There is perhaps no other handgun that is more iconic than the German Luger. Originally developed by German inventor Georg Luger, the pistol was heavily based on the much larger and cumbersome Borchardt C-93. Luger's improvements to Borchardt's design included redesigning the toggle system, reducing the pistol's overall size by roughly one half. Luger also angled the gun's grip allowing the pistol to point much more naturally than the straight grip found on the C-93. Luger's design was immediately popular with military; with Switzerland becoming the first nation to adopt the Luger in 1900. Luger's home country of Germany was the next nation to adopt the Luger, purchasing a number of guns to replace the unreliable Mauser C-96's that were currently in use by the Army. This first batch of pistols was delivered in 1901 for trials by the army. Subsequent trials by the German Navy commenced in 1904. In both trails, the Luger pistol performed very well and the German government expressed interest in adopting the pistol as the country's official military sidearm. The Navy was the first to official adopt the Luger in 1904, but the Army delayed their adoption, as Mauser requested time to develop a new pistol of their own, which was finished in 1907. However, this new pistol was still found to be less desirable than the Luger, and on August 22, 1908, Kaiser Wilhelm II signed an order for 50,000 Lugers for the German Army, with orders to produce a total of 170,000. The pistol would go on to serve faithfully in WW1, with the majority of models made for issue in the trenches produced by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM).
Luger production continued sporadically during the post-war period, in part due to restrictions on German arms manufacture imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Mauser purchased DWM's Luger manufacturing machinery in 1929, and produced began producing commercial Lugers in 1930. During Hitler's mobilization efforts in the mid 1930's Mauser began producing Lugers for the Nazi regime beginning in 1934. Mauser's Luger's are renowned for their quality and the company is credited with a few advancements in the Luger manufacturing process. The most notable being the adoption of modern hot salt bluing when finishing the gun's steel components. Mauser also utilized higher quality steel for the gun's internal components, eliminating the need to temper various components. This is the reason that all but the very earliest Mauser Lugers are seen "all blued" without the "strawed" components associated with earlier WW1-era guns. Mauser produced Lugers until early 1942 when the Luger was officially replaced by by the Walther P38 double-action 9mm Parabellum pistol.
This particular pistol is a pre-war, 1938 Mauser production Luger produced in violation of the Treaty of Versailles during Hitler's mobilization of the Wehrmacht. It is an all correct and matching example according Aarron Davis's land mark resource The Standard Catalogue of Luger. It appears to be a an American-captured "war trophy"; as it features an early brown leather "commercial" holster complete with the name of the German soldier who originally owned, neatly written on the inside of the flap (see photos). Included with the holster is an original Luger take down tool which is stored neatly in a pouch sewn in the underside of the flap; as well as a spare post war Erma-brand magazine which was likely added after the pistol was brought State-side.
This Luger is in excellent condition. It features an overwhelming amount of original bluing with crisp markings and sharp corners - indicating that this pistol has never been reblued or refinished (a rare feature for many Lugers, as many examples were "buffed and blued" by well-meaning American collectors during the mid 20th Century).
The action of this pistol is excellent with a nice crisp toggle action. The bore is excellent with sharp rifling and no rust or pitting.
All the parts bear matching serials numbers, and there are no import marks anywhere. This, combined with the holster rig make it quite likely that this pistol and holster was captured by an American soldier during the Second World War. Lugers were a highly sought-after war trophy by American soldiers, and many images have surfaced of American G.I.s proudly wearing captured Luger holsters on their belts. Even if it isn't a battlefield pick-up, it almost certainly saw combat service; considering both the name on inked in the holster flap, and Germany's need for arms during the early stages of the War.
The magazine fits well and reliably holds the toggle open on empty. The original wood base plug is in good condition and numbered to the gun.
The grips are in great shape with no damage, other than a small chip missing from the top corner of the left grip panel.
This collectible Luger would be a great shooter or collector's item. Plus the price of Lugers is one the rise, which also make this pistol a good investment!
We have test fired this gun and found it to function flawlessly using 124 gain ammunition. Two full magazines were ran this pistol and the gun handled every shot perfectly with no jams or other malfunctions. If you're looking for a shooter, this is the gun for you!
*This weapon was made after 1899 and MUST be shipped to Federal Firearms License holder for transfer. Never bought a gun through an FFL before? Give us a call at (262) 473-5444 and we'd be glad to walk you through this simple process
