Author Topic: LUGER P08 (Read 2153 times)

GRIMJIM · « **on:** September 02, 2005, 02:59:47 PM »

I AM INTERESTED IN BUYING A GERMAN LUGER, BUT DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. IF SOMEONE COULD POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION I WOULD APPRECIATE IT,
THANKS,
JIM

Mikey · « **Reply #1 on:** September 05, 2005, 02:01:59 AM »

GRIMJIM: The first thing you look for is matching serial numbers. A lot of the P08s were put together from parts bins after WWII and don't shoot worth a darn.

Then look down the barrel to see how much pitting there is. If the bore is still dark, but pitted, you should get decent accuracy and you may even be able to firelap those pits out. Pitting rarely affects jacketed bullet accuracy but cast bullets may lead a pitted barrel.

Holster wear is ok, rusting indicates poor maintenance.

Trigger pull should be light and crisp. Some triggers felt like they needed a truck to move them or that they wouldn't trip no matter how far back you pulled it.

Check to see that the toggle action works smoothly - check that it locks back with an empty mag inserted (check to see that the mag holds 8 rounds without spring binding) and that the mag functions the bolt hold-open. Check to see tht the firing pin is not broken (either disassemble the bolt to do this or bring a skinny pencil with you, cock the piece and drop the pencil eraser first into the bore so it bottoms on the bolt face and pull the trigger - the pencil should fly a foot or so out of the barrel and you should have a firing pin indent on the eraser.

Make certain the extractor and ejector work - take a dummy cartridge with you for this.

If you can dis-assemble the piece make sure all parts match.

Never use +Ps in a P08 - they do just fine with 124 gn slugs at 1100'/sec. Make certain the trigger and slide retaining lever are still 'straw' coloured (for real collector items).

OK, I've run out of memory cells now. HTH. Mikey.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #2 on:** September 05, 2005, 05:15:09 AM »

THANKS MIKEY,
THAT IS GOING TO BE VERY HELPFUL
JIIM

fiream29 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2005, 03:07:41 PM »

Also be sure to carry a VERY fat wallet :-) . They are neat handguns but boy the prices have skyrocketed for even a decent example. Here's a couple of places that carry nice ones but I haven't dealt with them personally.
http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=f87205ca78021da77e54ba11fde1ec14

http://www.cherrys.com/

Good Luck in your search and I hope you find a bargain.
fiream29

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #4 on:** September 07, 2005, 03:50:33 PM »

FIREARM 29
I CHECKED OUT THE SIGHTS, ALL I CAN SAY IS:
OUCH :shock:
I WAS KIND OF EXPECTING THEM TO USE A LITTLE VASOLINE BUT I WASN'T EXPECTING THEM TO PUT SAND IN IT TOO. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. OH WELL, CENTURY HAS NAZI P-38S FOR 500 BUCKS. I'LL START WITH ONE OF THOSE AND HOPEFULLY I'LL STUMBLE ON A DEAL SOMEWHERE.

fiream29 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 07, 2005, 10:01:38 PM »

They are definitely proud of them. The few I've seen at gunshows have mostly been pretty rough and in poor condition/mis-matched. I think the Nazi P38's are really a bargain right now and will probably escalate to Luger levels in the next few years. Probably won't be many more coming in. The P38 is also one of the best pointing handguns I've ever shot. It is still an excellent weapon even compared to modern pistols. I will have to settle for one of the P01's myself. Got one for my Father already and now I need to grab one for me before they dry up.
fiream29

Mikey · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2005, 05:31:26 AM »

firearm29 - I have two of the P-1s or P-01s, but mine are 35 yrs old and show no sign of getting ready to kick over. I have had wartime production P-38s by Walther - my preference, Mauser and Spreewerken (?), and wartime production is wartime production with field use taking a heavy toll. The newer alloy framed P-1 or P-01 is an excellent pistol.

GRIMJIM - before you start feelin' toooo down about P-08 prices, go see some examples, both good and bad, at gunshows and dealers. These things are still around and some can be had at decent prices. Parts are still available. Some are shooters, some are collectors. It depends on what you want. I prefer shooters. You can always touch things up a bit and get to know your Pistolen P-08 and have a lot of fun with it. If you are just looking for a 9mm shooter, get one of the new P-01s, a buncha extra magazines and a case of shootin' ammo and have a ball meetin' Carl Walther, then you can decide which Luger ya want...... Mikey.

fiream29 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 20, 2005, 07:30:15 PM »

Hey guys, thought you might be interested in this site:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/uniforms_firearms/firearms/p38/p38index.htm

Has a lot of info and some very nice pics. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the info but it is well done.
fiream29

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2006, 04:51:47 AM »

OKAY, IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT. I FOUND A 1918 ERFURT P08 IN 85-90 % CONDITION W/ VERY GOOD BORE FOR $800. IT SHOULD BE HERE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. AM VERY ANXIOUS TO SEE IT. MAYBE I CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO POST PICS ON THIS SITE AND I CAN SHOW IT TO YOU ALL.
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP.

THIS LEADS ME TO ANOTHER QUESTION. DO YOU NEED SPECIAL TOOLS TO TAKE DOWN THIS GUN?
JIM

Mikey · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2006, 12:59:50 PM »

GRIMJIM - you do not need any special tools to field strip the P-08 Luger. Make certain the magazine is empty and remove it from the pistol. Press the barrel against a firm surface, push it backward and depress the barrel retaining lever downward - that will allow you to remove the sideplate and pull the barrel and yoke off the frame. Pull the bolt partway up and remove the bolt retaining pin at the end of the yoke and the bolt should slide to the rear and slide free. To remove the firing pin insert a screwdriver and turn (forget which way) and the firing pin and spring will come out to the rear.

If you remove the grips please be careful - they may well be fragile. There is really no need to remove the mainspring and you can clean those parts with the grips off the pistol. Do not remove the safety or the magazine hold open spring, they are tricky to replace.

The trigger works 7 different angles to release the firing pin to fire the piece. The P-08 requires very little lubricant as the tolerances are very fine. Clean the piece with Hoppes and oil very lightly - the rails and the bolt pins. Reassemble in reverse order.

The P-08 Luger will not tolerate Plus P loads. Standard pressure 9mm ball is just what is called for - same with all the 9mm european wartime guns.

You also mentioned a Broomhandle (1896) Mauser in another post - I forget how to dissassemble those things but if you got one in 9mm, the same ammo requirements apply. If yours is in the 30 Mauser caliber then either the Fiochhi 30 Mauser or the S&B 7.62x25mm will do just fine. FYI - none of the european wartime pistols fucntion well with soft nose or hp bullets - they were all designed as military pieces and function as they should with ball ammo. HTH. Mikey.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2006, 04:14:23 PM »

THANKS MIKEY,
I PRINTED OUT YOUR RESPONSE, SO I WOULDN'T FORGET. THE BROOMHANDLE IS IN 7.63, GLAD TO HEAR I CAN GET AMMO FOR IT.
THANKS AGAIN,
JIM

Mikey · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2006, 01:39:40 AM »

GRIMJIM - regarding that Broomhandle - get yourself a new set of springs from Wolff Springs in Pennsylvania. They make springs kits for every pistol I can think of. You may even want some new springs for that Luger but I believe the Luger will have a coil spring - not to difficult to replace, but you need a spring compressor that will fit to compress the spring. Then you can have some fun. Mikey.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2006, 03:01:44 PM »

GOT THE LUGER YESTERDAY, BORE IS VERY GOOD, NO PITTING, SHINY RIFLING, SILVER LANDS, ALL PARTS MATCH, FINISH IS ABOUT 90%, AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT. CAN'T WAIT TO SHOOT IT. I TOOK THE BARREL OFF AND IT IS A LITTLE TRICKY TO GET BACK TOGETHER BUT I FIGURED IT OUT. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE INFO. ALSO THERE ARE NO IMPORT MARKS SO I GUESS IT'S A BRINGBACK.