Jan,
I havenâ??t known Orv Reichert nearly as long as you have, but I will say that every time we have conversed via phone or email, he has been an absolute gentleman. While he is a well-known authority in his field, he is quick to admit he doesnâ??t have all the answers. He never has said â??these are the facts, donâ??t ask me for proofâ?. Instead, he will try to provide all the information that leads him to a conclusion, sometimes in summary, but at least itâ??s data.
Now having said that, just because an authority writes something, doesnâ??t make it so. I will give you an example. In your book â??Third Reich Lugersâ?, on page 65, you state the serial range for a 1939, Code 42 is 200r-8250z. You donâ??t say itâ??s about, you say it IS. Well, sir, I have a perfectly good 1939, Code 42 with a serial number of 5433q. This serial number is over 5000 pistols below your â??statedâ? minimum. This is NOT a criticism, but just to point out that your book was written about 15 years ago, and at that time I believe your data showed you the low side was 200r, but that doesnâ??t make it so.
I donâ??t know Klaus Schad, but I will tell you that my impression of him is, well, something that I will not write. To say garish would be too kind. His actions were not in the spirit of trying to help the forum members understand the problem. If it was his choice to leave the forum, so be it, whether he is an authority or not. He still puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us!
<img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" />