Hello Members
Last week, I spoke to my friend Charles Kenyon to receive some of his comments about the US Test Lugers and he made two interesting comments. The first comment was that the US Government was very 'slick' in exchanging (or should we say 'ripping off' DWM instead?!) 50 used and abused Test Lugers for brand new 50 Cartridge counters - and they still did not give DWM a contract even after producing a more powerful cartridge! It appears that the American commission was more shroud and tight than the Dutch commission!! What happened with the fifty 1900 Test Lugers in exchange for the Cartridge Counter Lugers is anyones good guess, but they could have been returned to H. Tauscher via Springfield Armory for commercial sales.
His second comment was considering that there could have been some rejects in the first two shipments before they were sent to the respective field units. The replacement Lugers could have been sent by DWM a short time afterwards which may not have been recorded by the US Government, probably explaining the few Lugers which fall in the slighty higher 7100 serial range.
We many never know for sure 'what went where and why', and it is the heart of each collector to determine what he finds acceptible and whether he could live with a specimen that falls outside the 'so-called' established serial range.
Albert
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