Russian-captured P-08's and P-38's

[Doug See]

During the past three or four years, large numbers recently imported wartime P-08 and P-38 pistols have appeared at gun shows and dealers. I've been told Russia recently released stores of captured German weapons to be exported to the States. Most of the ones I've seen have been reblued, but all seem to be in excellent condition. Many retain matching parts. I picked up a nice all matching 1937 dated P-08 that had the sweetest trigger I've ever felt on a P-08 and the finsih and checkered wood grips were very, very, nice. Can anyone add more information about these weapons? Did the Russian actually refinish and recondition these and simply place them in storage; or did the importer perform the dip blueing?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Doug, these guns are also around in the UK, albeit in deactivated form. I would also like to know where all the P35(P)Radoms have come from? These were hard to find years ago and now there are lots of them around.
I bought an all matching numbers P38 and a P35(P) a couple of years ago and they are really nice.
Cheers, Ade.

[Matt Weber]

Doug,

I don't have all the information for you, but you are correct that these have been around for several years. The same thing happened with all those K98s that came in!

The Russian imports are almost always re-worked and/or re-blued (but not always!) The P38s are pretty much kept as they were. The lugers however, often have several internal parts that were changed due to wear and/or broken. Mostly small parts such as the toggle spring, sear, firing pin, trigger spring are usually replaced. (this is probably why your trigger feels so good!)
The grips are often chaged as well.

When these first came to the USA I got one of those lugers. I got it just for a shooter. I took it completely apart, and the only parts that were changed were the grips, the sear, and ejector spring. That was it! The rest of the gun was all original! Bore was excellent. I got it for about $300. These are definately a good buy if you want to have a good shooter that you don't mind shooting the piss out of!

Matt

[GerColctor]

Russian Lugers

Doug
I bought my first Luger as a teenager in the mid 1960's and was never in a position [$$$] to buy another one until 1992, when I purchased a very nice 1939 Russian reworked and reblued Luger. This weapon was in great condition. It had new plastic grips and 2 matching mags. The aluminum base of the orginial mags had been replaced, but the Russians went to the effort to serial number them to the gun.
I later traded it to a guy who owned a nice 1936 in orginial condition. He wanted mine because it looked almost new. I explained that it was a marked import, but he didn't care, he only wanted it as a shooter.
I now own a number of orginial condition Lugers and never shoot them. My "shooter" is a nice mismatch commercial, but I would not hesitate to buy another of these reconditioned imports to use as a shooter.
Joe

[Doug See]

Thanks for everyone's comments.
Can anyone shed more light on whether the Russians ever actually re-issued these, or were they all reworked simply for export sales?

[Matt Weber]

Since the luger was already an outdated pistol by the start of WWII, I don't think the Russians ever re-issued them.

I believe that these were simply re-worked for resale in the West.

Matt

[GerColctor]

Russian captured Lugers

The Russians kept most of the good weapons that they captured from the German in WW II. They never knew if they would be attacked again, as this was always a great concern to them reguardless of the type of government in power. If a crisis occured these weapons could be reissued.

These German pistols and rifles were all reconditioned and stored away. Some were given to the Communists in China in the late 40s and they {China} later sent some to North Vietnam.
When the "wall" came down in the very late 80s and the new government of Russia needed hard currency, they sold these old guns to the west.

As these guns, P-08, P-38, 98k, etc were outdated military ordinance that was just taking up space, they accepted the offer to sell them. These imports started appearing about 1990. I bought my Russian rework in 1991 from an add in the Shotgun News. It was a 1939 dated Luger, with plastic grips and 2 matching mags. The mags had new aluminum bottoms, but the Russians went to the effort to apply the correct serial numbers of the gun. I later purchased a nice reworked 1944 P-38 from the same importer/dealer.
Joe

[Ardennes]

availability

Are these imports still showing up? What are typical prices for a P08 and a P38?

[Brian M]

they are coming in in droves. FGS inc. has a good supply and reasonable prices, although they have steadily increased over the last year. the Russians reblued them as part of preparations for resale, and rearsenal. they were used, as well as other captured smallarms, k98k's, mp-40's, mg34's, etc. as trade material to third world countries and Soviet sattelite states. a great many captured German weapons appeared in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. I have a friend who brought home an Mp-40 from Vietnam. I know of someone else who has a mint from rearsenal J.P. Sauer 1940 k98k which was shipped home from Vietnam by a soldier in 1966. the soldier was eventually K.I.A. he bought the rifle from the soldier's father last year for $425 and it came with the capture papers and original shipping crate with label from Vietnam that he sent it home in.

many of the Lugers and P-38's that are now coming in have no import marks, or are marked under the grips! be very careful when looking for a non import now adays, although a Russian dip blue can be spotted a mile away. another telltale of a Russian capture is the "X" or crossed cannon cartouche on the reciever or frame. sometimes the frame serial numbers are X'ed out and renumbered to the slide. other than the reblue, many of these are in near mint condition.