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

[John Lee Enfield]

Hi Waschbaer,

Me to comes from the axis side.
I live in Vienna, Austria. My great-grandfather fought in WWI against the Italians in the battles of the Isonzo. He was lucky to survive this bloody hell! My grandfather luckily was too young to become a soldier in WWII but he was in the hitler youth and was forced in 1945 aged 15 to fight the charging Russians. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

I'm interested in history and collect and shoot military bolt action rifles and pistols. Our gun law is rather restrictive here in Austria. It's no problem to posses bolt action rifles but semi autos and handguns are strictly regulated. My licence allows me to keep only two handguns and that's my two luger P08 pistols.

[Lawdog67]

Hi, this is my first post here.

Iâ??ve been a handgun fan for years and especially WWII ones. Oddly, this came about in spite of my parentsâ?? influence.

My father was a West Pointer, class of 1939, and spent much of WWII in Europe. Had more to do with communications and the first radar units than actual combat. Switched over to the Air Force later and was medically retired as a 1-star general just before I came along. My mother was a retired A.F. Captain. Both are gone now.

Apparently my dad came back with his .45 1911, a P-08, AND a P-38. And shockingly my mother, a vet herself, didnâ??t want guns in the house with me there and convinced him to sell them all!!

I actually came into my firearms interest years later, and on my own (although the WWII interest I did get from Dad, and that led to the rest). The .45 has always been my absolute favorite â?? I could totally strip one before I even knew how to open the cylinder on a revolver â?? but the Lugers are a close second. My .45 Iâ??ve had for close to 20 yearsâ?¦ but no Luger yet. I always say that I will get one â??someday.â?� More and more that bug is bothering me. Will â??somedayâ?� be soon?? Can I afford a reasonable gun that can still be shot without fear of depreciation??

Of course, I would jump through a ring of fire to get back the three pistols that Dad brought home. But alasâ?¦ I will have to do the next-best thing I suppose. So I am trying to learn what I can and avoid a foolish purchase.

The internet is both a blessing and a curse. Ten years ago when I said, â??I want a Luger someday,â?� that was a simple enough concept. Now I have more information at hand than I can manage! Do I even know where to begin?? Not yet!

Weâ??ll see if I ever get to become a â??collector.â?� I donâ??t have any cool pictures to stick on here or anything, but I do like this site a lot and I hope it helps me more than it confuses me!

[John Sabato]

Welcome to the Lugerforum David (Lawdog67),

Anything the forum can do do help, outside of money just let us know.

My first suggestion is to read as much of the forum as you can to get a feel for what is out there... especially the New Member forum.

Then get yourself some good Luger reference books to decide just what you want your first one to be... just a shooter in good condition? There are plenty... collectibles can range from the price of shooters if you are lucky, to multi-thousands for the really nice ones...

Don't be intimidated. This is a friendly crowd.

Do you happen to have the serial numbers of the guns your Dad sold? I don't want to get your hopes up but just because he sold them doesn't mean that they might not resurface... If you have the capture papers, they might be your first lead.

Once again welcome.

[Edward Tinker]

And figure out which time period you like for lugers... You may say, any luger would fill my need, and that is fine. It is very possible that your dad brought home a WW1, Weimar OR WW2 era luger... Chances are it was a WW2 era, but it could be from any of the 3 (not counting various variations)...

Ed

[Waschbaer]

Gruessgott Herr Enfield in Wien! Mein Opa der im Krieg in Finland war kommt auch aus Oesterreich. Aber jetzt mal auf Englisch sonnst versteht keiner mehr was... My aunt was also in the H.J. but says she doesn't remember much other than that she always liked the marching, that was fun. Concerning WWI, I'd argue it was a miracle for anyone that survived that war with their life, much less their mind, intact. Some would argue those that were killed early were the lucky ones. One of my uncles also fought the war at a very young age. He wanted to be a pilot so he lied about his age in 1939, and joined the Luftwaffe. Much to his disappointment, they stuck him in a Panzerkorps, and he spent the rest of the war in a tank. He was captured several times but escaped each time and went back to the front. He finally became a pilot in his later years, and flew gliders. The only other person I know of that was in WWII in our family was Onkel Herman, who visited home shortly before the war ended, saying he was sick of it and was considering deserting. He went back to the Ostfront, and was never heard from again. One of his fellow soldiers returned saying he'd lost his radio and was supposed to have been shot for the offense. This order was most likely carried out, his body never returned home. He is memorialized on the headstone of his mother and father in Hannover. --- Thomas.

[John Lee Enfield]

Hallo Herr Waschbaer!

That is very interesting.
History is something really fascinating. People say that history is the best teacher with the worst students. I watched many documentations on TV that were broadcasted on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day and I was deeply moved by the stories of the old comrades be it Germans or Allied soldiers.

John

[Steve Richards]

Lawdog67,

I have stated it before, and not everyone agrees, but I would buy a shooter grade gun $400-$600 and have one to shoot and take apart and use as a study aid when you read the books that you should buy. This gives you a gun that you don't need to worry about that you can actually shoot and have fun with. Then read and decide if you want to start seriously collecting and what era or variety interests you.

Both of my vintage guns are well used but very shootable. You do not need a mint piece to enjoy it. But of course, the better the condition, the more it is likely to increase in value. It comes down to the question of why do you want the pistol? To shoot or just look at? Both are valid!

The e-books by Mr. Henrotin are a good inexpensive way to start a library. They are linked in the "Links & Resources" tab to the left. Just be sure to download them to the computer that you will use them on and keep your password in case your hard drive dies.

Good luck and welcome to our happy little forum family!

[jackson]

HEY FELLAS,
I'AM A NEW COLLECTOR MYSELF. I HAVE TWO LUGERS NOW, WITH A THIRD ON THE WAY SOON I HOPE! MY INTEREST IS IN WWII LUGERS AND THE WEIMER REBUILDS LEADING UP TO IT.I CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT YOU CAN STILL FIND GOOD DEALS ON LUGERS.
BEAT THE BRUSH BOYS THERE IS STILL ALLOT OF GRANDADS BRING HOMES OUT THERE! GOD WILLING I WILL FIND MOST OF THEM!

[Lawdog67]

Thanks Steve, John, Ed, and everybody else. Obviously I've got lots to learn, but that's much of the fun part! I'm already checking out a couple of the books that you've mentioned here or elsewhere.

I can't say yet that I like a certain time period, really, except to say that I enjoy WWII history more than the others I suppose.... but of course there's so many reasons to be interested in a type of gun. Do those of you who favor a certain time period prefer some technical or aesthetic difference in the pistols? Or is it just a matter of historical interest for you?

I think I'll be watching for a "shooter" as Steve suggests. As much as the preservation of historical guns appeals to me, it would kill me to buy something I couldn't in good conscience handle & shoot. Maybe if I can get that out of my system a bit I can then look at more collectable pieces.

So, I'll be setting aside a little money here & there. Maybe in a couple of months....!

Should I start watching local classified ads? Or should I take my chances with some online or long-distance purchase? Anyone I should really stay away from?

Thanks,
- David

[John Sabato]

Definitely keep an eye on local classifieds... Just a couple of months ago I missed out on a Vet bring back that was advertised in the local classifieds only newspaper that is sold from a stand in one of the local convenience stores I frequent for gassing up the car...

The ad read: Original German Luger, with original holster and two magazines, and two boxes of old ammo, $180.00

Surely the gun was found in Grandpa's closet after his passing and the heir wanted to make a fast buck... It was gone when I called of course. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

[Jimbo]

While ALWAYS fascinated by Lugers, I've only studied and collected them for 2 years. In response to renewed draconinan gun control in California, I made a decision not to comply with rules for purchasing handguns in 2003 and spent most of 2002 purchasing a collection of 6 Mauser Lugers.

I must say that the nice and extremely helpful people from this forum were instrumental in my rapid education that helped me identify 2 boosted Lugers which I returned to the dealer for exchanges. They kept me out of trouble and for that I am deep in their debt and in debt to those who began and maintain this wonderful forum.

I may add to the collection if I ever get a C&R license. The bottom line is I am still very new to collecting Lugers and still fascinated by them and grateful to own my small collection.

As it is a continual process, I'll never stop studying Lugers. My interest at this time lies only in WWII Mausers and Krieghoffs. It is a study of a lifetime.

[Max Mauser]

I owned my first P08 when I was 13y.o. Found it in the estate of a resistance man. I guess that we where a bit to young to handle handguns beacause it ended with me, and some comrades, shooting a cow, right to the forehead!!(Yes its true:-)) After that I got frightened that the farmer would find out it was me that killed his cow, so I traded the P08 ( still with 3 packages of original German ammo) for some Tamiya model kits.

Many years has passed since that (thank God; I have a more cultivated relation with weapons now)
For many years I only crossed path with P08`s while in military service. 2 months ago I got some P08`s as gift from a relative. I feel that I want to keep these, and start to increase my knowledge about these facinating hand guns. I am now trying to track down my first P08 (the "cowkiller) but Im afraid that its long gone.

[John Gunman]

Hi all- I'm not a collector but I fell in love with the long barreled luger after watching "The General Died at Dawn' with Gary Cooper. The general's bodyguard all had artillery lugers. After many years I was able to pickup a long barreled frankenluger (not artillery tho) for $450. It's a shooter and a good one.

[Ron Smith]

John, Howdy, from down in the valley. Or at least back in a corner of it..(Springfield)I'll have to agree. The long barrels are the most fun. Ron

[stevezz1]

Hello to all members,
I have had an interest in the German Army of WW.2. since my school days, which none of the other kids seemed to understand, and a lot of adults still do not.
As for my collection, it is very meagre compaired to some of the other members (drool).
I have been activly colecting for around five years and have so far aquired eight very nice Lugers. My best being a 1936 S/42 with both matching clips, a '36 holster (brown) and a dwe/63 tool (thx to Tom Heller)to complete the rig.
I also have a P.38, a K.98 and two MP.40.s, and some helmets and caps etc......
But my main interest lies with Lugers. They cannot be beaten for design, manufacture or divercity.
And after only being on-line for two years, to find this, and Jan's, forum is a god-send.
So many thanks to you all for the host of information you so freely pass on.... <img border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" title="" src="graemlins/drink.gif" />
All the best,
Steve.

[John D.]

Hmmm.....

Wow - an old thread that I passed over... I can do this <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

My past is like many of you. I was intrigued by Lugers in my pre-teen years, in the 60's.

When I became 18, I was able to purchase my first Luger. That one I gave to my Dad on a special occassion, just because he always wanted one. It's a G date - and today, it sits in my collection because my Dad is a bit old to take care of it any longer.

From there - I started collecting in the late 70s - and after purchasing my first Krieghoff - quickly discovered I was ripped off by a fake. So - I sold that as a "part's gun" at a loss, and figured if I was going to collect - I wanted to collect Kriegs and find what was "right" and "wrong" (plus, I couldn't afford to lose another $1000+), In short - I wanted to do it "right. So, I hung on to a few pieces ('06 AEs), and sold off the "shooters".

So then - I began to do "research" on Krieghoffs - and it's become a worldwide passion and quest.... About 20+ years later - I'm still researching, but have built up a small but humble collection. Somewhat narrow in focus - but I really enjoy it.... And yes, I have some interesting pieces for my efforts.

And yea - I do "dabble" in other variations besides Kriegs - but those are just for me, and what I enjoy to broaden my interests....

Great thread.....

John D.

[G.T.]

Hi to all! I got my start at an early age... with Lugers it was around 9 or 10.. my father, who had owned a gunshop in my earlier days, had a .30 cal art. luger. I remember it had a mis-matched top end, and stag grips... but it shot like a lazer.. great gun... I remember him saying, "I'm not so sure about that gun!" But I loved it! Never malfunctioned, NEVER! I was hooked ever since... I've kept a few, & sold a lot! Good Lugers, like friends (really, really good ones!), if you can count'em on one hand, your lucky! Best to all! til...later...GT

[Big Norm]

My first gun was a .410 Mosburg shotgun. I was 12 years old and my father bought it for me out of my money that I earned delivering newspaper. My father loved hunting with a passion. I got many pheasants with that gun.

In 1989, my brother called me from San Diago and told me that he had just purchased an artillery Luger. He said that it was lots of fun shooting it. Well sibbling rivalry compelled me to buy a beat up 1917 artillery for $735. I thought that it might be fun to kill tree stumps with while deer hunting.

A few months later we found out that my mother had serious terminal cancer and was not expected to live long. I temporarily closed up my business to take care of mom in her final days. But the pressure of watching my mother die was getting to me so I called the guy who sold me my Luger and asked him if there was a gun show that I could go to to relieve my tension for a day. He took me to the Ohio Gun Collectors Assn show one Saturday.

I felt like a kid in a candy shop. So many different Lugers and so many different prices. It didn't take me long to realize that not only are Luger fun to shoot, they are good investments.

All the guys that I went to the show with are collectors of army Lugers. I needed them to teach me about Lugers so I decided to start collecting artillery Lugers so that they would not get mad at me and stop teaching me about these guns. I didn't want to compete with them. Within a year I had my own C&R license and was going my own way. I was officially a Lugerhead.

After a while, my financial condition began to improve and I started collecting navies. Then the 1900's and 1906's. Then came the Krieghoffs. I eventually even aquired a DWM Borchardt. Somewhere along the way, I began improving the quality of my collection. So I have a few duplicates. I cringe at the thought of actually selling any of them.

I am still a bargain hunter, but I am glad that I started when I did because I don't think that I could accumulate what I have if I had to start over again. I pretty much like the WW1 and earlier Lugers with their cool looking strawed parts and rich bluing. I have approximately 45 or so Lugers (mostly artilleries and navies). My favorite is a chamber dated 1914 DWM artillery (I have three of them). The one that I like the most has 'trench art' grips that have one and a half inch high imperial eagles carved into each grip. I put a type 1 Trommel mag on it and an original but unmatched stock on it. Looks great. Thank you Don Hallock for selling it to me.

My big thrill now is when I take a Luger into the local police department and all the police there crowd around my newest purchase and take personal pictures of it. They feel as good about it as I do. Plus it gives me an opportunity to brag a bit. Bragging is good.
Big Norm

[Ron Wood]

My Dad once told me, "If you can brag without lying, you probably earned the right to brag". Success usually comes from hard work. So bragging can be "good" because it is an expression of satisfaction in achieving something that wasn't handed to you...you earned it.

[John Sabato]

Great stories all!

And now for something slightly <img border="0" alt="[offtopic]" title="" src="graemlins/offtopic.gif" /> stevezz1,

I noted above that you said that you own a P-38 and a couple of MP-40's... these also happen to be favorite guns of mine, and I am sure others here on the Lugerforum... One of your fellow countrymen (TACFOLEY) was kind enough some months ago to take a photo essay of his favorite Luger showing all the destructive things that your government did to it so that he would be allowed to keep it. I am talking of course about the UK deactivation process. His Luger Deactivation photo essay is on permanent display in an album in our Member's Gallery...

I was wondering if you would have time and be so kind as to produce similar photo essays for inclusion in our member gallery showing your P-38 and MP-40's that would identify the dastardly deactiviation process for these firearms?

Thanks,