To buy or not to buy a Luger

Gudabeg · 03-22-2021, 06:47 PM

I'm thinking of getting a Dutch Pistol (preferably KNIL issue) to go with my KNIL Dutch Carbine.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of going for a Luger vs another pistol (such as a 1922 FN Browning)?

It seems that other pistols (take the 1922 Brownings for example), while less iconic and a younger design, seem to be cheaper. Also, I would feel less bad shooting one on occasion. (E.g. if it was to break by accident)

On the other hand, the Lugers are more iconic, look nicer, and it is possible to find ones issued to the KNIL. However, they tend to be expensive.

What are good resources to look into for each? For a nice one that I would shot on occasion, would it be better to go for a cheaper pistol and leave the Luger for a nice display piece (that I'd buy in a while when I have a place to put it)? I'm not planning to spend a ton (e.g. 2.5 K seems like a lot (and is), but that seems to be the ground floor for Dutch Lugers that can go for easily twice as much, while Brownings can be found for 1.2 K).

Also, I wouldn't shot the gun that often anyways (as 6.5 Dutch for the carbine is expensive/hard to find/not easy to make, and I'd most likely shot the guns together as a set for fun). So I would like a gun I could shot, even if I wouldn't take it to the range every time.

I've looked around at pre98, Simpson LTD, Legacy Collectables, etc. and it seems like there are so many variables it's hard to tell what makes one more or less valuable if I wanted to buy one from an auction (rather than from those sites).

It seems that higher straw, bluing, condition make it more valuable, as does being from Mauser > Vickers > DWM, but it seems strange that being from Vickers makes a 70% Blued with a poor bore worth ~$350 more than a DWM that is 93% blued with a very good barrel when both served in Indonesia. Then again maybe a "British Luger" is just that valuable.

In summary, my question is whether it is a good idea to buy a Dutch Luger for this interest. It'd be nice to have such an iconic firearm, but I worry about damaging a nice one/overspending when I could get another pistol and leave the Luger for a later purchase for display only. At the moment I wouldn't intend to resell, but I still wouldn't feel good damaging one.

I especially don't want to be the one who damaged a valuable piece of history when something less valuable could have served my purposes equally well. At the same time I feel that some things need to be used to be remembered, and it would seem strange to me to treat a 2.5 K pistol as gingerly as a 15 K pistol. (Obviously treat it well, but still take it to the range on special occasions), and there is always that allure of a Luger (and having a "WW1-ish" set of 2 pre-1914 designs that both served in the same service).

P.S. Resources like what to look for on each gun (to determine value, condition, etc.), what is "good enough" to shot and look nice but not pay more than is needed (or put at risk a very nice example that would be better a display while an okay example would be better for my purposes, etc.). E.g. should I look into aspects of the gun for a hobby but for now pick a good one off of Pre98 or a similar site because they can reliably evaluate pieces and the extra cost is worth that.

Sorry for the rambly writing, I figured for this it's better to have more information than less.

03-22-2021, 06:47 PM	#1
Gudabeg User Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 7 Thanks: 27 Thanked 14 Times in 4 Posts	To buy or not to buy a Luger I'm thinking of getting a Dutch Pistol (preferably KNIL issue) to go with my KNIL Dutch Carbine. What are the advantages and disadvantages of going for a Luger vs another pistol (such as a 1922 FN Browning)? It seems that other pistols (take the 1922 Brownings for example), while less iconic and a younger design, seem to be cheaper. Also, I would feel less bad shooting one on occasion. (E.g. if it was to break by accident) On the other hand, the Lugers are more iconic, look nicer, and it is possible to find ones issued to the KNIL. However, they tend to be expensive. What are good resources to look into for each? For a nice one that I would shot on occasion, would it be better to go for a cheaper pistol and leave the Luger for a nice display piece (that I'd buy in a while when I have a place to put it)? I'm not planning to spend a ton (e.g. 2.5 K seems like a lot (and is), but that seems to be the ground floor for Dutch Lugers that can go for easily twice as much, while Brownings can be found for 1.2 K). Also, I wouldn't shot the gun that often anyways (as 6.5 Dutch for the carbine is expensive/hard to find/not easy to make, and I'd most likely shot the guns together as a set for fun). So I would like a gun I could shot, even if I wouldn't take it to the range every time. I've looked around at pre98, Simpson LTD, Legacy Collectables, etc. and it seems like there are so many variables it's hard to tell what makes one more or less valuable if I wanted to buy one from an auction (rather than from those sites). It seems that higher straw, bluing, condition make it more valuable, as does being from Mauser > Vickers > DWM, but it seems strange that being from Vickers makes a 70% Blued with a poor bore worth ~$350 more than a DWM that is 93% blued with a very good barrel when both served in Indonesia. Then again maybe a "British Luger" is just that valuable. In summary, my question is whether it is a good idea to buy a Dutch Luger for this interest. It'd be nice to have such an iconic firearm, but I worry about damaging a nice one/overspending when I could get another pistol and leave the Luger for a later purchase for display only. At the moment I wouldn't intend to resell, but I still wouldn't feel good damaging one. I especially don't want to be the one who damaged a valuable piece of history when something less valuable could have served my purposes equally well. At the same time I feel that some things need to be used to be remembered, and it would seem strange to me to treat a 2.5 K pistol as gingerly as a 15 K pistol. (Obviously treat it well, but still take it to the range on special occasions), and there is always that allure of a Luger (and having a "WW1-ish" set of 2 pre-1914 designs that both served in the same service). P.S. Resources like what to look for on each gun (to determine value, condition, etc.), what is "good enough" to shot and look nice but not pay more than is needed (or put at risk a very nice example that would be better a display while an okay example would be better for my purposes, etc.). E.g. should I look into aspects of the gun for a hobby but for now pick a good one off of Pre98 or a similar site because they can reliably evaluate pieces and the extra cost is worth that. Sorry for the rambly writing, I figured for this it's better to have more information than less.