[ithacaartist]

Eugene,

Yep, I also succumbed to the Erma bug once my immune system had been compromised by the Parabellum. I think you did on the high side of OK in your purchase, as these seem to have jumped up a bit for what they bring, compared to just a few years ago, The grip frames of these models are cast Zamak--a zinc alloy. As such, this major part is a major pain when it comes to showing wear in the finish. Fortunately, yours does not seem to have much in the typical areas on the front edges and corners, which are usually abraded to grey there.

I like the KGPs better than the early La and Ep series .22s made in the 60s. The earlier ones may have the same weight and approximate overall dimensions of a real Luger, they have very little steel in them. Ones like yours have only the frame and trigger that are cast, and they tend to work a little better than the others, too, although they can be cranky in operation. They were attractive to Dr. Robert Beeman (Dr. Airgun), who added them to his line of high quality airguns and sold them, Beeman branded, as the P08 (.22 cal.) and MP08 (.32 &.380).

I now have a dozen or so different examples of different models and have attended to various issues with them, most with some success. I have all sorts of parts for the Erma toggle pistols, so for most such issues you're covered. Our Lugerdoc has also worked on them and has some parts, too. And we can also look forward to a new reference book about Erma production and history by Holger Schlemier, a collector who lives in Belgium, who has been collecting serial number and marking info on them for the past few years.

Since these are actually less numerous than original Lugers, I predict you will be interrupted at the range by the curious. Enjoy1