Went off the ranch..Luger

[raljr1]

So Mrs.Raljr1 and I were doing some errands and had just finished visiting her mom and i asked if she'd mind waiting in the car while I check in at Allegheny Arms....spent a couple minutes talking to one of the employees about a Colt 1903 that an elderly gent had brought in during my last visit. No they didn't buy it, but had given my number to the guy since I said I was interested....nothing there, but I took a look in the case and saw this Luger....now, what i know about Lugers i have already put un tis message, not much...anyhow, i know I seldom see them, and seldom under $1000. So i get a few dollars off the price and buy this one for $725 OTD. Owner said it was from the 30s. Doesn't look like original grips would be easy to find, so i ordered some repro walnut grips to replace these. Soliciting opinions on this piece from anyone who knows these better than I do. Did I pay a fair price? Is there anything I should look for specifically? Numbers seem to match, except for the magazine..finish looks original to me. The stag grips do not fit well. Honest opinions expected. Thanks



Robert

[Jeppo]

I think you did outstandingly well. I have my dad's "bring back" and just can't bring myself to shoot it. I'd gladly pay that price to own a shooter. By the way, I wonder about the thought process of the previous owner and those grips.

[jake1945]

Ugly grips for sure! Original grips can be found that will fit the pistol perfectly. Unlike repro grips which can cause massive headaches trying to get them to fit. On Jan Stills luger forum, the people there can tell you which original grips will go with that year luger. Also original grips are on Ebay all the time.

[SPEEDGUNNER]

For what you paid for the Luger itself you have room to spend the money for a set of correct original grips. If you really want to drive yourself crazy, the grips would be numbered with the last two digits of the pistol serial, so put yourself on the hunt for a set that would number to the pistol. Don't think it impossible, it took me 30 years but I found a correct magazine that numbered to a bringback I had bought from a friends father! Gunboards, eBay, Jan Still's site are all excellent resources.

Good luck and enjoy!!

[mauser9]

Yes I would say you did extremely well for that price. Last matching S/42 I saw years back was a consignment luger and the price was $1800. Yep those grips gotta go! Congratulations on a nice piece.

[NYlakesider]

The number 1937 on the top of the pistol is its year or birth! (from what they tell me)

As far as matching numbers there are a bunch of number parts inside the gun only visible on a take down.

Nice gun good price except for the off the wall grips!

[CptCurl]

Larceny!!!! Well done.

Curl

[sheepdawg]

Luger grips were hand fitted so if you buy a set the fit might need a little work.

You did good.

[DWalt]

The grips on it are Franzite. They were quite popular back in the 1950s-60s. I had a Luger once with Franzite grips, they did not fit well. They will sell on eBay, I have sold two pair, both brought fair prices, so don't throw them away. I once had three WWII Lugers, don't think I paid more than $50 for any of them. But that was a very long time ago. After the Berlin Wall came down, some of the East German Lugers used by the VOPOs came into the country, almost all with non-matching SNs and refinished. I think they were selling for around $200 back then.

[HOUSTON RICK]

Good price (particularly for a 9mm?). Congratulations, enjoy owning it! A shooter Luger is the last semi-automatic on my bucket list. Not that I would not buy targets of "opportunity".

[italiansport]

A matching numbers Luger at $750 is an excellent price. The finish as well appears to be original and that's a bonus. There are usually several sets of Luger grips available on Gunbroker in the $100 range and that would be a good place to look. Of course there's always a local gun show. Finding a matching magazine is possible but as indicated above may take a long time. Congratulations on a good find!
Jim

[Andyd]

I had several different post-war Lugers at a time and found the only aftermarket grips to fit well - and that on all guns - were those made by Nill. They also have the checkering cut in the same fashion as the original grips.

[jdlii]

S/42 is, I believe, a Mauser manufactured Luger. There is a late variation referred to as the "Black Widow" due to the black bakelite grips and finish.

I haven't seen a matching serial numbered Luger for less that $1,500. You probably already know this but, they are great shooters and once you learn to use the smallish, hard to see sights, they shoot surprising groups.

[CZU]

That one is variation 2 of the 1937 dated Mausers. The first variation had strawed small parts; trigger,safety lever,mag release,ejector and takedown lever as well as a rust blue finish. Second variation also went to a hot blue finish.

[robertrwalsh]

You did somewhere between real good and the cops should be looking for you. And you are right, those are the most horrible grips I have seen in a long, long time. Last numbers matching Luger I bought was a 1914 Erfurt (military production, functionally ugly) and paid just under $1,000 OTD if I remember correctly.

[PALADIN85020]

Your P.08 Luger's "S/42" and "1937" markings indicate it was made by Mauser Werke in Oberndorf am Neckar, Germany in 1937. I also have an S/42, but made in 1936, including the holster. That was the last year that some of the smaller parts on the gun were "strawed" or heat-treated to a golden color. The fact that this was not done on your 1937 example would be correct. Usually the last 2 digits of the serial number were stamped on the smaller parts, and if all are, you would have a "matching numbers" pistol, which is highly desirable. Lugers were hand-fitted at the factory, and matching numbers usually help to insure proper operation.

John