My old man has a Luger that was given to him by a guy that has long since passed away. This guy told my dad that he had personally taken this pistol off a dead German soldier on DDAY. There is no documentation for this so can't say for sure. ANYWAY, how would I go about trying to date, model and value this pistol? Thanks
First determine the manufacturer, the most common were:
DWM (Deutsche Waffen & Munitionsfabriken)
Erfert, Royal Arsenal
Spandau
Simpson & Company
Mauser�Obendorf, Germany
Krieghoff, H. Krieghoff Waffenfabrick� Suhl, Germany
Waffenfabrick Bern
Next determine configuration & caliber: .30 or 9mm for caliber (if it�s anything else it�s ether a Martz gun, or it�s so incredibly rare that only auction will tell value). The std P08 (that�s the proper name, only American�s call it the Luger) had a 4� tapered barrel. The Navy P08 had a 6� barrel. Artillery had an 8� barrel and barrel mounted tangent rear sight. The most likely if it was a WWII gun is a standard model in 9mm. Next most common is the std in .30 Luger.
Now Google up take down procedures and field strip the gun. The Luger required a LOT of hand fitting of parts, so almost every part was stamped with the last two numbers of the serial number. So you�re looking to see if the gun is all matching, or a mix match gun; that has a considerable bearing on the value of the gun. Be sure to check if the magazine matches also.
Now guage general condition: What % of bluing is left on the gun, and how much checkering remains on the grips? Be HONEST, and don�t give it extra leeway just because it�s been dragged through at least one war. A 90% gun is a 90% gun, simple as that. Give your best estimate of how much of the gun retains bluing, then consider any nicks or dings and make your best guesstimate.
By now you should know if it�s a matching number, manufacturer, configuration, caliber, and condition; next comes where you�ll learn a lot about Lugers, the market for Lugers, and judging condition.
Go to Gunbroker.com, type Luger into the search box and start looking in detail through every darned Luger that�s up for sale. This will teach you how people are judging the condition of their guns, what other things are of consideration, and the bids and asking price will give you an idea of the market pricing/value of said piece.
If the gun is in greater than 90%. If the gun is in anything but .30 or 9mm. If the gun is anything but a 4 or 6� barrel; then you need to consider having a professional look at it and appraise it.
For common P08�s in .30 or 9mm with mix match parts, expect somewhere between $550 to around perhaps $900-ish. For an all matching common configuration P08 they start around $800 and can go up to around $2,500 depending on condition and date of manufacture. Navy P08�s tend to command another 10-15% on average, and Artillery P08�s an additional 15-25% depending on manufacture, date, and condition.
While the Luger is FAR from a �rare� pistol, they haven�t been made for a long time, and the classic lines and military heritage have ensured they will hold their value VERY well. If you want to make the your gun a shooter, they can be made to be reliable if you understand the action. Many neophytes will tell you that you have to use very hot ammo for your P08 to function properly; this is a bad idea. The hot ammo gives more dwell time at the end of the stroke, allowing the magazine to ready the next cartridge. Hot ammo is the wrong solution, most P08�s just need a new magazine spring.
The P08 toggle action cycles VERY fast, which is why you need a very stiff magazine spring. P08�s came with a magazine spring compression tool to assist with loading the magazine; that ought to tell you how stiff that spring should be. Use standard pressure 115 grain FMJ�s ONLY and with a new magazine spring in a proper magazine, your P08 ought to work pretty well.