Thread: C96 value?
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Unread 06-23-2013, 09:27 AM   #8
sheepherder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alanint View Post
There is nothing like a Luger for natural pointability and ergonomics.
I would respectfully disagree, but if true, it is accidental. Georg Luger was short and stout and had stubby fingers. When he redesigned Hugo Borchardt's 1909 Borchardt, Borchardt had already put the mainspring in the grip. But he retained the 7.65 x 25 cartridge. The resulting grip was too 'fat' for Luger's stubby fingers, so he shortened the Borchardt cartridge to 7.65 x 21. It was still too 'fat', so Luger came up with the idea of 'tilting' the magazine, thereby giving it a thinner vertical dimension. The grip frame was 'tilted' (and lengthened) as well to accommodate it. There is some question if it was 'tilted' first or the cartridge shortened first, but the end result was the same.

The 1909 Borchardt seems to have disappeared...A shame, as it is an important link in the development of the Borchardt, and consequently the Luger...
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File Type: jpg 1909_Borchardt1a.jpg (84.7 KB, 39 views)
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