Aimco American Eagle?

[Logangrimnar]

Hello,
I have purchased this stainless Luger from my local gun store. I do not see any manufacturer mark on it. It does not say Stoeger, Mitchell, or Aimco. Does that mean it is an Aimco? The only markings i can see are the words American Eagle, the spm on the frame and the serial number. I realize they are all made in the same place. My questions are: is this considered Aimco (rather than Mitchell's or stoeger) what year was it made? (1993?) Is it better worse or the same quality as any of the others? Is it more or less valuable than one marked Mitchell or stoeger? I'd love to hear from someone that has one exactly like it.
Richard

[mrerick]

Unfortunately, reports are that these are not of good quality, often failing due to metal related issues.

I don't know of anyone that collects these, and doubt there is any distinction or value difference between those with different markings.

We briefly mention these on page 6 of the FAQ.

[Mac Cat]

The last AIMCO I saw, NIB, was selling for $1,000.
It was in a pawn shop for years.
They are not very collectable.

[Logangrimnar]

Gunbroker shows them having sold within the last 6 months with both the Mitchell and Stoeger name for anywhere from$900-$1000. The one I purchased has no name at all. I was hoping someone had first hand experience with one like it

[Vlim]

In Europe they surprisingly bring more than your average P08. Go figure...

[ithacaartist]

I think supply and demand function to inflate their European prices. I don't think many were exported. It's more a reflection of their relative scarcity there than their quality as firearms.

They're all from the same Houston shop. Different runs were made for different distributors, who evidently contributed to the specs for the guns each one bought. I say this because there is variation in the fit and finish among those brands. Unless I'm mistaken, SPM is likely the name of the shop that made them, and all the rest are brands (I perceive Aimco to be the "house brand."). Serial numbers seem to appear in different sequences, and are probably specific to whoever ordered/branded them.

Typically, the fit is quite sloppy. Finish can vary from fairly straight to over-buffed with wavy surfaces where they're supposed to be flat. Problems with peening and upsetting occur, quite often on the ramps on the frames, where the toggle knobs hit them, and on the undersides of the knobs themselves. Chalk this up to the relative infancy of applying stainless steel to firearms, which may have improved during overall history of their production.

Some parts interchange with originals, some don't. Magazines are in the latter category, originals are very loose when installed in a stainless gun, and some don't lock in at all. A mag for a stainless gun won't fit into an original's mag well.

There are pics representative of the various configurations they produced in both calibers, in the forum's gallery section. Extractor design varies throughout, for another example.

Since Stoeger owns the copyright for the name "Luger," only those will be marked as such.

I've owned a couple. One was pretty much a P.08 in configuration. I bought it from a forum member and sold it recently to another. We fixed the top end to be flush with the frame, which is a problem mentioned in this comment on a thread in Jan Still's forum. https://luger.gunboards.com/showthre...5030#post55030 I addressed the upsetting at the toggle ramps as well as some kicked up by the face of the breech block at the top, rear of the receiver with a file and some emery paper --lucky it's stainless with no finish, so the rehab is invisible.

I still have the other, a "1900/2000" which was Cerakoted black over the stainless at the factory. It has dished toggle knobs (no toggle lock), pencil-taper barrel, and is chambered in .30 Luger. serial number "AE 040 of 350)." I figure this 100-year commemorative series was probably the last of them ever made.

[Logangrimnar]

Forgive my ignorance but where do I find the forums gallery section?

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by Logangrimnar

Forgive my ignorance but where do I find the forums gallery section?

Click on the link at the top of every page that says "all albums"

[Edward Tinker]

go to the main page and also see other pages of information (lots of folks skip the tech pages)

http://lugerforum.com/

[Logangrimnar]

So here's what I got. The owners manual says Aimco. The frame only says SPM which my reading tells me is the company that made the frame. There is no other manufacturer markings at all. Not above either grip. Not anywhere. The magazine leader saysMitchell. The 1993 seems odd to me as this would be during the Mitchell time frame but the gun is not marked Mitchell at all. What say you? Did Aimco brand them simultaneously with Mitchell? Is it a Mitchell with no stamp? Certainly someone must know or have one like it. thanks for all the info

[DonVoigt]

Aimco was branding with 3 or 4 names all at the same time.
The 1993 is not odd.

[Logangrimnar]

Oh, ok. I've read the opposite. I've read it was Mitchell, then stoeger, then Aimco. Theres so much contradiction in information it's hard to keep it straight

[Vlim]

The manufacturer was Aimco. Later changed their name to Orimar Manufacturing Co. Or OMC.

Mitchell and Stoeger did not manufacture anything, just had their names put on the things.

I believe the manufacturer was mainly into dentistry tools and made the lugers as a side project.

[eprenzlow]

By comparison, the one sold to Ithacaartist by me had OFM Corp as the manufacturer on the frame where yours says SPM. Mine had no “Houston, TX USA on the frame.

On the toggle, there was a stylized “OFM” in script like the original DWM P08. It also had the American Eagle symbol engraved like yours, but no “1993” or any other date.

The serial number was on the right frame above the trigger. Left side had no text engraved.

Same AIMCO Manual.

Looks like just different manufacturing preferences, or maybe third Thursdays of odd months?

If it shoots well for you and you want to keep it, I found a stainless mag for one in my safe recently that you can have for the cost of postage. I’ve got no use for one because as was explained in an earlier post, these mags are different. PM me contact info. No guarantees on how well any particular mag works in any specific gun!

[sheepherder]

Mr Prenzlow's album contains many photos of his Orimar Luger.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/album.php?albumid=491

[eprenzlow]

For the OP:

If you are interested in the stainless mag I described in a post above, please let me know by PM, e-mail or smoke signal by Saturday.

Otherwise it’s going to another forum member who’s PM’ed me (actually two members).

I will send it to the earliest sent PM, which is the fairest way I can.

Regards,
Elmer