In October 1867, Luger volunteered for military service as a Reserve Officer Cadet with the 78th Infantry Regiment [de].

Luger's good marksmanship brought him to the attention of his superiors; he was sent to the Austro-Hungarian Military Firearms School at Camp Bruckneudorf, where he soon became an instructor.

He moved to Vienna with her and they had three children (in order): Luger's first son, Georg Franz, became a civil engineer and joined his father in military weapons development.

After leaving the military, Luger worked as an accountant and later in the management of the Jockey Club, one of the top social meeting points in Vienna.

In 1894, he was sent to demonstrate a Hugo Borchardt-designed weapon, manufactured by Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM) (which had evolved from Loewe after its founder's death), to the US Army.