Stainless Steel Luger Reliability and Questions

[Dwight Gruber]

There are four identifiable variations of stainless steel Lugers:

1. Mitchell

2. Stoeger

3. Aimco

4. Orimar

All of them are OEM by the same manufacturer, currently known as Orimar, made in Texas.

As I understand the situation, the Mitchell was reverse engineered--patterned--from original item, and original Luger parts are interchangeable. Sometime during Stoeger marked production the design was changed and original parts--notably magazines--will no longer interchange.

Aimco and Orimar guns are of course the same with a change only of manufacturer's hallmark.

Is this evolution correct? Can anyone refine it, possibly including dates?

Can anyone, by their own experience, comment on the functioning and reliability of the particular production eras?

--Dwight