I was privileged recently to view and handle many Luger pistols in the incredible collection of a good friend of mine. He's been collecting for over 50 years, and he has some of the rarest Lugers known, most in excellent or better condition. While I was visiting with him, I asked to photograph some representative specimens. As I once dabbled in Lugers but got out of them due to the enormous expense, I had a great appreciation for what he had. Here are just a few of the dozens of guns I examined. If you have any knowledge of the Luger collecting field, just these few will be enough to get your heart pounding. I've posted larger versions of these photos in the "Pictures & Albums" section of the forum. Enjoy!

John

First up, this is the predecessor to the Luger, a Model 1893 Borchardt pistol, one of the first successful semiautomatics. It's complete with a leather case for the gun and accessories bearing the date 1893 and Hugo Borchardt's initials.



The U.S. Army tested Luger pistols - here are a consecutively numbered pair of the test trial Lugers. What are the odds of this???



Few know that the Luger was once produced in .45 ACP caliber. Only a handful were made, and they are untouchable, value-wise. This is a rare and perfect reproduction, one of just a few, made on CNC milling equipment and crafted with a lot of careful hand labor. It's exact, even down to the entwined "GL" initials on the back of the rear toggle link. That was Georg Luger's personal stamp.



While this may at first glance appear to be a standard Artillery Model Luger, check this again. It's equipped with UBER-rare period radium sights. These are almost never seen today.



This is a very rare and valuable Luger carbine, designed to be used with a matching shoulder stock, which was also in the collection. Kaiser Wilhelm, who had only one useable arm, liked to use a Luger carbine for hunting. This is a beautiful piece.



I think one of the most graceful, practical and accurate Lugers was the Navy Model. Here is one of these, with its adjustable rear sight fully extended. Nice, huh?



DWM made a few "cartridge counter" pistols that allowed the user to determine how many shots remained in the magazine. This is one of those rarities.



Again, these are just a few of the dozens of fine Lugers in the collection - I thought I'd share these pics with you. Look for larger pictures in the Pictures and Albums section. I think you will agree that even just these few are indeed fabulous.

John

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I am amazed! Your friend has an incredible collection! I recall when the .45 reproductions were being made, wasn't that around the late '80s?

And I gotta ask, did ya shoot 'em?

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Even older, even crankier....

I think you may be close, but I first saw this gun in the middle '90s, when he purchased it new.

Shoot them? Are you kidding?

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Very nice collection! I'd enjoy seeing the rest of them. I've always been enamored with the Luger, and last year I finally stumbled across a shooter in my price range. It is, indeed, a shooter!
The Borchardt is the most useless, unwieldy looking handgun I've ever laid eyes upon, but I am in awe of them anyway.

Wow. The carbine is pretty neat.

A co-woker came into my office a couple of weeks ago and asked what I knew about Luger pistols. I handed him an old magazine I had in my desk drawer. Told him he could find out about as much, if not more, on the internet. Anyway, his mother passed away a couple of months ago and while cleaning out the night stand, he found a Luger pistol his dad had picked up in the ETO during "The War". It was loaded too! We talked about dollar value, but he wasn't going to sell it and I can't plame him.

Great pics. Thanks.

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" I don't recall, senator."

Beautiful weapons, indeed! Great photography as usual.
Thank you for posting.
teesur.

Great photos as usual. +1 for the six inch navy model. I think it is one of the best looking Lugers.

Beautiful pieces to be sure. And I too consider the 6in barreled Navy Model one of the sleekest pistols ever.


I shoot all my collectables and if the above were mine , I would certainly put a mag or two of relatively mild US 9mm Luger ammo thru them every few years or so. Don't think they'll self destruct.

Very impressive! but I have to admit that I prefer the later model of the Naval gun, without the grip safety. I am speaking from the user standpont, not as a modern collector.

John Martz in California did some custom Lugers and even some P38's. I don't know if he's still working or even with us.
He made at least one, perhaps more cal 45acp Luger pistol.
His work was featured in the gun rags at the time quite regularly (late 80's in to the 90's(?).
The 45cal edition was created using 2 original 9mm Luger pistols. Slicing the frame, bolt toggles, ect lengthwise off center from one another. Then welding the oversize opposite halves back together.
That got enough room for the 45acp to work through the action. Then a pile of other custom work on the small parts, springs, custom bbl ect to finish off the project. There's probably pics on line somewhere.
His 9mm Luger Carbines are quite something too.

The CNC made 45cal Luger were made ground up. No original parts used. Modern machinery & tooling showing what it can do with the right minds and hands behind it. Mike Kraus (sp?) was the guy making these I think.

The Borchardt was an original idea executed in metal. The Luger was an improved idea. Wonder what Luger's creation would look like without it? And as good as the Luger turned out, that idea was improved upon right quick (historically speaking). Joe

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Those are terrific. A good shooter grade is one of my holy grail guns.

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1601 (ret)

I believe that anyone interested in classic guns should have at least one Luger. As mentioned, I had a number, but have kept only one representative example, illustrated below. It's a "second generation" P.08, coded "S/42" on the toggle, made by Mauser Werke in 1936. That was the last full year that most of the smaller visible components were "strawed," or given that contrasting golden color. Very elegant, as were most all Lugers. The workmanship on these guns was incredible.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

The recoil springs of the Borchardt and the 1900 model Lugers were leaf springs instead of coil springs. The Borchardt spring is serial numbered to the gun. These springs have a tendency to break; I'm not sure I'd like to shoot a Borchardt or 1900 model Luger; at least not with the original spring.

I have a couple P08 Lugers from the other end of the spectrum...shooter-grade 9mm pistols imported in the 1990's. Back when you could buy a shooter-Luger for $350..

They can be a bit picky both with ammo and mags...but they are great shooters. Really one of the most accurate handguns I've shot.