.30 American Eagle Luger

nvcdl · October 01, 2018, 14:57

Made a lowball bid at an estate sale to keep things moving and ended up with a .30 American Eagle Luger. Has a high polish reblue job. Marked Germany under Serial number and has American Eagle on top of receiver.

Any idea of what something like this is worth? Trying to come up with a price to list it locally or on gunbroker.

Bawana jim · October 01, 2018, 15:12

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/dw...istol-pr18436/

https://www.gunsamerica.com/95278924...AGLE-30-CA.htm

nvcdl · October 01, 2018, 17:10

These seem to be original finish. I saw someone had listed a similar reblued one for $1500 on gunbroker but it didn't sell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bawana jim

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/dw...istol-pr18436/

https://www.gunsamerica.com/95278924...AGLE-30-CA.htm

**MilsurpMonkey** · October 01, 2018, 18:19

Reblued American Eagles in .30 are hard to move. Collectors frown on the reblue, and shooters frown on the .30. It's a shame they do, all of my. 30 lugers outshoot my 9mms. And they feed far more reliably. Post some pics, but my guess in today's market would be in the $1200-$1400 range with a long soak. $950-$1100 for a quicker sale. Just my .02

nvcdl · October 01, 2018, 19:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by MilsurpMonkey

Reblued American Eagles in .30 are hard to move. Collectors frown on the reblue, and shooters frown on the .30. It's a shame they do, all of my. 30 lugers outshoot my 9mms. And they feed far more reliably. Post some pics, but my guess in today's market would be in the $1200-$1400 range with a long soak. $950-$1100 for a quicker sale. Just my .02

Thanks for the info - I haven't taken any pics but the reblue is pretty nice looking. If you are interested I can take some pics.

**Sagerider** · October 02, 2018, 14:56

From the prior posts and I agree the reblue took this pistol out of the collector relem. So with that what you have is a shooter. Being a 30 cal and not a 9mm further reduces the market for it. Being an odd ball unlike the 9mm that is cheep, abundant and almost everyone who reloads reloads for 9mm already. Obtaining dies, cases and bullets does not appear to be an issue other than the expense but it is an expense. Being a bottle neck case also has it’s own reloading issues I would imagine. I have never reloaded the 30 Luger but the things I have listed above has always been a factor for me with a potential purchase of any pistol in that caliber like the reblued broom handle Mauser I passed on a few years ago. The reblue that was done badly sure did not help much, way too much buffing to clean the pistol up. It would have been better to have left it alone. The asking price on top of all that killed it for me.
My 2 cents

Gazz · October 03, 2018, 09:06

I have watched prices on the .30 cal American Eagles for years and agree with M-Monkey. Original finish with wear sell for around the same and maybe a bit more depending on how much wear. These are auction prices and not dealer prices that I watch. I bought a rather nice original finish one about 20 years ago for $1300 so I try to keep an eye on my investment. Here is one;
http://www.amoskeagauction.com/113/153.php sold March, 2017

**yovinny** · October 04, 2018, 05:37

I have a minty one myself, in it's original 'Ambercrombie & Fitch NY' marked holster.
Iirc I paid like $600. For it around 1990 or so.

Gazz · October 05, 2018, 06:28

$600 was a bargain even then I think.

**yovinny** · October 05, 2018, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazz

$600 was a bargain even then I think.

Very likely..I was running a gun store then and never bought anything for myself that wasent..

Gazz · October 05, 2018, 19:03

And that is a bargain!

raubvogel · October 09, 2018, 05:26

I think it all depends on what you want to do.

If you want to flip it, don't expect $1K for it.

If you want to wait and sell it later on when the market it right, I have a feeling eventually the 30 Luger ones will go up in price, but "unimproved" models will always fetch more from collectors. But, if the blueing is old enough, eventually some collectors will want them for they themselves are historically representative, like early 50s sporterizations.

And then there is the guy in a gun show in FL who went livid (I guess the more sensitive and politically correct term is "apeshit") because the Mauser C96 he cerakoted (or whatever that was; I really do not know the names) and engraved a huge American flag and Jesus around the magazine did not worth as much as one with the original finish worn off. He should have engraved jewels on it too. It was funny to hear him (I was looking at a Chinese Tokarev when "noticed" he was there) arguing it should worth $2K more because of all the effort he put on it. At least he did not welded a rail to it...

Raggedwhole! · October 09, 2018, 07:12

There is a guy in Levittown PA that makes .45 acp Lugers in house from scratch. Beautiful pistols to shoot but they are $7,000 a piece..... One day I will get one. Always a heartbreaker to see a beautiful old gun that has had the markings polished down and crappily reblued. I love old Colt 1911s and unfortunately have seen this too many times.

Story · October 09, 2018, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvcdl

Any idea of what something like this is worth?

Why not go get a box of .30 Luger and go shoot it. You might decided that you love it.

Retired Bum · October 09, 2018, 21:23

Winchester is the only US maker of .30 Luger ammo. In 1989 I bought one of Browning Mark II High Powers in .30 Luger imported by the Ron Shirk Shooter Supply wholesaler. I already had a small supply of the Winchester ammo as at one time I owned a DWM Model 1923 Luger chambered for the round.

Finding .30 Luger ammo back then wasn't easy. Go to a small gun shop and more than likely the owner/hired help never heard of the cartridge. I did find several boxes of the W-W .30 Luger out of town and bought every one. Not too badly priced back them. About $15 per 50 as I recall. I bought a set of CH Armory loading dies and .30 Speer 100 grain Plinker bullets and I was good to go.

Today Winchester only makes one production run of .30 Luger maybe once a year if even that often. And it is pricey. Last time I saw any it was at the local Gander Mountain and was $50 for a 50 round box. Typical GM price gouging....

Foreign made .30 Luger is available. I bought Fiocchi from CDNN. It was reasonably priced at just under $20 per 50 rounds. Fiocchi has two loads for the round. A 93 grain FMJ and a 93 grain JSP. I seriously doubt that the JSP bullet is capable of any expansion. I chronographed it at 1150 fps in the High Power. I have shot Swedish Norma and the German RWS/Geco as well. But as far as I know they are impossible to find these days. I don't know if S&B and PPU produce the round or if so it is imported.

And so it goes.

The Retired One

adbm3 · October 15, 2018, 22:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raggedwhole!

There is a guy in Levittown PA that makes .45 acp Lugers in house from scratch. Beautiful pistols to shoot but they are $7,000 a piece..... One day I will get one. Always a heartbreaker to see a beautiful old gun that has had the markings polished down and crappily reblued. I love old Colt 1911s and unfortunately have seen this too many times.

AKA Lugerman

adbm3 · October 15, 2018, 22:56

https://www.simpsonltd.com/collectio...american-eagle

Try this link. These are by no means definitive prices but simply a guideline. Simpson is not the most reliable indicator of price since most of their stuff is consigned. But, it can give you an idea.

Reblued AE's are not necessarily undesirable - I firmly appreciate my 06 reblued 9mm. Yes, the collector value will be a bit less but there are some aficionados that would prefer a pretty reblued commercial. Also, it should be determined what year you have since AE's were produced as 1900 and 1906 models with many minor variations.

As a caveat, the Luger market is super soft and has been for some time. Prices are topped out and collector interest is on the wane since the guys who were really into these things are dying out, literally, and most of the kids like plastic glocky things now.

fal762 · October 17, 2018, 14:05

Here's ammo, if wanted https://ammoseek.com/ammo/30-luger

**yovinny** · October 17, 2018, 19:02

FN made ammo too, fmj in nice little 25rd boxes..
I should really dig some out and shoot mine,,probably been 20yrs

Raggedwhole! · October 17, 2018, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by adbm3

AKA Lugerman

The one and only. I reload .45 acp so his pistols are on my radar. I'm getting locked in.

October 01, 2018, 14:57	#1
nvcdl Registered FALaholic #: 1312 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,520	.30 American Eagle Luger Made a lowball bid at an estate sale to keep things moving and ended up with a .30 American Eagle Luger. Has a high polish reblue job. Marked Germany under Serial number and has American Eagle on top of receiver. Any idea of what something like this is worth? Trying to come up with a price to list it locally or on gunbroker.

October 01, 2018, 15:12	#2
Bawana jim Registered FALaholic #: 17482 Join Date: May 2005 Location: west coast Posts: 19,876	http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/dw...istol-pr18436/ https://www.gunsamerica.com/95278924...AGLE-30-CA.htm __________________ yellowhand "Sixmencan shut down the whole state"

October 01, 2018, 18:19	#4
MilsurpMonkey Red-headed Step Child Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 75965 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Cascade Foothills Posts: 1,588	Reblued American Eagles in .30 are hard to move. Collectors frown on the reblue, and shooters frown on the .30. It's a shame they do, all of my. 30 lugers outshoot my 9mms. And they feed far more reliably. Post some pics, but my guess in today's market would be in the $1200-$1400 range with a long soak. $950-$1100 for a quicker sale. Just my .02 __________________ Secret to life? "It's faster horses, younger women, older whisky, and more money" - Tom T. Hall

October 02, 2018, 14:56	#6
Sagerider Curio & Relic Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 66564 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montana Posts: 3,622	From the prior posts and I agree the reblue took this pistol out of the collector relem. So with that what you have is a shooter. Being a 30 cal and not a 9mm further reduces the market for it. Being an odd ball unlike the 9mm that is cheep, abundant and almost everyone who reloads reloads for 9mm already. Obtaining dies, cases and bullets does not appear to be an issue other than the expense but it is an expense. Being a bottle neck case also has it’s own reloading issues I would imagine. I have never reloaded the 30 Luger but the things I have listed above has always been a factor for me with a potential purchase of any pistol in that caliber like the reblued broom handle Mauser I passed on a few years ago. The reblue that was done badly sure did not help much, way too much buffing to clean the pistol up. It would have been better to have left it alone. The asking price on top of all that killed it for me. My 2 cents __________________ The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Matthew 25:1 thru 25:10 Be ready! The written word sometimes like poetry is never really finished but merely abandoned. I live alone in the middle of nowhere with two dogs and a cat, what do you think about that. The wind blows, the rain falls, the flag snaps its bravery in the dark as two dogs boil for attention at my feet. Of course it is a true story. You just couldn't make up something like that, no way.

October 03, 2018, 09:06	#7
Gazz Registered FALaholic #: 15159 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,544	I have watched prices on the .30 cal American Eagles for years and agree with M-Monkey. Original finish with wear sell for around the same and maybe a bit more depending on how much wear. These are auction prices and not dealer prices that I watch. I bought a rather nice original finish one about 20 years ago for $1300 so I try to keep an eye on my investment. Here is one; http://www.amoskeagauction.com/113/153.php sold March, 2017 __________________ Gazz

October 04, 2018, 05:37	#8
yovinny Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 7679 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NY transplant to central Illinois, Now in Kentucky Posts: 5,892	I have a minty one myself, in it's original 'Ambercrombie & Fitch NY' marked holster. Iirc I paid like $600. For it around 1990 or so.

October 05, 2018, 06:28	#9
Gazz Registered FALaholic #: 15159 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,544	$600 was a bargain even then I think. __________________ Gazz

October 05, 2018, 19:03	#11
Gazz Registered FALaholic #: 15159 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,544	And that is a bargain! __________________ Gazz

October 09, 2018, 05:26	#12
raubvogel Registered Contributor FALaholic #: 64403 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,120	I think it all depends on what you want to do. If you want to flip it, don't expect $1K for it. If you want to wait and sell it later on when the market it right, I have a feeling eventually the 30 Luger ones will go up in price, but "unimproved" models will always fetch more from collectors. But, if the blueing is old enough, eventually some collectors will want them for they themselves are historically representative, like early 50s sporterizations. And then there is the guy in a gun show in FL who went livid (I guess the more sensitive and politically correct term is "apeshit") because the Mauser C96 he cerakoted (or whatever that was; I really do not know the names) and engraved a huge American flag and Jesus around the magazine did not worth as much as one with the original finish worn off. He should have engraved jewels on it too. It was funny to hear him (I was looking at a Chinese Tokarev when "noticed" he was there) arguing it should worth $2K more because of all the effort he put on it. At least he did not welded a rail to it... __________________ All I'm really asking for here is a knife that will not jam and a unicorn that doesn't need sharpening. Will_Power It's been my experience that all you really need to harvest a deer is a car. They come right through the windshield just fine. 357ross That poop is priceless. MFC

October 09, 2018, 07:12	#13
Raggedwhole! completely lost it -- BANNED FALaholic #: 74227 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 503	There is a guy in Levittown PA that makes .45 acp Lugers in house from scratch. Beautiful pistols to shoot but they are $7,000 a piece..... One day I will get one. Always a heartbreaker to see a beautiful old gun that has had the markings polished down and crappily reblued. I love old Colt 1911s and unfortunately have seen this too many times.

October 09, 2018, 21:23	#15
Retired Bum Registered FALaholic #: 21904 Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,866	Winchester is the only US maker of .30 Luger ammo. In 1989 I bought one of Browning Mark II High Powers in .30 Luger imported by the Ron Shirk Shooter Supply wholesaler. I already had a small supply of the Winchester ammo as at one time I owned a DWM Model 1923 Luger chambered for the round. Finding .30 Luger ammo back then wasn't easy. Go to a small gun shop and more than likely the owner/hired help never heard of the cartridge. I did find several boxes of the W-W .30 Luger out of town and bought every one. Not too badly priced back them. About $15 per 50 as I recall. I bought a set of CH Armory loading dies and .30 Speer 100 grain Plinker bullets and I was good to go. Today Winchester only makes one production run of .30 Luger maybe once a year if even that often. And it is pricey. Last time I saw any it was at the local Gander Mountain and was $50 for a 50 round box. Typical GM price gouging.... Foreign made .30 Luger is available. I bought Fiocchi from CDNN. It was reasonably priced at just under $20 per 50 rounds. Fiocchi has two loads for the round. A 93 grain FMJ and a 93 grain JSP. I seriously doubt that the JSP bullet is capable of any expansion. I chronographed it at 1150 fps in the High Power. I have shot Swedish Norma and the German RWS/Geco as well. But as far as I know they are impossible to find these days. I don't know if S&B and PPU produce the round or if so it is imported. And so it goes. The Retired One

October 15, 2018, 22:56	#17
adbm3 Registered FALaholic #: 61973 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Danville, California Posts: 328	https://www.simpsonltd.com/collectio...american-eagle Try this link. These are by no means definitive prices but simply a guideline. Simpson is not the most reliable indicator of price since most of their stuff is consigned. But, it can give you an idea. Reblued AE's are not necessarily undesirable - I firmly appreciate my 06 reblued 9mm. Yes, the collector value will be a bit less but there are some aficionados that would prefer a pretty reblued commercial. Also, it should be determined what year you have since AE's were produced as 1900 and 1906 models with many minor variations. As a caveat, the Luger market is super soft and has been for some time. Prices are topped out and collector interest is on the wane since the guys who were really into these things are dying out, literally, and most of the kids like plastic glocky things now.

October 17, 2018, 14:05	#18
fal762 Registered Contributor FALaholic #: 66358 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Pacific, Missouri Posts: 145	Here's ammo, if wanted https://ammoseek.com/ammo/30-luger

October 17, 2018, 19:02	#19
yovinny Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 7679 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NY transplant to central Illinois, Now in Kentucky Posts: 5,892	FN made ammo too, fmj in nice little 25rd boxes.. I should really dig some out and shoot mine,,probably been 20yrs

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