Andrew, Here in the states, I've had several transactions with Luger collectors that went smoothly and without problem.
It's possible that the dealer is sensing your emotions about this and planning to take advantage of it. With this kind of person, it might be best to back off and find someone else to deal with. You could make a low offer (considering the status) and "calibrate" the dealer's pricing and completion timeframe to something reasonable.
Is there more demand for Lugers in Norway than supply?
You can likely obtain a non-matching hold open without too much difficulty. If it's only the leaf spring it wouldn't be expensive to fix either.
Marc
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 Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum -
- Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.
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