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chuck · 01-01-2002, 11:11 AM

Tom H.,

I appreciate the advice. I believe that I was looking at a Franconia catalog when I first spotted this offer. A bit more research has revealed that there appear to be a number of gun shops in central Germany with respectable inventories of more collectible P-08s, and this sounds like a safer, more predicatable alternative -- even if it costs more initially. My background is actually in 1911s, and as one of my fellow .45 enthusiasts says, "you get what you pay for, front end or [in the] back end."

One related question comes to mind. Obviously, anything I might purchase here will be devoid of importer's marks when it arrives in the States. The same would surely be true of those brought back in the duffle bags of tens of thousands of WWI & WWII vets. What of the rest? Do many "collectible" Lugers in the US have importers markings? If so, who were the primary importers, and how were they required to be marked? I am aware of the newer Interarms examples in the '70s (and I like these pistols as well), but have no experience with the older guns on the domestic scene.

01-01-2002, 11:11 AM	#8
chuck User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: delaware Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	... different angle Tom H., I appreciate the advice. I believe that I was looking at a Franconia catalog when I first spotted this offer. A bit more research has revealed that there appear to be a number of gun shops in central Germany with respectable inventories of more collectible P-08s, and this sounds like a safer, more predicatable alternative -- even if it costs more initially. My background is actually in 1911s, and as one of my fellow .45 enthusiasts says, "you get what you pay for, front end or [in the] back end." One related question comes to mind. Obviously, anything I might purchase here will be devoid of importer's marks when it arrives in the States. The same would surely be true of those brought back in the duffle bags of tens of thousands of WWI & WWII vets. What of the rest? Do many "collectible" Lugers in the US have importers markings? If so, who were the primary importers, and how were they required to be marked? I am aware of the newer Interarms examples in the '70s (and I like these pistols as well), but have no experience with the older guns on the domestic scene.