Have acquired a 1916 DWM Luger P08.  Everything mechanically sound except for one part.  The hold open latch is missing its spring.  I would really like to try it out on the range. Thinking of just removing the hold open latch until my spring comes in because I don't it to possibly stick in the up position, but is there anything I'm not considering besides lack of a hold open in shooting with the part removed?

No problem. It just won't lock back. I've been shooting a couple of Lugers for a while. They like a fmj round nose bullet long enough to just fit in the magazine. I reload and was having lots of issues until I picked up some 1943 German 9mm. I used it to adjust the length and have had no problems since. My Lugers also like a "warm" load. They need a good recoil to operate correctly. Also need a very strong magazine spring.  I rarely load over five rounds. Are a true joy to shoot.

1937 S42 and 1918 Erfurt

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I'm gonna have to get some pictures up when I get around to it.  Everything that should be numbered matches and the proofs look correct per references I have.  No overstamping, post WW1 sear safety, or evidence it was otherwise muddled with.  Well, aside the small detail that I'm 99% certain the guy that brought it back had it professionally re-blued at some point.  I know that hammers value, but at least it was very well done and the straw colored parts were left alone.  Don't know if import marks were a thing on lugers, but none on mine.  Supposedly a vet bring back, but no real provenance to that fact, so no real value there, but I don't see any of the post WW1 changes or markings on it that I researched to indicate it was around in Europe for long after WW1. Just going to enjoy it as a shooter.

Edit:  Oh yeah, don't feel like dropping $100+ on an original luger tool, but don't want to buy a crap reproduction. Any known sources for ones that are of decent quality?

Does it have a fluted or non fluted firing pin? The non fluted is original, due to primer rupture and blow back that would destroy the firing pin and sometimes the toggle they replaced them with a fluted pin that has a grove to allow gas to escape. Take down tools are out there but except for assisting in magazine loading any small screw driver will work. And as I said, I never load more than five rounds at a time anyway. I have a couple of  but rarely use them. When taking off the grips always tap them out from the inside of the mag well. not as likely to break one. Also cut a small thin rubber gasket that will fit between the grip screw and the grip. That snugs it up tight and takes direct pressure of the screw off the grip. If you over tighten the grip can split when shooting.

Perfectly round so I'm guessing non-fluted.

Ok.. pictures..









So have serial number, besides the one on the receiver, on the front of the frame w/ letter and the last two numerals are stamped on the firing pin, extractor (harder to make out, but script is the same), breech block, the two toggle links, the takedown lever, side plate, trigger, safety lever, safety bar, and hold open latch (which is missing the spring). No numbers on the grips and there's a mark on the magazine base, but it's unreadable in the wood.  I might have missed a couple numbers on things, on my first go over I didn't see several, still not sure why the numbered every bit, Germans...

Still think the finish is a re-blue, seems too good or maybe bright to be original.  Bore has strong rifling but just a touch of frost.

Nice gun - it appears to have been restored but its still going to be a great shooter. And they did a very good job with it. original grips were numbered. As far as the #s on all the parts, when a gun was assembled they started with a numbered frame. The assembler would then work his way down the assembly line removing unnumbered parts from bins. Each part was then stamped with the last two numbers and fit to the gun. There were many stages in assembly that the parts had to be hand fitted to the pistol. End result was an all matching gun including two magazines that functioned.

Agree with all of this, definitely restored, but very well done....the parts in the white would have originally been "strawed", so they did a nice job not just refinishing them the same....a real looker of a gun...

ETA I think maybe the extractor would have been strawed too? But I don't remember off the top of my head on that...but no matter, a nice gun!

Just out of curiosity, look just inside the magazine well and see if there are three small red dots. Ted's Restoration in Arizona marked his restorations like that to insure none of his reworks would be passed as originals. He restored my 1918 Erfurt. Does impeccable wok.

Took a good look, no dots or even likely looking dimples.

You'd see it if it was there. Just a suggestion - when you shoot it the first time try it with a single round, no magazine. It should eject cleanly straight up. If it doesn't then there are ejector problems. If it does fine put one round in the chamber and one in the magazine. Fire - If it ejects but fails to feed then you know its the magazine spring or bullet length not allowing it to feed correctly. If it does fine with that then try five rounds. If it fires the first two/three then fails to feed the last two then its the magazine spring. if it doesn't feed try pushing up on the bottom of the magazine as you fire. If it feeds then the magazine is sitting too low. Nice gun - have fun.