Look at all those Lugers!
- Thread starter rocklin
- Start date
Still alive
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Rainy mosquito infested part of BC
They are works of wonder! I shot one in Germany. Couldn’t be better! The sights could use work though!
Absolutely agree, as my eyes age, it's more difficult to pick out that front site for sure. I've always said they are things of beauty...over engineered, elegant, but not near as reliable as the P38.
Even before WW2 these were prized, everyone wanted to bring home a Luger in my Dad's war.
Even before WW2 these were prized, everyone wanted to bring home a Luger in my Dad's war.
BeaverMeat
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nanaimo, B.C.
That's $70 in today's dollar. Still a heck of a deal.
The Swiss, especially, shot Lugers in competition for more than a century and they seem to have very high scores and very few complaints.
The action is fully locked at firing: none of this being held forward by a little spring and HOPING the ammo isn't too hot. The Luger is SOLID. With a proper frame-to-sliding-receiver fit, I do not think it is possible to make a handgun which is a great deal more accurate. That "MUSHY" trigger that the Browning fans seem to think is a drawback actually is a hidden asset; in reality, it is a proper 2-stage trigger such as on a Mauser rifle or a Lee-Enfield: hard to beat for DELIBERATE fire.
The Luger in 9mm does suffer from what I would call excessive barrel flip, but that is a consequence of trying to run a cartridge developing almost 40,000 pounds pressure in a 4-inch barrel which actually affords just a hair over 3 inches of rifling.
If I had either a spare zillion dollars OR a basement-full of Lugers (I have only 3) and a really good milling-machine, I would kidnap my old friend Charlie -- the best machinist I have ever met -- and try to make a few small changes. I am wondering about a standard Luger altered to .40S&W, with a slightly-heavier 5-inch barrel....... and proper sights with a square rear notch and a square blade (right off the SMLE, which is of similar vintage). OTOH, if I had the zillion dollars, likely I could pay Norinco to turn out a batch of these and see how they run. Norinco actually DID make a couple of Lugers; with a production contract and someone looking over their shoulder to make certain that things were done RIGHT........ it just COULD be a winner.
Proper fitting would assure accuracy. The heavier 5-inch barrel would reduce muzzle flip AND give the cartridge more room in which to develop its full potential. And the improved SIGHTS would make the finished gun easier to use for those of us who are not far-sighted watchmakers from the Schwarzwald. I think it WOULD be a winner on the target ranges.
Gentlemen: your opinions, kindly. Does this wonderful old artifact deserve ANOTHER century of winning?
The action is fully locked at firing: none of this being held forward by a little spring and HOPING the ammo isn't too hot. The Luger is SOLID. With a proper frame-to-sliding-receiver fit, I do not think it is possible to make a handgun which is a great deal more accurate. That "MUSHY" trigger that the Browning fans seem to think is a drawback actually is a hidden asset; in reality, it is a proper 2-stage trigger such as on a Mauser rifle or a Lee-Enfield: hard to beat for DELIBERATE fire.
The Luger in 9mm does suffer from what I would call excessive barrel flip, but that is a consequence of trying to run a cartridge developing almost 40,000 pounds pressure in a 4-inch barrel which actually affords just a hair over 3 inches of rifling.
If I had either a spare zillion dollars OR a basement-full of Lugers (I have only 3) and a really good milling-machine, I would kidnap my old friend Charlie -- the best machinist I have ever met -- and try to make a few small changes. I am wondering about a standard Luger altered to .40S&W, with a slightly-heavier 5-inch barrel....... and proper sights with a square rear notch and a square blade (right off the SMLE, which is of similar vintage). OTOH, if I had the zillion dollars, likely I could pay Norinco to turn out a batch of these and see how they run. Norinco actually DID make a couple of Lugers; with a production contract and someone looking over their shoulder to make certain that things were done RIGHT........ it just COULD be a winner.
Proper fitting would assure accuracy. The heavier 5-inch barrel would reduce muzzle flip AND give the cartridge more room in which to develop its full potential. And the improved SIGHTS would make the finished gun easier to use for those of us who are not far-sighted watchmakers from the Schwarzwald. I think it WOULD be a winner on the target ranges.
Gentlemen: your opinions, kindly. Does this wonderful old artifact deserve ANOTHER century of winning?
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
There is nothing wrong with the Luger design other than the shear cost to manufacture them.
Recently I got a Swiss 1906/29 Luger, and it is about as much a no-frills combat pistol the Luger was ever made as. Very simple to use, very little controls but all are easy to access, sights are great (larger sight than the German lugers), and as mentioned accurate. The magazines are also the smoothest to insert and eject out of any magazine I have ever used.
If someone was to make a double stack Luger with some slight changes to the ergonomics (move the safety a bit closer to the hand) I am sure it could still be a great combat pistol today, but as I mentioned the cost was the most prohibitive part. Why pay more when you can get a tilting barrel design which is cheaper to make and for all intents and purposes is just as effective?
Recently I got a Swiss 1906/29 Luger, and it is about as much a no-frills combat pistol the Luger was ever made as. Very simple to use, very little controls but all are easy to access, sights are great (larger sight than the German lugers), and as mentioned accurate. The magazines are also the smoothest to insert and eject out of any magazine I have ever used.
If someone was to make a double stack Luger with some slight changes to the ergonomics (move the safety a bit closer to the hand) I am sure it could still be a great combat pistol today, but as I mentioned the cost was the most prohibitive part. Why pay more when you can get a tilting barrel design which is cheaper to make and for all intents and purposes is just as effective?
There are two ways to build a gun in order that it be able to function in a filthy environment.
The first way is, like the Luger, TIGHT enough that mud and crap can't get into it.
The second way is, like the 1911 .45, sloppy enough that it can digest endless amounts of mud and crap.
Everything else is, like the P. 38, somewhere in the middle.
The first way is, like the Luger, TIGHT enough that mud and crap can't get into it.
The second way is, like the 1911 .45, sloppy enough that it can digest endless amounts of mud and crap.
Everything else is, like the P. 38, somewhere in the middle.
the mud test is not proving anything ,the gun is dropped and picked up with the mussel plugged .The mud is on the outside of the gun so there is no reason it wouldnt fire .Let it set there for a day or so then perform the test ,the results would be more accurate.
SIR Winnipeg was selling nice E. German surplus VOPO Lugers for $50 a pop in the mid '60s. Lever brought in another lot of these in the mid '80s which were selling for $200-$250.
BTW, what's the best commercial load to use in a standard P08 these days to ensure reliable functioning w/o stressing the piece?
Imperial luger
Regular
purples question,BTW, what's the best commercial load to use in a standard P08 these days to ensure reliable functioning w/o stressing the piece
Do not shoot my lugers but many tell me without getting into handloads the 124 grain jacketed factory round works just fine, I would use 115 to start and if all works well then you shouldn't stress the old firearm to hard, bear in mind that military ammo of the day was generally hotter and the luger was proof tested with two rounds of 30 percent overloads at factory, another factor would be the pistols age and whether a collector piece or shooter, pre war lugers were designed to shoot not to end up in collections some 100 years later. This said break a piece and your collector value is hooped.
As time progressed the metallurgy became better so the WW#2 late war luger would probably handle the ammo better without fear of breakage or stress ,again hopefully don't break a piece.
Vopo lugers are good lugers but these are simply East German reworked pieces from Russian capture. Some collectors purchase mismatched pieces and shoot these so as not to potentially damage their all matching pristine pieces.
The Swiss Bern lugers are robust that's for sure, the Swiss military adopted the German luger in service even before the German military did in early 1900 mainly produced as a commercial piece by DWM for export. Very valuable in collections today as are some of the other commercial lugers.
To bad we can not get them for 50 a pop or Smellie would fulfill his wish of a full basement of lugers
Do not shoot my lugers but many tell me without getting into handloads the 124 grain jacketed factory round works just fine, I would use 115 to start and if all works well then you shouldn't stress the old firearm to hard, bear in mind that military ammo of the day was generally hotter and the luger was proof tested with two rounds of 30 percent overloads at factory, another factor would be the pistols age and whether a collector piece or shooter, pre war lugers were designed to shoot not to end up in collections some 100 years later. This said break a piece and your collector value is hooped.
As time progressed the metallurgy became better so the WW#2 late war luger would probably handle the ammo better without fear of breakage or stress ,again hopefully don't break a piece.
Vopo lugers are good lugers but these are simply East German reworked pieces from Russian capture. Some collectors purchase mismatched pieces and shoot these so as not to potentially damage their all matching pristine pieces.
The Swiss Bern lugers are robust that's for sure, the Swiss military adopted the German luger in service even before the German military did in early 1900 mainly produced as a commercial piece by DWM for export. Very valuable in collections today as are some of the other commercial lugers.
To bad we can not get them for 50 a pop or Smellie would fulfill his wish of a full basement of lugers
