WWII German Mauser 42 P.08 Luger 9mm Military Semi-Auto Pistol, 1940 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,650.00

LSB#: LSB251211TN054

Make: Mauser (42) 

Model: Parabellum-Pistole, Luger Model P.08 

Serial#: 2223c 

Year of Manufacture: 1940 

Caliber: 9mm Luger 

Action Type: Toggle-Action Semi-Automatic Striker-Fired Pistol fed by Detachable Magazines 

Barrel Length: 4”

Sights/ Optics: The front sight is serrated blade dovetailed to a banded base integral to the muzzle. The rear sight is a “V”-notch integral to the rear toggle link.  

Stock Configuration & Condition/ Grip: The grip panels are two-piece checkered wood, the interior of each panel has “23” and a waffenamt. The grip panels have even handling wear. There are some scattered light nicks and scuffing. There is a line of compressed checkers across the middle of the left panel and smoothed checkering at the bottom of each panel. Otherwise, the checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good condition. 

Type of Finish: Blue 

Finish Originality: Original. Numbered parts match, the toggle pin is a replacement part.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with well sharp rifling. There is some scattered light erosion and infrequent minor pitting in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7 out of 10. 

Overall Condition: The pistol retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The grip areas show handling wear and some minor oxidation. There is wear on some raised features such as the muzzle boss and frame rails. There are a few light nicks and small scratches. There is infrequent minor oxidation outside the grip areas. The action shows operational wear. The markings are generally clear, some inspection marks were applied before final polish or were poorly struck. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. Overall, the pistol is in Very Good condition.   

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. There is barely palpable play between the barrel assembly and frame. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.  

Box Paperwork and Accessories: The pistol comes with a single non-matching alloy floorplate 8-round magazine. 

Our Assessment: The Luger (Pistole Parabellum or P-08) is perhaps the most aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing of all autoloading centerfire pistols. It is also one of the strongest, most accurate and most recognizable service pistols ever made. Georg Luger developed his famous pistol in 1898-1899 (starting with the Borchardt/Luger transitional pistol). The Luger is, essentially, a much improved Borchardt type pistol, which was itself based on the toggle action concept used by Sir Hiram Maxim in the world’s first practical machine gun. The Luger was so reliable and well liked that it was still being made and issued to German troops well after the P38 was adopted by the army. The largest percentage of Lugers were made by DWM, which became Mauser in 1930. During the war, the Germans used codes to disguise the manufacturer of their weapons, and the toggle links changed from DWM to S/42, 42 and finally byf. The byf marked Lugers were the last made by Mauser before they were forced to abandon the Luger in favor of the P38.

This particular Luger was manufactured in 1940, a year into the Second World War. It would prove to be the most successful year of the war for Germany with France defeated in less than two months and several major victories for the Wehrmacht across Europe primarily at the expense of the British Expeditionary Force (known as the BEF, a common joke in Britain at the time was to refer to the BEF as the “Back Every Friday” force due to their repeated defeats). The pistol’s markings are consistent with army issued small arms manufactured in 1940, retaining serial-matching parts, though the toggle pin has been replaced. Given its age and the surrounding destructive conflict in the era, the pistol is in nice condition. If you are a fan of German military arms and WWII history, this is the handgun for you. Good luck on your bid! 

-Bud