First time Luger owner

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Chevelle SS

Chevelle SS

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Well I was unable to resist temptation again and bought a Luger. It's a 1918/1920 DWM. It has been reblued and is not numbers matching; I am so excited!! I will post a range report this afternoon after I'm done with classes.

Any tips or tricks I need to know being a first time owner? One concern I have is the grips are kind of sharp on the web of my hand when holding it. Is that normal or are they just ill fitted?
 

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Left grip has the "million dollar chip" broken out at the bottom of the safety lever. That broken corner may be what is digging in.

It lacks the stock lug. Does it show signs of it being removed or is it an early receiver?
 
No stock lug, the blackstrap is smooth. As to the grips, they are kind of sharp the whole way, but I don't think the chip is helping. Why is it called the "million dollar chip"?
 
Chevelle SS said:
No stock lug, the blackstrap is smooth. As to the grips, they are kind of sharp the whole way, but I don't think the chip is helping. Why is it called the "million dollar chip"?
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https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=329236

"#12 Old 08-17-2011, 10:29 PM
thorin6

I notice it doesn't have the million dollar chip in the left grip, which is a good thing.
(The wood right under the safety is a weak point, and can be cracked when firing the pistol. If not caught, one day a small chip of wood will disappear at that spot, and the value of the pistol will suffer. The phrase "million dollar chip" is meant to convey the lost value of thousands of pistols that have suffered that damage.)"

Regardless, it looks like a very nice shooter!
 
Chevelle SS

Congrats on the new Luger! Looks to be a decent shooter. Never had one but as I recall they supposedly work better with slightly hotter ammo to get the toggle lock action to run properly.
 
Not sure how familiar you are with the action. My WWII model, while disassembled, would still allow the the firing pin to spring forward if the tab on the left side of the action was pressed.

Theoretically, if loaded, it would fire in that condition.

Good luck with the new toy!
 
"Million dollar chip"

My God, I hate collectors.

Guns are meant to be SHOT. Thanks to the collecting community, there are no more affordable Lugers that a person can reasonably buy to shoot and actually enjoy firing at the range. Instead, they're all tucked away in someone climate-controlled gun vault... for what?? History?? There are PLENTY of Lugers in museums all over the world. When those old geezers die, their guns are just going to go into the dark safe of another old geezer and the cycle will continue on and on.

Meanwhile, those who want to enjoy these old guns by actually putting rounds down range instead of treating them like expensive sculptures are denied that since they're afraid to lower the "collector value" of the guns.
 
My dad bought one in a decent shop, numbers matching, no chip.......early reg model. He shoots it now and then.
It's not a Kreighoff LOL.

He had a stainless Mitchell yrs ago (worked fine, but didn't scratch the itch).

I shot it. Hated it. For a 9mm they kinda smack. Sights are tough, but your eyes are good it might surprise with accuracy.

My dad is still giddy with the upgrade.

I think he paid 1200.
 
Congrats on getting a good shooting Luger, ChevelleSS. There are many replacement / reproduction Luger grips out there, dating back to the days when most Lugers were shooters. I like the East German plastic ones myself.

Far more finicky is ammunition and magazines. My Luger likes long bullets like 124 grain FMJ or 147 grain HPs, and does not feed 115 grain loads of any kind well. Fiocchi makes a 124 grain FMJ truncated cone bullet that worked very well in my gun, but nowadays I only see it in 250 round packs, which is a lot to get just to try it out.

East German magazines seem to be excellent and usually are not very worn, but they don't seem to turn up much. Mitchell / Stoeger Luger magazines are awful, in my experience. I don't know about Mec-Gar Luger magazines, but Mec-Gar has a very good reputation generally, AFAIK.

Lugers are handsome guns that feel good to shoot, although the sights are old-fashioned and the triggers vary widely. Have fun!

PS - did you get a magazine loading tool for the gun? They are a good thing to have, but I don't have any idea where to get one for a reasonable price. Ebay, maybe?
 
I just loaded the first magazine and it only holds 7 cartridges; I thought they were supposed to hold 8 or am I incorrect in thinking that?
 
Compared to "modern" guns, they are ammo sensitive. Use good 124 gr. factory or milsurp loads as a baseline before thinking you have a gun or mag problem. Most don't like cast bullets, and bullet shape is important. Handloads are fine if you keep these characteristics in mind and stick with full power loads.
The ones I've had were/are very accurate if you can deal with the terrible sights, and are a lot of fun to shoot.
 
Needless to say I have a smile on my face! I was shooting WWB 147gr HPs at 8 yards. I had two failure to feeds (both on the second cartridge in the magazine) but other than those, it ran great. Best of the seven shot groups was 1.5". Love it!!:D:D
 

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ChevelleSS, Luger magazines are supposed to hold 8 rounds (except for Mitchell/Stoegers), and you probably need a loading tool to get the 8th round in. They hook on the magazine loading button and let you use your thumb much more effectively to pull the magazine follower down.

A quick search for Luger Tool on Ebay shows repros as cheap as $9, and purported originals as high as $295 (!). Once again, the East German one I got with my gun works very well- it has grooves on the back that follow the shape of the magazine - but I don't know how to find another one. The tool typically also acts as a screwdriver for removing the grips and for getting the firing pin out of the toggle.

Glad to hear your gun shoots well! With 8 rounds in the magazine, you may have more jams with the JHPs, but finding out should be fun.
 
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My dad has one. When you put it on safe, pull the trigger, and then take it off safe it will fire with no further human intervention (like actually pulling the trigger). Its being fixed.
 
Cooldill said:
"Million dollar chip"

My God, I hate collectors.

Guns are meant to be SHOT. Thanks to the collecting community, there are no more affordable Lugers that a person can reasonably buy to shoot and actually enjoy firing at the range. Instead, they're all tucked away in someone climate-controlled gun vault... for what?? History?? There are PLENTY of Lugers in museums all over the world. When those old geezers die, their guns are just going to go into the dark safe of another old geezer and the cycle will continue on and on.

Meanwhile, those who want to enjoy these old guns by actually putting rounds down range instead of treating them like expensive sculptures are denied that since they're afraid to lower the "collector value" of the guns.[/

I know how you feel. It's sad to think about all of those great guns locked away, never to be shot again.



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As a collector, I like to shoot the guns I buy. It is a big part of learning about them, and a major reason to buy one instead of just reading about it. (For example, the H&R 32 Self Loader turns out to be a gun that shoots much better than it looks, while a Webley 32 automatic is just the opposite. How would you know, otherwise?)

There are only two kinds of guns I do not like to shoot: those that are so minty (and old) that shooting them seems like a shame, and those that there is pretty much no ammunition for, like a 455 Webley automatic or a 35 caliber S&W automatic.

I don't often buy the first kind, and often sell them and get something that is NOT too nice to handle. I often can't afford the second kind.
 
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Sorry to hear you hate collectors, cooldill, (not literally I assume;))Yes, guns are meant to be shot.....BUT:

What if that Luger was brand new, never fired after proofing, and graded out at 99+ %?. Say it is worth $ 10,000. If you shoot it and drop the % number by one point.... you have cut that value in half. There are plenty of shooter grade guns out there. Are you going to shoot that gun, or preserve it so that future generations will know what a brand new Luger looks like?

I have a C-96 Broomhandle that is 99+% Still gooped with packing grease on the inside. Matching wooden holster. Brand new 90 year old gun. You think I'm going to shoot that gun?

No way. It is a piece of history frozen in time. I have another C-96 for shooting.
 
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I have a 1941 Mauser P-08 Luger. It came here through Russia, and was re-blued so it has NO collector value. It retains all Nazi markings, and is a very reliable and accurate shooter. I also have a restored C-96 Broomhandle. It also has NO collector value, but is an interesting and fun pistol.

I can understand not shooting "collector" guns though.
 
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