Did I get Ripped Off?

Hi All -


Unfortunately, I came across your forum AFTER I paid $550 for a P08 Lugar, which was supposedly "all-original". However, after a little research, I find it's just a shooter, as hardly any of the part numbers match. I can't say I'm dissatisified though, as it has 99% of the blueing intact, and has a tight, well-functioning action. Did I get ripped off?


There are a couple unusual things things about this pistol that maybe someone out there would be kind enough to explain. There are no marking of any kind on the chamber except for the serial number (#7911)on the side. The only thing this seems to fit in the ID guides is the Persian Lugar. Is this true?


Also, there was something marked beneath the satety's "safe" (lower) position. However, everything I've seen in the lugar ID guides says engraving is typically found only under the "fire" position. Whatever was there has been mostly stamped out by an oval impression. It looks like there were about 8 characters. The first one was an "O" or a "C" and the final two look like a "lb" or "1b".


Regarding "shooters" in general, where do they come from? Are there gunsmiths that make a business of building Lugars from parts bins?


Rick

if so...it is a Russian frame




http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/Russian.jpg

In some parts of the country, $550 is too much for a shooter and other places it is very much in line with local prices.


I have seen a couple for sale for around $400, and usually I see shooters for $450 to $500, so I don't think you got ripped off.


What otehr amrkings are on the Luger? My Arty was re-blued, and had been "smoothed" over, geting rid of some pits (I am guessing as I bought it like this) and markings are very hard to read.


What is marked on the toggle, if anything. A 42, S42, DWM, Erfurt or nothing?


Ed

Lugers are often made up from parts and the function of them can vary depending on the parts fits and the skill of the maker. At a gun show this afternoon, a fellow walked in off the street with a byf42 luger that he claimed to have purchased from Gart Sports in the 1950s. It had several replacement parts including the barrel. The grips had been prettied up with a pocket knife. It appeared to be a sound shooter (that looked as though it had been fired several thousand times) and he was asking $300. Because of the wear and mix of parts, he was not successful in getting $300 before I saw him wander off down the aisle. One week ago, a completely original (all original parts) 1929 DWM luger in 70% finish sold here locally for something around $500 or over plus shipping. The owner thought it was a WW1 luger and shot his reloads through it, damaging the right grip--he thought it only a shooter but it actually would make a decent collectible. I hope the buyer treats it as such. You can get a good price if you search, but it takes time.

[Dok]

Oops! BIG egg on face!


Rick B.

This looks like the marking, however, on my gun it would be hidden when the safety is on, as shown in your photo. I'm guessing that it was originally placed in the wrong position, and then stamped out for safety reasons. Anyone ever heard of this?


I presume this mark is Russian for "Safe"?


Rick B.

Ed -


There's nothing on the toggle except for a the serial number (which doesn't match the others), and nothing anywhere else on the gun that indicates the manufacturer. There may be some proof marks ... on the recessed area of the frame, under the bore, there's "G", a "9", an "8" and what looks like a cursive "L" ... all separated from one another. On the bottom of barrel, there's what looks like a cockeyed "9" sitting on a cresent with a set of quotation marks over it. Those are the only unique markings (excpet for the obliterated safety marking mentioned before). None of these marks seem match anything on the ID guides on this site.


This is certainly a cobbled together gun, but you'd think that I could at least identify where some of the major pieces were made. Unfortunately, I'm not having much luck


Rick B.

I would bet that the function was reversed when the parts were changed? If so, then the armourer would try to 'x' out or whatever for the troops....right?


The germans did the same on one of the navies, didn't they? I think they milled it out?


The Shadow Knows!

hehehehehehehehehe

Rick B:


You wrote "Also, there was something marked beneath the satety's "safe" (lower) position. However, everything I've seen in the lugar ID guides says engraving is typically found only under the "fire" position. Whatever was there has been mostly stamped out by an oval impression. It looks like there were about 8 characters. The first one was an "O" or a "C" and the final two look like a "lb" or "1b"."


This would indicate that your frame was originally a 1908 Bulgarian contract. The cryillic word for fire was stamped under the safety's lower position on that model. The same crillic word was stamped on the 1900 Bulgarian, 1906 Bulgarian, and 1906 Russian but on all three it was stamped under the safety's upper position.

[Dwight Gruber]

Were there any other models other than the 1906 Russian marked in Cyrillic? If my memory serves me correctly, this model has a grip safety--if it is converted to just a lever safety, then the "safety" marking would be in the wrong position.


--Dwight