Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Luger

I want one, always have. Just don't know enough about them to spend what people are asking for them. what to look for when checking one out?

I'm in the same boat. Prices all over the place. Matching no's, refinished, w/ holster or without, matching clips/non matching, German/ Swiss, goes on and on.

Condition. Always go with condition.

I have a Russian refurb I got over 10 years ago. Least I believe it is a Russian refurb. I didn’t pay a lot for it. And it shoots and functions very nicely. I wanted a shooter and not a collector. Didn’t have a lot of wear and all but one # is matching. It’s a DWM 1914/1920 Versailles overstamp. The only spot is had some minor extra polishing was on the front of the grip frame. Otherwise a good stout arsenal refurb.




Mine cycles well with the 115 grn. Winchester "range" ammo too!

They're either a "shooter" ($) or collectible ($$$).

Highly informed members, relatively polite and very interested in the subject. Should get y'all started:
https://www.lugerforums.com/forums/

I helped a friend turn in an old .32 that was junk where he could get a Walmart $50.00 gift certificate through the local police turn in program. Some local ignorant person turned in a German Luger with holster!!! I suspect that one didn't make it to the smelter.

I knew a man who brought one back from WW2. As a matter of fact, he let me take it home and clean it good for him., and he told me that when he got ready to part with it, he'd let me have it. He found it in a knocked out German tank. The man died rather unexpectedly, and his widow gave the Luger to the preacher. Bummer.

I rebuilt Quentin Tarentino’s Parabellum. They were shooting one of his movies here. Can’t remember which. Anyway my coworker had done a bunch of FX work for a number of productions and the production FX people were coming in with stuff they needed worked on like "Hollywood BFA’s in semi auto long guns etc.

So one of the FX guys brought in this POS Parabellum, missing a host of parts. They thought it would be cool to give to him where he could cycle the action and such. I think he was given the gun during the production of Inglorious Bastids or some such nonsense. I was able to go thru our old parts and find enough to get it running pretty reliably. When they came to pick it up they were a bit hesitant to give him a "Working" handgun. I found this quite humorous.

I've got one, complete with holster and spare mag that one of my great-uncles seized during his time as a machine gunner in the 115th infantry of the 29th division. No idea of the value, but I wish that thing could talk!

Very nice!

i've seen 3 or 4 in 2 LGS's near me recently that were picked up from a couple collectors' families after the gentlemen passed.

Check this guy out:

Legacy

Look at Simpson Ltd, they know their stuff and have a range of them from shooters to museum grade Lugers.

My Uncle was at D Day and the Bulge. He brought home a Luger. Traded it to some pogue for garden equipment or some such. No f u c king joke. They were worth very little right after the war. I've got his shotgun and a Nazi belt and buckle he brought back.

I remember some old white haired joker, had to be in his 80s, brought two lugers completely disassembled into our store in a 5 gallon bucket, parts are mixed up...wanted to know if we could put them back together.

Didn't ERMA (?) manufacture a downsized version in .380? Sorry if this is off-topic.

I always want to know just what makes people do that to guns.

....... In the mid 1990's when I worked in a chemical waste incinerator we did occasional gun burns for some local police dept's. The guns that came in to be incinerated were sealed up in fiber drums so the only thing I saw what was went into the metal scrap roll-off box. Almost all were still recognizable unless they were some of those ultra cheapo units made with pot metal or zinc something or other that would just melt. Never saw anything like a Luger or a Colt 1911 or any other worthwhile piece. The cops were present as they had to witness the guns go into the kiln where they were incinerated. Had a few conversations with them and there have been some very collectible and/or valuable guns turned in by old widows over the years who just wanted to get rid of those old guns. Somehow the good ones never wind up getting destroyed.

if that is a russian capture shoud have the crossed sabers stamped 0n it, most likely on frame under the wood grip. filthy russians dipped them for reparking so to speak.
as to original question buy one of the collection books on parts identification, and/or the luger forum..

They are kind of like a Colt SAA, you need to know a lot to figure out value. I do believe that Erma made one in .380 many years ago. Several others as well made they in 9mm. From the little I know they are not worth what a true Luger could bring. Seems folks think that any Luger is worth a lot nowadays, even the mix masters.

erma did make one, so did an american guy.
this website has some interesting pieces and prices
https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/hand-guns/lugers

friend of mine has his grandfathers Rem.1911 and also a Luger, that his grandfather took off a german, that he shot with his 1911, kinda cool.