I have always wanted one and this one popped up for $800 today and I jumped on without hesitation but now want to know what exactly I have. The original owner inherited it and brought it to a gun smith to learn about it. The gunsmith said the Barrel, Magazine, and Grip panel are not original but period correct. Other than that the rest is matching. I have looked all over and every piece had matching numbers. I asked the seller why the gunsmith said that and he told me the gunsmith said it was because the finish didn't match the rest of the gun and he believed someone rebarreled it and stamped the serial over the old serial. Seems a little far fetched but who knows. Same with the mag, gunsmith said its not the original yet it has the same serial as the rest of the gun and a proof mark under it. Seems weird that someone would go though the trouble to restamp odd parts and make them look aged. Hopefully some of you can give me some information. This is my first p08 and im still excited. Also are these still safe to shoot and is there a recommended type of 9mm ammo to use?

DUDE you scored big time , a wooden mag plate with matching numbers !

It looks all legit to me , I own one , but would not consider myself an expert .
Good Job . As far as ammo any 9mm FMJ should work the Germans loaded them hot .

It even has the straw color left .

Ok that makes me feel better about the purchase. I bought a c96 in the same type circumstance and it was a total hodgepodge or wrong parts.

What do you mean about straw color?

As far as ammo goes, use 115 grain bullets. Given the age, lighter loads are better and 115 was the common bullet used.  A picture of the bottom of the barrel with the serial number would be helpful.  The question is whether or not there is a halo around the numbers. If the barrel was blued then the number stamped there will the a light "halo" around each number.  If there is and the numbers match, the barrel is probably original.  As far a shooting it goes, make a careful inspection of pieces and if all  are ok, it is likely ok to shoot.   If you determine the Luger is all original, you risk reducing the value if in shooting it a part should break and and have to be replaced.  Then the Luger is mismatched and less valuable.

Here are some more photos. I don't really see a halo around the number but not sure im looking for the right thing.

I paid 2 years ago 1400 something for a similar condition and matching mag from Simpson Ltd. Mine is a 1917 1920 double date. My grips dont match though, unnumbered.

I would say go and buy a MecGar aftermarket mag right now, they are about $30ish. Mine fires 100% with the aftermarket mag and crap with the original one. The original one definitely has lost spring tension when comparing the 2 and probably that's why it jams with it. The aftermarket mag also locks in better, so I only use it and leave the original for looking at only.

I just fire regular brass case ball ammo. That's what thenguybat Simpson Ltd said.

send it to thor!

Not sure what you mean

Thanks, I’ll get a mecgar mag

Also curious if anyone knows what the proof marks mean? I can’t find one with just 1920 stamped on it and the same proof marks. Was this a military or commercial made piece?

In your first pic you can see the ejector on the right side behind the trigger . It has the " straw " color , the trigger should be the same color , but it wore off over time .

Looks like you have a typical Weimar new production P08. The WaA2 dove proof are a dead giveaway. If it were me I'd leave it alone, it's not nasty enough to have it restored and frankly at this point not collectable enough at this time to make it worth the monetary investment. If you shoot it the P08 was designed to shoot the 124gr bullets. However you won't find much of a difference between them and the 115gr bullets. Oh and the gunsmith was wrong on the barrel, it is correct. If you hand load you can try to fire lap the bore, it may clean it up a bit?
My 1921 Weimar Army Luger

Awesome, thanks for the information about the proof marks

Pulled the grips off and see the right side grip has a different 4 digit number stamped into it. They both have the larger 60 but not the same 4 digit.

Full serial number on the grips is not normal and was probably done after it left the factory. The only parts that get full serial numbers are the frame, upper and barrel. All other parts have just the last 2 digits.

So then it would be matching grip panels?

From everything I've learned over the past 30 years yes.

Thanks again for the help. Still trying to learn as much as I can on it.