The same can't be said about me. Lenin's people killed me 100 years ago on the 17th of this month. This Dead Russian Tsar appreciates that Luger's skills at surviving the Red bastards!
My grandfather who served in the first Cavalry in Vietnam picked up a Luger from a Vietcong soldier that could be traced back to a german officer from WW2.
Jacob DeMond Very interesting. I wonder if the pistol was captured from the French during the first Indochina war since they used lugers quite frequently or was it given by some Warsaw pact country as aid?
After WW 2 a lot of former German soldiers joined the French Foreign Legion. Many joined because they needed the work. Other joined because individuals who joined the Foreign Legion became French citizens under the name they gave when they joined. Needless to say in the early 50s most soldiers in the Foreign Legion knew German.
William Sager more then likely its a soviets hand me over as they emptied their ww2 storage depoes in vietnam mausers, c98, mp40, sturmgevärs, mg42, mg34 and all other manner of captured weapons
North Vietnam and the GDR (East Germany) had close relations and many Vietnamese went to GRD for academic education or other kind of training. This included training for NVA (North Vietnamese Army) officers by the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee - East German Army). Maybe the Luger was a souvenir of a North Vietnamese officer that was trained in East Germany. East Germany did also supply a lot of weapons and munition to North Vietnam, so maybe that's how the Luger got to Vietnam.
You can only do this with German guns to be honest. They were meticulous record keepers and always stamped/marked everything they owned. You can usually know the fabrication dates with just one or two markings, which is miraculous considering that the most century old weapons of other provenance have little to no markings and it is impossible to know what happened, where it was produced and most importantly, what it experienced. A tragedy indeed...
Dragonstorm Dipro In my town there was a gun buyback and the news was boasting that someone turned in a "japanese wwii military rifle". At another buyback I went to to protest, I saw a guy turn in a Swiss k31 to be melted down. It's really sad, and so SO frustrating since they do nothing but waste money and cause the destruction of history. If they didnt want the gun "on the streets" they shouldve kept it or turned it in to a museum, or they could even sell it to a gun shop if they realized that every FFL is required to give background checks to purchasers.
I also like well traveled guns like that. The gun I have that is closest to that is my Israeli Mauser that started life in World War I as a GEW 98, converted to a K98K before World War II, and ended up in Israel between the World War II and their statehood. Later converted to 7.62x51 in the late 50s, and surplused in the 1970s.
Imagine, from the hands of those in the Great War, then to police service, then inventory count, then post Versailles service in the 20’s in Weimar, then in military service with the Third Reich, and onward to police service after the war under the hands of the Soviets, and then onto the commercial market, where it finally got respite. That gun is 101 years old as of now and has spent most of it in service. She’s an old and beaten girl.
My grandpa carried a P08 when he became a police officer. When Hitler came to power, my grandpa automatically became a member of the Nazi party since he worked in public service. His P08 accompanied him to Russia, the Crimean peninsula, Budapest back up to Travemünde where he and his comrades who survived that wild flight from the Russians surrendered to British troops. After "denazification" which simply meant working the same job for less money, he was allowed to keep his P08 until he retired. He did in 1979, too soon and my father inherited his gun. Since my father was a doctor who never had any intention of firing this metal piece of history, he never joined a gun clob and therefore only had a license to own this gun as part of his heritage. Gun laws changed and government wanted him to add some sort of keylock to the gun and to surrender the key to the county officials. Gun smiths were busy due to the law change and not able to supply and install a keylock mechanism so that he decided to hand the gun in. The motherfuckers destroyd that gun... It was made in the twenties, the stamps matched, it came with a leather !quick draw holster and an extra magazine. My grandpa kept his ammunition in a gas mask can... When I told my dad how much money he threw away and how such a piece of history could have been sold to someone who values such things, his jaws dropped... Worse, a few years ago, my dad asked my grandma to hand him my grandpa's medals so that he could keep them in his safe, she refused, several weeks later, they were stolen when a burglar broke into her appartment while she was on one of her extensive travels at the time... Still have his russian dictionary and his Wehrmacht's instructions on company tactics...
What’s equally impressive is the collector who discovered and deciphered the provenance of the pistol. Just as easily that the pistol came into the possession of an imbecile and mistreated the historical piece. Well done.
A 1917 gun issued to the Schutzpolizei in the 1920's wouldn't consider it historical - just a gun the Allies didn't confiscate and destroy in compliance with the treaty.
I've heard a lot of folks over the years parrot the phrase, "don't buy a gun for it's story" in reference to the value of collectible firearms. While that may be true for the pure market value of a gun, I've always found the most interesting and fulfilling part of collecting to be the history of the individual gun in question, its service and the story it tells. This is a beautiful example of that, thanks for the great work Ian!
I have also heard only collect what interests you. Never buy something thinking to make money, most of the time you will lose. If by chance you make money on it, that's an accidental bonus. Not something to rely on.
Andre Krumins Thats a fair point,it was my father in law's deer rifle before he gave it to me. I meant before it got 'surped but i totally see your point there.
Many of these milsurp guns never saw combat at all. Most of them probably never even got issued to soldiers and were locked away in crates in some arsenal. They got inspected every couple of years, before being sold off later.
"Hello, kamerade. Out for walk? Ah! You are a young one! Bright and strong! Forgive mein accent und sometimes broken English- I learn from old enemies, not always best. The world is much brighter nowadays... but my sights will work. So does my toggle. I have seen the great kings clash, nobility put aside for anger, but righteous anger it was. Blood and flesh spilled, onto the ground, by young lads. I fought for the Kaiserreich. My people needed me. My nation needed me. I have seen democracy rise up in place, chance for peace. People were not satisfied. They desired strength. They became tyrannical. The roar of machines built for struggle, for war, clashing, sprays of sparks. The men drew me again- a black spider on arms. I hated to look at it. But German they were, why should I argue with master of kin? Then silence. A black silence. A new tyrant to put me in his holster. The instruments of farmhands were law of land. I was used to control the people, to further revolution I never wanted. Then a fortress crumbled. I was free. Such color! Germany may lose pride, but they never lose heart. Mein Brandenburg Gate still standing. Mein Victory Column still strong. I am at peace. I fend off robbers after my master. I hunt the fauna of the forest. And now... what stories shall you tell me, kamerade?"
What if guns were like the movie Toy Story? When they're by themselves in the gun safe or warehouse they talk to each other and swap stories. Yet when we're using them they just perform.
2:44 man, those Lugers were well ahead of their time. The design still does not aged or dull - but actually a bit futuristic. Also looks pretty, really mint - not more than 100 years old.
Whatever the rest of the world and especially us Germans may think and say about the Americans and their guns: Nowhere in the world is gun-related history hold up as high as it is by you guys. Thank you for preserving it not only for you but all of us. And a special thank you to Ian of course.
I have 7 firearms of around a century old. I've fired all but one of them (.32 S&W is difficult to come by) but by far the most interesting of them are those with a story. Like my Great Grandfather's Iver Johnson break-top revolver in .32 S&W, that he used to carry to shoot rabbits riding his _horse_ to the schoolhouse where he taught in North Dakota. Or the Colt 1911 made in 1919 that belonged to one of my Grandfather's best friends. It was his service piece when he was in the army in the interwar period. I used to go duck hunting with the man, and my Dad bought the Colt from him before he died and had restored. Also my Grandfather's 1916 Mauser Gewehr 98 (sporterized) that has taken many a deer and elk, and was passed down to me when I started hunting in 1979. (It honestly doesn't shoot so great anymore, but it's still adequate for the occasional deer. I don't shoot it much.)
No kidding. I have too many of them. Comes from having a Dad who collected such things. Sadly, I will be parting ways with the Mauser. I also have my Grandfather's Husqvarna in 30.06 which is basically identical to the Mauser, but a much better made firearm. I don't need 3 deer rifles so two of three need to go. (I'm still waffling on my Dad's Pre-64 Model 70 in .300 WM.)
These guns still look so damn good. There's something about the angles, the circular disc shapes and that pull back that just make it so iconic. Hope to one day own a piece with a similar story to this one. Fascinating.
I really love that stuff. I have a K98k which is stamped dot 1945. However, the hodge-podge of various parts(forward band with G98-style sling hook) with the occasional WaA-eagle and the fact, that the last digit of the date is stamped in deeper than the first three, might be a sign that the rifle was put together shortly after the war from various wartime production runs. I would have to check the info for the Brno production to clear that up. Away from speculation, back to the stamps: Besides the aforementioned WaA-stamps, there's a Bohemian Lion, probably a Czechoslovak proof mark on the side of the receiver. Then, there's a couple shield of David proof marks next to it and the rifle has been rebarreled for 7,62x51 NATO by the Israelis(Czechoslovakia shipped several thousand WWII small arms and even a couple of planes to Jewish forces in Palestine, shortly before the UN turned the land over for the foundation of the Israeli state). Finally, there's a stamp from the West German milsurp importer Orion(today Hege) and West German proof marks from the 70s. So it's pretty cool to have a rifle that is historically connected to three of my favorite countries: 1. Germany(my home
It'd make a better story than 99% of the crap Hollywood puts out as the story plots for movies, to say the least! If that Luger could write a movie about it's life, I would pay money to see that.
Thanks for the interesting history story on that pistol. Born in Berlin and lived and survived the cold war in the city of West-Berlin. Did not know that the STASI had a weapons depot in Weissensee which is located in the east part of Berlin....Wolfgang
I'm often asked what I see in firearms. Old ones in particular. This is an excellent example of that interest. Old world craftsmanship combined with a history that spans decades, if not centuries.
Quite the history! Also a beautiful looking gun - especially in those lighting conditions. The trigger, safety lever, front sight etc gets a very nice copper/bronze shine to them :)
History like this is why I love surplus firearms, this video is great! Thanks for finding this and showing something that I wouldn't even have heard of without Forgotten Weapons.
Thank you for putting so much effort in to explaining the background of the weapons in your videos. I highly appreciate the educational and entertainment value.
It would make a great movie just telling all the history that this gun has lived, all the people that handled it in some of the biggest events from last century
What's amazing about this handgun other than the fact it's been through so much, is: A.) It is still in amazing shape. B.) It still has the original magazine, it's held on to that all this time.
Really intriguing to imagine it's life. Had a Winchester 97 which was sold to a guy N Dakota in 1912 , bought it off his grandson in 1996 and put a couple of thousand shells through it .Sold it last year and I'm guessing it's still out there somewhere making a lot of noise.All the best Blighty.
Have a buddy who owns a 1914 dated Luger . What an amazing firearm to shoot, so natural. He also has a 1942 Walther P38. I prefer the P08 for its natural point ability and smooth trigger. Eventually I’ll scrape together enough to get one for my own collection.
If guns...or any objects could talk. What they can communicate is done so through their proof, inventory, ownership and other markings. A true one-of-a-kind.
It's amazing that a couple of stamps, a few markings, and a handful of letters put this pistol in a majority of the most significant European military conflicts of the last 100 years
My grandfather was in the South African Airforce during WW2 in North Africa. The air crew were issued Webley .38’s as sidearms that were apparently terrible and were always on the search for either 1911’s from the US troops or captured Lugers. A German aircraft was shot down and crashed next to their runway, some of the mechanics recovered a pair of Lugers from the wreckage and gave one to my grandfather. After the war he took it back to South Africa and eventually licensed it. Some time in the 90’s the police contacted him and said they had recovered his Luger and wanted to know why he had not reported it stolen. He told them impossible, he still has it in his safe. They did not believe him and sent someone around to verify it. Turns out they had found another Luger with the same serial number.
Rough translation for the proper german nouns he mentions: Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik = German Weapons and Ammunitions Factory Volkspolizei = (literally) People's Police Weißensee = White Lake (several citys in germany have that name. And i guess the proof marking he mentioned was from the former Berlin City disctrict Berlin-Weißensee, which was part of the soviet controlled sector. In 2000 the districts were redistributed and Weißensee is just now a little part of this district now called Berlin-Pankow. And btw: the ß is used instead of the 2 s's, also called 'sharp s' or and the letter is called in english phonetics 'es-tset' or german phonetics 'es-zet') Stasi (short for 'Staats Sicherheit') = State Security (East German Secret Service if you want ...)
The funny thing is that we have lots of special coatings today, tenifer, ceracoat..... And then there are these superold guns, just blued and in wonderful condition, outlasting every single owner.
It would be tough to find a gun with more history. I like the fact that yu are wearing a light color shirt; it makes the gun seem to stand out with better clarity than a dark shirt would .
As a young man in the 1920's, my father went to Seattle, WA. Down by the docks was a warehouse that was the repository for pistols taken from the German army when it was disarmed in 1918. There was no market for these pistols, mostly Mausers and Lugers. There was only a padlock on the gate, no other security. Dad said they remained there untill FDR recognized the Soviet Union, at which time Russian agents came and selected those that would fire. The Soviets paid 25 cents a piece for them!
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe-"
When you said that, the only thing I could ever think of was porn.
it’s not, I reassure you
@@osmacar5331 just imagine......offfff all that time
whittney shackleburst bit spooky to think about but true of many former military firearms
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I've seen C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tenhauzer gate
The gun that outlived the entire Soviet Union
The same can't be said about me. Lenin's people killed me 100 years ago on the 17th of this month.
This Dead Russian Tsar appreciates that Luger's skills at surviving the Red bastards!
Empires rise and fall but german steel will always be there and waiting.
HM The Tsar of Russia USSR USSR USSR USSR USSR USSR USSR USSR USSR СУКА БЛЯТЬ СУКА БЛЯТЬ СУКА БЛЯТЬ
@@EuropeYear1917 good job lenin! You made russia stronk!
@@EuropeYear1917 You got shot with a Luger P08...
My grandfather who served in the first Cavalry in Vietnam picked up a Luger from a Vietcong soldier that could be traced back to a german officer from WW2.
Jacob DeMond Very interesting. I wonder if the pistol was captured from the French during the first Indochina war since they used lugers quite frequently or was it given by some Warsaw pact country as aid?
After WW 2 a lot of former German soldiers joined the French Foreign Legion. Many joined because they needed the work. Other joined because individuals who joined the Foreign Legion became French citizens under the name they gave when they joined. Needless to say in the early 50s most soldiers in the Foreign Legion knew German.
William Sager more then likely its a soviets hand me over as they emptied their ww2 storage depoes in vietnam mausers, c98, mp40, sturmgevärs, mg42, mg34 and all other manner of captured weapons
That's seriously cool.
North Vietnam and the GDR (East Germany) had close relations and many Vietnamese went to GRD for academic education or other kind of training. This included training for NVA (North Vietnamese Army) officers by the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee - East German Army). Maybe the Luger was a souvenir of a North Vietnamese officer that was trained in East Germany.
East Germany did also supply a lot of weapons and munition to North Vietnam, so maybe that's how the Luger got to Vietnam.
“Okay, now it definitely belongs in a museum.” - Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., 1990
it's amazing how much you can tell about a gun just from a few markings
You can only do this with German guns to be honest. They were meticulous record keepers and always stamped/marked everything they owned. You can usually know the fabrication dates with just one or two markings, which is miraculous considering that the most century old weapons of other provenance have little to no markings and it is impossible to know what happened, where it was produced and most importantly, what it experienced. A tragedy indeed...
It's so incredible how guns become their own stories, well outliving the original creators and owners.
Dragonstorm Dipro In my town there was a gun buyback and the news was boasting that someone turned in a "japanese wwii military rifle". At another buyback I went to to protest, I saw a guy turn in a Swiss k31 to be melted down. It's really sad, and so SO frustrating since they do nothing but waste money and cause the destruction of history. If they didnt want the gun "on the streets" they shouldve kept it or turned it in to a museum, or they could even sell it to a gun shop if they realized that every FFL is required to give background checks to purchasers.
This angers me. It should be a crime to deface history like that.
I wouldn't exactly call 200 school shootings in 6 months "worthless paranoia"
school shootings are definetly caused by swiss k31's
Just like fill cameras. That Luger reminds me of my old Leica M6.
Wow this gun lived in every kind of society. imperial, fascit ,socialist and Capitalist.
oh damn
And was probably used to shoot at all of them :P
Don't blame guns, blame the people using it😁
Gabriel Castro and now socialist again
Which one was socialist?
I also like well traveled guns like that. The gun I have that is closest to that is my Israeli Mauser that started life in World War I as a GEW 98, converted to a K98K before World War II, and ended up in Israel between the World War II and their statehood. Later converted to 7.62x51 in the late 50s, and surplused in the 1970s.
You should make a video about that!
I did 😀. June 5, 2017.
mind sharing :)
ua-cam.com/video/1KVxPSAFZYc/v-deo.html
Milsurp Mike Channel that is amazing.
If only if it could talk it would be one heck of a story
Very true, but at the same time I'm, sure there is some history of that would be best left not known lol!
I'm pretty sure it would talk about "The Greatest Story Never Told!"
I have changed hands many times, seen so much death and destruction and have done exactly what I was designed to do
It'd say "bang bang"
Imagine, from the hands of those in the Great War, then to police service, then inventory count, then post Versailles service in the 20’s in Weimar, then in military service with the Third Reich, and onward to police service after the war under the hands of the Soviets, and then onto the commercial market, where it finally got respite. That gun is 101 years old as of now and has spent most of it in service. She’s an old and beaten girl.
It is in really good condition for an one hundred years pistol.
I'm wondering if it was ever even fired. I don't see any edge or corner wear on the paint.
Seems like it spent most of its life in storage
Momma always used to say, you can tell a lot about a person by their Luger
Lol
Where they going, where they been
My grandpa carried a P08 when he became a police officer. When Hitler came to power, my grandpa automatically became a member of the Nazi party since he worked in public service. His P08 accompanied him to Russia, the Crimean peninsula, Budapest back up to Travemünde where he and his comrades who survived that wild flight from the Russians surrendered to British troops.
After "denazification" which simply meant working the same job for less money, he was allowed to keep his P08 until he retired. He did in 1979, too soon and my father inherited his gun. Since my father was a doctor who never had any intention of firing this metal piece of history, he never joined a gun clob and therefore only had a license to own this gun as part of his heritage. Gun laws changed and government wanted him to add some sort of keylock to the gun and to surrender the key to the county officials. Gun smiths were busy due to the law change and not able to supply and install a keylock mechanism so that he decided to hand the gun in. The motherfuckers destroyd that gun... It was made in the twenties, the stamps matched, it came with a leather !quick draw holster and an extra magazine. My grandpa kept his ammunition in a gas mask can...
When I told my dad how much money he threw away and how such a piece of history could have been sold to someone who values such things, his jaws dropped... Worse, a few years ago, my dad asked my grandma to hand him my grandpa's medals so that he could keep them in his safe, she refused, several weeks later, they were stolen when a burglar broke into her appartment while she was on one of her extensive travels at the time...
Still have his russian dictionary and his Wehrmacht's instructions on company tactics...
I'm sorry you lost all that stuff, what a shame
That’s heartbreaking to be honest
My grandmother literally threw my grandpa's Astra 400 from the Spanish Civil War into the bin because he almost killed her accidentally.
How'd the government know about it in the first place? I wouldnt have turned in shit.
The Rooster destroying history should be illegal, after ww2 swasticas were filed off thousands of rifles because of the symbol
What’s equally impressive is the collector who discovered and deciphered the provenance of the pistol. Just as easily that the pistol came into the possession of an imbecile and mistreated the historical piece. Well done.
A 1917 gun issued to the Schutzpolizei in the 1920's wouldn't consider it historical - just a gun the Allies didn't confiscate and destroy in compliance with the treaty.
Ohlourdes Padua except the history didn’t end there. And neither did the markings outlining the history. Right on up until 1995.
I've heard a lot of folks over the years parrot the phrase, "don't buy a gun for it's story" in reference to the value of collectible firearms. While that may be true for the pure market value of a gun, I've always found the most interesting and fulfilling part of collecting to be the history of the individual gun in question, its service and the story it tells. This is a beautiful example of that, thanks for the great work Ian!
I have also heard only collect what interests you. Never buy something thinking to make money, most of the time you will lose. If by chance you make money on it, that's an accidental bonus. Not something to rely on.
My goodness, the things that that pistol has seen in its life...
Makes me wonder what my Krag has seen since 1899.
probably lots of deer hunting.
Andre Krumins Thats a fair point,it was my father in law's deer rifle before he gave it to me. I meant before it got 'surped but i totally see your point there.
Many of these milsurp guns never saw combat at all. Most of them probably never even got issued to soldiers and were locked away in crates in some arsenal. They got inspected every couple of years, before being sold off later.
Makes me wonder what my vetterli-vitali 1870/87/15 has been thru
Sportscard Center probably a TON. Italians, then maybe Russians, Finns, and god knows who else.
"Hello, kamerade. Out for walk?
Ah! You are a young one! Bright and strong!
Forgive mein accent und sometimes broken English- I learn from old enemies, not always best.
The world is much brighter nowadays... but my sights will work. So does my toggle.
I have seen the great kings clash, nobility put aside for anger, but righteous anger it was.
Blood and flesh spilled, onto the ground, by young lads.
I fought for the Kaiserreich. My people needed me. My nation needed me.
I have seen democracy rise up in place, chance for peace.
People were not satisfied. They desired strength. They became tyrannical.
The roar of machines built for struggle, for war, clashing, sprays of sparks.
The men drew me again- a black spider on arms. I hated to look at it.
But German they were, why should I argue with master of kin?
Then silence. A black silence. A new tyrant to put me in his holster. The instruments of farmhands were law of land.
I was used to control the people, to further revolution I never wanted.
Then a fortress crumbled.
I was free.
Such color!
Germany may lose pride, but they never lose heart.
Mein Brandenburg Gate still standing. Mein Victory Column still strong.
I am at peace.
I fend off robbers after my master. I hunt the fauna of the forest.
And now... what stories shall you tell me, kamerade?"
That's beautiful
That you're now in the hands of the Gun Jesus, Herr Luger.
Jesus, man.
I imagine a beautiful woman telling this while sitting in a chair on her master's porch.
EDIT: This reminds me of Tired Tanks.
Okay but Weimar Germany was anything but peaceful let's be real.
What if guns were like the movie Toy Story? When they're by themselves in the gun safe or warehouse they talk to each other and swap stories. Yet when we're using them they just perform.
John Garand “Ian’s coming!....”
They all drop
LegitGrantham20 lol that's funny
But ze german guns would not be able to talk because zey are to focused and efficient to swap stories ;).
Dreadnought of blades well they do keep to themselves a lot. Lol
I would pay an un-godly amound of money just to make a movie like this.
2:44 man, those Lugers were well ahead of their time. The design still does not aged or dull - but actually a bit futuristic.
Also looks pretty, really mint - not more than 100 years old.
Whatever the rest of the world and especially us Germans may think and say about the Americans and their guns: Nowhere in the world is gun-related history hold up as high as it is by you guys. Thank you for preserving it not only for you but all of us.
And a special thank you to Ian of course.
A short film following this luger like the intro to Lord of War would be cool
Exactly what I thought of too. Like you could see where it was used and when it got its stamps
"My Way" sequal, starring the german luger P08
You actually know about that movie?
100 year old gun with the history to boot!
I have 7 firearms of around a century old. I've fired all but one of them (.32 S&W is difficult to come by) but by far the most interesting of them are those with a story. Like my Great Grandfather's Iver Johnson break-top revolver in .32 S&W, that he used to carry to shoot rabbits riding his _horse_ to the schoolhouse where he taught in North Dakota. Or the Colt 1911 made in 1919 that belonged to one of my Grandfather's best friends. It was his service piece when he was in the army in the interwar period. I used to go duck hunting with the man, and my Dad bought the Colt from him before he died and had restored. Also my Grandfather's 1916 Mauser Gewehr 98 (sporterized) that has taken many a deer and elk, and was passed down to me when I started hunting in 1979. (It honestly doesn't shoot so great anymore, but it's still adequate for the occasional deer. I don't shoot it much.)
Heirlooms.
No kidding. I have too many of them. Comes from having a Dad who collected such things. Sadly, I will be parting ways with the Mauser. I also have my Grandfather's Husqvarna in 30.06 which is basically identical to the Mauser, but a much better made firearm. I don't need 3 deer rifles so two of three need to go. (I'm still waffling on my Dad's Pre-64 Model 70 in .300 WM.)
These guns still look so damn good. There's something about the angles, the circular disc shapes and that pull back that just make it so iconic. Hope to one day own a piece with a similar story to this one. Fascinating.
I have a VOPO with similar markings. So much history in one place. I also have an artillery Luger with Berlin Soviet sector markings.
I really love that stuff.
I have a K98k which is stamped dot 1945.
However, the hodge-podge of various parts(forward band with G98-style sling hook) with the occasional WaA-eagle and the fact, that the last digit of the date is stamped in deeper than the first three, might be a sign that the rifle was put together shortly after the war from various wartime production runs. I would have to check the info for the Brno production to clear that up.
Away from speculation, back to the stamps:
Besides the aforementioned WaA-stamps, there's a Bohemian Lion, probably a Czechoslovak proof mark on the side of the receiver.
Then, there's a couple shield of David proof marks next to it and the rifle has been rebarreled for 7,62x51 NATO by the Israelis(Czechoslovakia shipped several thousand WWII small arms and even a couple of planes to Jewish forces in Palestine, shortly before the UN turned the land over for the foundation of the Israeli state).
Finally, there's a stamp from the West German milsurp importer Orion(today Hege) and West German proof marks from the 70s.
So it's pretty cool to have a rifle that is historically connected to three of my favorite countries:
1. Germany(my home
...what a provenance!!...and to look as sweet af after all its travels. Hats off to Herr Luger
My father has a luger that is dated from 1918 and was taken from a dead German in Normandy, but is very clean.
If that gun could tell its own story ....
It'd make a better story than 99% of the crap Hollywood puts out as the story plots for movies, to say the least! If that Luger could write a movie about it's life, I would pay money to see that.
Damn I would pay to see either a film or comic book about the story of this gun
Video in 2120:
"This gun lived through WW1, Weimar Republic, WW2, Soviet Union, and WW3"
That thing is a whole collection and remarkable piece of history by itself... Quite impressive.
beautiful pistol, wish I had one
Words do not do justice to how much I would love to just see this beautiful piece of history in person
God damn it! Lugers are so cool.
For a gun over 110 years old, this Luger has come a long way, and I’m glad we’re able to preserve guns like this.
Thanks for the interesting history story on that pistol. Born in Berlin and lived and survived the cold war in the city of West-Berlin. Did not know that the STASI had a weapons depot in Weissensee which is located in the east part of Berlin....Wolfgang
I'm often asked what I see in firearms. Old ones in particular. This is an excellent example of that interest. Old world craftsmanship combined with a history that spans decades, if not centuries.
Quite the history! Also a beautiful looking gun - especially in those lighting conditions. The trigger, safety lever, front sight etc gets a very nice copper/bronze shine to them :)
History like this is why I love surplus firearms, this video is great! Thanks for finding this and showing something that I wouldn't even have heard of without Forgotten Weapons.
This piece is a time capsule. Well done content, Ian and thanks as always.
If i had to pick 3 videos of the thousands that represent the significance and interest of this channel, this would absolutely be one of 'em.
That Luger is one thing, the other well-traveled fellow with history on his back is another significance we envy.
I like the WOOSH sound effect at 5:05
The P08 is such a wonderful work of art. Beautiful! thanks for showing it, keep up the great videos.
Such a beautiful pistol with such an incredible background I’m in awe
That’s amazing. I love it when these videos have so much interesting history in them.
A wonderful piece of history. I'd love to get my hands on one.
Thank you for putting so much effort in to explaining the background of the weapons in your videos. I highly appreciate the educational and entertainment value.
how many people have held that gun? and pointed that gun at someone? so much history in a machine that tells no stories other then its scars.
It would make a great movie just telling all the history that this gun has lived, all the people that handled it in some of the biggest events from last century
Probably my favorite video so far, thanks for showing this incredible piece of history
This is why I love guns! The history in them is amazing...that and it's just really fun.
What makes it even better,
The P08, is still a good useable pistol. Even with only 8rds better then a M9......
I would love to have one like that in the collection. I could right out an entire history of it to stay with the pistol. It is in such good shape too.
What's amazing about this handgun other than the fact it's been through so much, is: A.) It is still in amazing shape. B.) It still has the original magazine, it's held on to that all this time.
True testament to engineering and quality. A century of service
Someone please make a "warhorse" style movie following this gun
That is one very well taken care for Luger. Like a high mileage one owner car that was loved.
Those grips look pretty nice for a gun with that history.
Really intriguing to imagine it's life. Had a Winchester 97 which was sold to a guy N Dakota in 1912 , bought it off his grandson in 1996 and put a couple of thousand shells through it .Sold it last year and I'm guessing it's still out there somewhere making a lot of noise.All the best Blighty.
Have a buddy who owns a 1914 dated Luger . What an amazing firearm to shoot, so natural. He also has a 1942 Walther P38. I prefer the P08 for its natural point ability and smooth trigger. Eventually I’ll scrape together enough to get one for my own collection.
Ha , revisiting this video, I now have my own "byf" 1941 marked Mauser P08. It's probably my favorite pistol, next to my Ithaca 1942, 1911A1.
Great video. I have a 1916 dwm frame with Mauser s/42 toggle and an SA stamp. I bet it could tell a story or two...
It looks in mighty fine condition! What a great find!
The gun looks like it was in storage the whole time throughout these historical events.
Imagine this gun being able to talk. That would be one heck of a story to tell.
christ all those years, all that milage, and it STILL looks immaculate
Amazing the history that gun as seen. And it looks in such a good shape too.
Great video love the history derived from this one firearm. Hopefully you find more firearms with stories such as this.
If guns...or any objects could talk. What they can communicate is done so through their proof, inventory, ownership and other markings. A true one-of-a-kind.
*The Brave Little Luger* coming to a theater near you
This is so interesting. I love this history of firearms and just history in general. Thanks so much for this!
Luger has been through a lot and still looks great.
I would love a realistic fiction movie made around this gun's journey.
Wiki Leaks: I've seen some heavy shit out there, man.
Luger: Hold mein Bier.
What an awesome piece of history.
I love the Luger. It is so elegant and streamlined looking
Fascinating history on that gun.
Awesome! Thanks for showing us this neat little piece of history!
this luger is 101 years old and it still works like if it was a young beauty again.
It's amazing that a couple of stamps, a few markings, and a handful of letters put this pistol in a majority of the most significant European military conflicts of the last 100 years
My grandfather was in the South African Airforce during WW2 in North Africa. The air crew were issued Webley .38’s as sidearms that were apparently terrible and were always on the search for either 1911’s from the US troops or captured Lugers. A German aircraft was shot down and crashed next to their runway, some of the mechanics recovered a pair of Lugers from the wreckage and gave one to my grandfather. After the war he took it back to South Africa and eventually licensed it.
Some time in the 90’s the police contacted him and said they had recovered his Luger and wanted to know why he had not reported it stolen. He told them impossible, he still has it in his safe. They did not believe him and sent someone around to verify it. Turns out they had found another Luger with the same serial number.
Wait, how? It's ungerman to make mistakes
How amazing to handle something just dripping with history.
Rough translation for the proper german nouns he mentions:
Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik = German Weapons and Ammunitions Factory
Volkspolizei = (literally) People's Police
Weißensee = White Lake (several citys in germany have that name. And i guess the proof marking he mentioned was from the former Berlin City disctrict Berlin-Weißensee, which was part of the soviet controlled sector. In 2000 the districts were redistributed and Weißensee is just now a little part of this district now called Berlin-Pankow. And btw: the ß is used instead of the 2 s's, also called 'sharp s' or and the letter is called in english phonetics 'es-tset' or german phonetics 'es-zet')
Stasi (short for 'Staats Sicherheit') = State Security (East German Secret Service if you want ...)
Always wondered what the 2/1001 markings on my Luger mags meant and now I know. Yet another reason to watch Ian!
That is a fantastic find. Just like I like them as well. That Luger puts unfired safe-queens to shame; much more interesting.
My uncle just bought this gun and let me shoot it a few weeks ago. His was manufactured in 1939. Very nice 9 mm gun. Great piece of history.
I would love to have such a piece in my collection. Thanks for sharing.
This Luger has seen a lot of action
Great unique gun! This weapon did not forgotten.
If that pistol could talk. I'd imagine it still fires like the day it was made.
The funny thing is that we have lots of special coatings today, tenifer, ceracoat..... And then there are these superold guns, just blued and in wonderful condition, outlasting every single owner.
"I'm ze Vanderer;
Ja! Ze Vanderer.
I go around, und round, und round, und round, und round..."
Yaaa im ze kind of gun...that loves to go around...
that is one of the coolest guns i have seen on your page.
What a wonderful trip through time !
It would be tough to find a gun with more history. I like the fact that yu are wearing a light color shirt; it makes the gun seem to stand out with better clarity than a dark shirt would .
As a young man in the 1920's, my father went to Seattle, WA. Down by the docks was a warehouse that was the repository for pistols taken from the German army when it was disarmed in 1918. There was no market for these pistols, mostly Mausers and Lugers. There was only a padlock on the gate, no other security. Dad said they remained there untill FDR recognized the Soviet Union, at which time Russian agents came and selected those that would fire. The Soviets paid 25 cents a piece for them!
One Luger to rule them all...
Gun Jesus you never fail to bring us something interesting to see. Thank You!
Your videos are never a disappointment.
It's been a hundred years...damn man.