How long have you collected, owned, or studied Lugers?

[John Sabato]

One of our newest members has posed a pretty good question....

The last time this question was asked was a long time ago. I am sure there were less than 150 members at the time. We are now well over 2200 registered members... and I think it would be interesting to ask this question again...

All members are invited to reply...Be as brief or as wordy as you like in your replies...

As for me... it has been roughly 45+ years... give or take a couple... How about you

[Johnny C. Kitchens]

I suppose I've had an interest for over 40 years, but I bought my first one in 1978, and that is when I became more serious about learning more about Lugers. Its been fun...

[Double O]

I've always liked Lugers--- !!! Raised listening to the trials and tribulations of WWII, there was inculcated in me an abiding interest in that historical event. Growing up in farming and ranching country, firearms were never far from hand. As a student in High School, one of my earliest employers had a Luger. Lusted mightly after that one, I did! Eventually, the poor pestered man just gave me the pistol. It holds a place of Honor in my collection to this day. It is nothing special, a shooter, but was the seed that sprouted alongside me.
Later, as a student at Texas A & M, my roomate saw this same pistol and did his best to buy it from me. I never relented, but when he was sent as a "back seater" in an F4 Phantom off one of our carriers, I "loaned" him the Luger. On the condition that he bring both the weapon and his miserable body back in one piece. He did. This pistol has two tours over Viet Nam as his personal side arm. He won the Navy Cross while carrying it. Thus the place of Honor.
Now my collection has several of these fine pistols in it. Only within the last 4 or 5 years have I had the discretionary income to acquire more. I have been fortunate to have a Mentor, wife and friends who have encouraged my passion, and increased my knowledge. This Forum will be a powerful addition to that cairn of education. It's great to have this wonderful resource.
So, to be more specific, I've been lusting after Lugers for over 45 years.

Still lusting and learning in West Texas

Ronnie

Ronnie

[G.W. Gill]

I was CADA gun show trader. Not a member. I found lugers good trade. The ones I liked were matched with the mags. They are gone and now I think I was mistaken. I wish I had stored them. 25 years.

[pipeman45]

I've wanted one for about 40yr.I bought one about 15 days ago.

[jamese]

Like most my age, I grew up on WWII stories, so at about 27 I got my first luger, 1937 S/42. Over the past 20 years and the fact my grandfather and his brothers fought in WWI my interests were on Pre 1918 stuff for the unit histories.
Prior to the FORUM, I did very little with the study of the guns themselves. When I found the FORUM about 18 months ago, the study of the guns has become a new passion and I want to thank all of you for the help and enjoyment I get everyday while visiting this site

Jim

[Edward Tinker]

I have always been interested in WW2, then as I got into history, WW1, Civil War (US), etc. For some reason the luger fasinated me. Meanwhile I was buying bayonets since that is easier for a teenager. At some point I bought Datigs book, I belive it was while still a teen. Then after I joined the army, I found an artillery luger, well buffed but a luger and sold my colt python and bought it.

A couple of years later I bought a mismatched 1940/42. Years passed, was stationed in germany, where I visited many WW2 battlefields and sites and learned more history of WW2, met a WW2 Dutch resistance fighter and became friends. After I retired, I really got into the actual history of the gun, bought books, studied and decided I liked the weimar era, which I collect now

Ed

[Russ]

I have been buying and selling guns since I got out of the srvice in 1986. I collected Winchesters. Then I got the Luger feaver about 12 years ago. I have sold most of the long guns to finance my lugers. I concentrate on grip safety lugers.

Russ <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

[Ron Smith]

Fell in love with Lugers about 1962. I was 12, and used to hang out at Archie Wienstiens surplus store. He had anything and everything. Mortars, Lahti 20mm A.T. Rifles,and about a hundred Lugers in a display case. Could'nt afford one ($32.95 for 4" barrels, $39.95 for LP08s, $42.95 for Swiss) his son, Jack would let me handle them all I wanted. Have had 5 or 6 since 1974. Traded them off, or sold them. Just starting to seriously get back into them. Been lucky so far. With the help of several of the members. Russ, Dwight, Pete, Jerry, Ed, and What's his name.
Oh yeah! Mr.Anderson
Thanks,guys! Ron

[lugerholsterrepair]

Russ, I am interested in adding a grip safety Luger to my collection...Do you have any sage advice? Obviously I would like to find an enexpensive model(relatively) but a nice piece that represents this type. Let me know...Thanks, Jerry Burney

[Russ]

Hi Jerry
I would start out with an American Eagle 1900 or 1906. Buy the best you can afford!! Watch out for redone guns.

Russ <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" />

[George Anderson]

Jerry my friend, if I were you and wanted a grip safety Luger I'd call upon poor George who has several he needs to sell.

As to personal Luger history, it's neat to read of guys, guns, and school. I kept a Cogswell & Harrison twelve guage side by side under my bed in the dorm (with the ammo if I could afford it). I was subsequently thrown out and promptly drafted but it wasn't due to the shot gun but rather Carol B----r.

My first Luger was a chrome plated 1917 DWM that I took to school once for show and tell in the seventh grade. The teacher required that it be kept in her desk while it was in the school.

I never knew of anyone injured by a firearm except my Dad and his buddies during the "Big One" and some of my buddies in VN.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Russ, Thanks for the advice, I will take it to heart.

George, Let me know what you have. I don't have any idea what to look for so I am like a novice in a poker game...Thanks, Jerry

[Ron Smith]

Jerry, Have you noticed that George suddenly has a lot of stuff for sale, since "Copperas TX" got booted off of e-bay. I'm beginning to get suspisious!? I would be carefull if I were you.

;-) Ron

[Navy]

When I was 4 years old, my Dad's pall Miller Epps came to the house with what I now know was an Arisaka rifle. He and my dad took it apart and removed the firing pin (Never understood that part as 6.5 Jap Ammo wasn't exactly on sale at the 5 and dime) and that was my intro. That was my favorite toy from that point onwards..other kids had their "Winky-Dink" and Howdy Doody stuff; me I had my Jap Rifle and was John "Sands of Iwo Jima" Wayne, Jr.

A couple of years later, we moved, and a guy down the street had a luger...actually, it was his Dad's (What a surprise) He was older, had more street-savvy and knew a mark when he saw one. He let me hold it one afternoon when his parents weren't around...charged me a dime for the pleasure.

When we moved to Beverly Place, our next door neighbor was a USAFR officer who had a Luger he brought back from Germany flying the Airlift; he 's'plained to me that the DWM was the monogram of the Natsi Gen'ral he captured it from...I was getting hooked but had no money.

My first one that I ever owned was a Bulgarian contract rig with 2 matching mags...bought from Manning's Bait and Tackle, Macon , Ga in the early 1960's...I think I sold some Nazi stuff (the place was awash in it at the time)and paid something like $60 for it.

Been addicted since.

Tom A.

[AGE]

I have been a gun addict since I was about 10 back during WWII. They're all neat: 1911s (John Wayne always had one in the war movies), Colt SAAs (John and Roy used them), and Lugers (the sinister guys used them). Like George Anderson, I took my own gun to school; it was a Remington .22 target rifle and back in the '40s I was on the school rifle team. Carried the rifle to school and stood it in the corner of my classroom 2 days a week. Also carried it home through the center of town and usually had a partial box of ammo in my pocket. Times are different today, don't try that now.

Anyway, my first handgun would have been a 1911 but they were expensive so I got a P-38. Not a bad weapon, but later traded it for a 1911. I drooled over Lugers for many years but always picked a more useful defense or target gun. Finally, 2 years ago I bought 2 Lugers, I had drooled long enough. Had a 3rd one, but it was kind of a crude collection of parts. Now that I am approaching 70 I guess I won't add many more to my collection. I really have more than I need (but less than I want) already.

[Dwight Gruber]

One of these days people are going to get tired of this story...

Before I was eight years old I had a cap pistol called a Kruger, it was a full-sized, completely detailed Bakelite Luger replica that would probably get a body thrown into jail today. Somehow I recognized even then that it was something special. (I think I had my first real gun, a Remington Fieldmaster in .22LR around this time, 46 years later I still own it.)

When I was eleven years old I bought a brand new copy of Datig's book, on purpose, with my own money. I had long guns all throughout grade school and high school, but as a minor could never legally buy a handgun.

Fast-forward to January, 2002. Over time I had sold all my guns but the ones which I inherited, but never really lost interest. I had a small epiphany and realized that there was nothing keeping me from acting on this interest except myself, and I have dedicated my time and energy (and money!) to the collecting and study of Lugers since then.

--Dwight

[Sandi]

********** 8 Whole Days !!! *****************

[Lugerdoc]

Well I guess that I now also quaify for the 45 year luger club, since I purchased my first one from Ye Ole Hunter in 1959 for $39.95 and for $10 more got a mint Nazi holster & 100rds of Canadian SMG ammo. I also took mine along to Nam, but never had to use it. I previous had owned a 6.5mm Arisaka rife that I never shot, because the ammo was not available at the time, but must have detail stripped it hundreds of time. I gave it back to my Uncle on his 75th birthday. I actually purchased my first firearm, a rusty percussion hammer lock shotgun, at age 10 at a farm auction for five cents. I've been looking for bargins ever since. TH

[Thor]

My dad was in the Infantry in WWII. Landing on Omaha Beach about a week before his 20th birthday was the start of combat for him. He got a machine gun bullet through the knee going across a hedgerow opening in France. Managed to save the leg. He was in the thick of it like so many others. He had a friend that was a cook and my dad keep bringing him Lugers (16), a few P.38s (4)and a 1922 Browning that he would pick up from the battle field. The cook would hide them in the mess tent and move them for him, when the tent was relocated. Getting on the ship/boat to come home he was told if you dont have papers for your captured weapons it is prison time for you. Well he got rid of 15 of his 16 Lugers and all the P.38s. He did manage to keep the small Browning.
Well, I got to listen to his war stories and the facsination of the Luger pistol was a big part of them. Around 1975 I got the bug bad and managed to get enough money together to buy my first Luger from Ralph Shattuck, well that was the start of a lifelong love of the Luger pistol! Wow, what a piece of machinery the Luger pistol is! Like Clint Eastwood said in FIREFOX "Man.........is this a machine!"