My father told me stories of the Lugers he had owned as a young man and I was bitten by the Luger bug about 1954 or 1955. It wasn't until 1957 that I was able to convince Pop to go halves with me and buy one. I was 14 when Railway Express called to say they had a package for us. It was a $37.50 mismatch Mauser with what appeared to be a battlefield repair of the muzzle.... silver solder and counter bored. Pop replaced that barrel with an Italian-made 8 inch barrel that is very accurate. Unfortunately, the pistol has never been reliable. But, it was a beginning and I have other Lugers now that are very reliable. To me, the 4 3/4 inch slender barrels of the .30 Lugers are the most graceful and I like the 7.65mm cartridge. But, I'll take a Luger in any caliber.
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