The story behind your most unusual Luger acquisition? (long post)

John Sabato · 03-15-2001, 09:14 PM

You are right Rick. John Dusing, was an incredible man as well as a gunsmith.

I remember afrer a couple of years of helping him, as sort of a final test for my gunsmithing credentials (read that as HIS approval to work on his customer's guns) he handed me a roughly cut chunk of raw bar steel that was about an inch and a quarter square and a little longer in the third dimension and told me I could use only the vise, a smooth cut file, and a caliper and he wanted me to make a cube that was one inch in all dimensions! And it had to be accurate to within 0.010" !!!

I wish I still had that cube, but he kept it on his bench. I was stationed overseas when he passed away in his '80s... but I will never forget him.

I am sure your experience is comparable. He instilled in me a respect and admiration for firearms and their engineering. His particular obsession was with Colt single actions of the last century. I couldn't even have counted them all...

-John

03-15-2001, 09:14 PM	#7
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,157 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,311 Times in 1,099 Posts	Rick W. --- your story is an interesting parallel to mine... You are right Rick. John Dusing, was an incredible man as well as a gunsmith. I remember afrer a couple of years of helping him, as sort of a final test for my gunsmithing credentials (read that as HIS approval to work on his customer's guns) he handed me a roughly cut chunk of raw bar steel that was about an inch and a quarter square and a little longer in the third dimension and told me I could use only the vise, a smooth cut file, and a caliper and he wanted me to make a cube that was one inch in all dimensions! And it had to be accurate to within 0.010" !!! I wish I still had that cube, but he kept it on his bench. I was stationed overseas when he passed away in his '80s... but I will never forget him. I am sure your experience is comparable. He instilled in me a respect and admiration for firearms and their engineering. His particular obsession was with Colt single actions of the last century. I couldn't even have counted them all... -John