interest in the pistol outside of that. The truth of it is, as I said, jamming and Lugers are synonymous. Many factors cause this, but among the chief culprits are ammo, magazine and magazine spring. The length of the bullet can make a difference, the load of the charge, the feed ramp, the list just goes on and on. If you ask the question in the forum, many knowledgeable folks will be more than happy to give you tips to help isolate and resolve the problem.


My first Luger was a nightmare, so bad it fired in full auto mode!!! I had to send it off to Ted Green and have him do some radical work on it before it was fit to use. Smallest machine gun Ted says he ever fired! (You can see it in the Ownerâ??s Corner under Dok) Replaced all the springs and the mags â?? AND STILL IT JAMS! - You know what! Thatâ??s just the way it is. And if I wanted to fire a gun that never jams. Iâ??ll take my Sig Sauer to the range. The Luger is a piece of history, mine is 83 years old, and if Iâ??m working as good as it when Iâ??m 83, Iâ??ll be damn pleased â?? whatâ??s a few jams when youâ??re 83!


Your advice to beware is good, but no amount of diligence will save you from jams â?? itâ??s the luck of the draw. I hope this helps.


Dok

I would say that invoice is enclosed with the shipped Gun. In all the cases that I have used my friends FFL to have a gun shipped to him the invoice has been enclosed with the gun as the dealer must transfer some info from it. I would say that maybe your dealer does not want to handle any more sales for you as it is money out of his pocket. Maybe some of the other people can verify that invoice is sent with package. I have dealt with Ralph since 1968 and never had a problem.

Art Buchanan:

That email address bounced back. Thanks to all who responded. Great forum.

Kevin--sorry I miss typed email address--should have been awb@kvmo.net

I will continue to try and get a invoice from ralph, through phone calls and e-mails. Bignorm has been a great help in trying to get the gun fixed so it will shoot without stovepiping as it did on the first shot.

[Thor]

Hi Larry, what load are you using? Stovepiping indicates the round is not bein ejected properly, possibly through an extractor problem, or weak ammo, or an ejector problem. When you only fire one round, does the toggle stay back? If not the ammo is too weak, or the hold open is not functioning properly! Best thing it to call Ralph on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings around 9 am Phoenix time. He is usually swamped with emails after a weekend away to a gun show, sometimes 400-500 emails! That takes a long time to go through and then he is off again. A phone call is the best way. ~Thor~

The toggle stays open after one round is fired. I've tried two diff mags without any help. I've tried 115 gr fmc and cci 124 gr and winchester 124 gr and have the same problem. I've cleaned the gun and reoiled it, but won't have a chance to shot it until the middle of the week. any other suggestions