Posted on 03/07/2015 6:10:38 AM PST by C19fan
The ancient Romans had a saying. Si vis pacem, para bellumIf you want peace, prepare for war.
George Luger took that statement seriously. The result was a pistol known for its accuracy, the ammunition it introduced to the militaries of the world and the evil reputation it later gained.
The P08 nine-millimeter Parabellumor Lugerpistol was the brainchild of its namesake inventor, and it served Germany faithfully during both world wars. Often associated with the Nazi regime, it was the handgun of the Kaisers Soldaten before Hitler took power.
Yet its more closely associated with the latter. If you watch a World War II movie, you almost expect a barking Gestapo officer to start frantically waving a Luger around.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
FYI, if anyone is interested in the most used german handgun
of WW 2....that would be the Walther P-38...
they are selling real cheap at Wideners...original with the Nazi markings...
https://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=100000958&dir=700|1012|1027
I was hoping that the article would mention “Luger #2”.
One of the most rare and valuable pistols ever.
It would only be surpassed if they ever found “Luger @1”.
And a lot of THOSE were built by Mauser.
Ergonomically the Luger is to this day one of the most comfortable semi automatics to shoot. Same can be said for the Colt 1873 Peacemaker for revolvers.
Sometimes things are done right the first time.
How about one with original holster taken from its dead original owner
As in Colt 1911 .45ACP.
Great esthetics, but not a strong design. The toggle-slide action is just not meaty enough for a stronger cartridge.
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Also a lot of .32 mausers.
Is that one of those artillery versions with the long barrel and butt stock? I’d love to have one of those and a nice broom handle Mauser.
Luger #2 is a surviving test pistol in .45ACP that was used in the evaluation of the handgun for US adoption.
Luger #1 was reportedly destroyed in testing, but I don’t think it was ever confirmed.
Luger #2 sold for MILLIONS.
That’s right. Thanks. Remember something about a .45 variant.
Watch this guy: if you can find ANY original Lugers with matching serial numbers for $1,200, buy it! An original DWM WWI-era Luger in presentable and matching shape goes for upwards of $2,000. Nazi-era stuff like the S/42 Luger go for about the same amount. Rarer stuff like K-date or G-date Lugers or prewar commercials go for even more.
I own a really rare 1906 American Eagle Luger in 9mm in pristine shape and it's worth North of $8,000.
$1,200 indeed...
“It screams bad-boy gun because of its Nazi past, and rarer Lugers such as the ones chambered for the 7.65-millimeter round sometimes sell in excess of $1,200.”
The 7.65 chambered lugers are quite common and tend to be valued a little less than the military 9mm copies. The rarer lugers in decent condition can sell for well over $2000 but a common 7.65 in very nice condition (which they often are because they didn’t get hard use in the military) will sell for about $1100 at this point in time. Lugers are rather common collectibles because there might have been 3 million of them made before 1945. There are a great many variations on the basic theme, though, and the values vary accordingly. Luger values have not been especially strong recently compared with 2-5 years ago.
Most lugers I see are considerably altered or worn since their manufacture and it is that small percentage that are in original and nice condition that get the high values. Lugers, by the way, are not a subject for inexperienced collectors—they are very challenging to value.
I think that was the original sidearm from “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” until they switched to the Mauser P38.
The Luger is one of the most natural pointing handguns around. But the design is bad. The toggle has maximum leverage at the beginning of forward travel and almost no leverage at the end of travel where it’s most needed.
Consequently the gun jams all the time. In my limited testing, I would get about one jam per clip of ammo. The problem gets worse as the gun gets dirty. Under field conditions, the Luger is almost sure to jam, miss-feed, stove-pipe or fail to return completely to battery with every shot.
ping for later
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