[Blong89]

Hello everyone, just picked up this Luger and I am new to them. I’ve been searching and researching what the correct magazine would be for this gun. It came with an aluminum base magazine stamped with a non matching serial number and different suffix. From what I have gathered, a FX0 magazine with a blank Bakelite base would be correct for this gun? Or would I have to find a matching serial number aluminum based magazine? I also read that either would work?

 

[Mobandyjp82]

More than likely your pistol left the factory with a pair of matching aluminum bottom mags. However, most folks pair it with a Bakelite black bottom mag since finding the originals is almost out of the question. Some pair it with a blank bottom FXO aluminum armorers replacement mag. Nothing with replace the originals but there are options. The mag that is in your gun now is for an S/42 1936 pistol, and from the looks it seems to be in very good shape.

 

[phila]

I can a starting place to answer your question and maybe others will share their views on this topic as well.
Without any debate the correct factory magazine for your Luger will be a fxo marked version. From there it gets more subjective. IMO it is most likely that during the r serial block of 1941 the factory was using the so called backwards P.08 marked aluminum bottom and numbered variety. I believe that some unnumbered (basically all black bottoms were unnumbered) black bottom mags MAY have started appearing by the s block but more likely it was t or u but hard to prove exactly. Unnumbered aluminum bottoms were probably not used before about the v or maybe w block. IMO worrying or fussing over matching numbered mags IF you buy a gun without one is a waste of time. It generally leads to faking a matching number on the mag bottom, let’s be honest. Either pay the coin going into the buy or don’t worry about matching magazine. Use the saving to get some therapy to understand why it is important!🙂

 

[phila]

I will add that for me the most correct magazine short of the almost nil chance of finding the original that came with it would be an fxo aluminum bottom in the r block. Yes I know the number want be same but people are way too obsessed with a mismatch number on the mag and think that a numbered mag is somehow better when in fact it is rarely as correct as the correct type for that year and then matching letter block