Hello All,
Just two points I would like to make :
1. The Swiss Navy string was deleted, by me as co-moderator, when first asked to do so my the luger's owner (request was to close the string, only), and then when private, off-line e-mails were becoming very "flammable" in nature. Many first thought a Swiss Navy could not possibly exist and the luger owner felt his "investment" becoming tainted and devalued without any proof to support or suspect the luger's origins. I advised the owner to continue to research his gun's history and documentation and re-post, at a later date, his findings. I deleted the thread to give the owner a chance to do this and to stop flaming private e-mails that were circulating outside the edit-control of the Forum. Some my say my motive was to protect a particular seller; this is just not the case. My efforts were on behalf of the buyer to give him a chance to research his luger's heritage. The seller's identity was not known to me for nearly the half-life of the thread's duration. My actions would have been no different for Mr. Shattuck, Mr. Bob Simpson, Mr. Doug Smith, Mr. Fred Fiet, Mr. Kontos, or any other luger dealer. Who sold the luger was not the issue. Giving the gun's owner a chance to collect valid information about a little-known Swiss variation was my motive...an investment of several thousand dollars was semmingly "evaporating" without any real proof or documentation.
2. With the emergence of a carbine luger in .45 calibre, I had asked this question on our old Foum :
Why aren't all luger "experts" going in person to see the gun in question ?
Mr. Still; we all would think you and some of the other luger experts would set personal differences aside with Mr. Shattuck and make arrangements to see this luger in person. In the archeological field when an unknown or previously undiscovered fossil is unearthed, all experts in that particular field go in person and view/examine the fossil for themselves. This amongst fossil "experts" that are even rivals, professionally.
So why aren't you, Mr. Still and some of the other luger experts, calling and making an appointment with Mr. Shattuck for a chance to see this luger in person ? It is one thing to sit on the side lines and crank out criticism about a gun, never seen in person. It is another thing, to set professional and personal differences aside for the moment, and make the trip to Peoria to see the gun in person.
To this luger beginner; it seems this would be one of the easiest ways to settle this debate once and for all...For the luger experts to examine this luger in person and then make comment about its authenticity or lack, thereof.
Respectfully,
Wm. "Pete" Ebbink <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />