1,000 Lugers?

JRS · 05-27-2011, 08:53 PM

The latest edition of American Rifleman has an article about the Army's test guns in 1900 in an attempt to select an automatic pistol for adoption. It is stated that 1,000 Lugers in 7.65 mm and 475 Colts were delivered to the U.S. Cavalry for field tests.

The Army later decided that it wanted a larger bullet and settled on .45 caliber. To meet this demand, DWM submitted three Lugers in .45 caliber. When the Army asked for 200 more .45 caliber Lugers, the article states that Georg Luger declined and the Luger was out of the competition.

I am aware of the history of the three .45 caliber Lugers, but what happened to the original 1,000 Lugers in 7.65 mm? Are these the American Eagle "Loaded" and "Safe" Lugers I have seen referred to in this forum? If there were indeed 1,000 of these Lugers sent to the U.S. in 1900, surely some of them must still be around. What gives?

05-27-2011, 08:53 PM	#1
JRS User Join Date: May 2010 Location: Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Posts: 81 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	1,000 Lugers? The latest edition of American Rifleman has an article about the Army's test guns in 1900 in an attempt to select an automatic pistol for adoption. It is stated that 1,000 Lugers in 7.65 mm and 475 Colts were delivered to the U.S. Cavalry for field tests. The Army later decided that it wanted a larger bullet and settled on .45 caliber. To meet this demand, DWM submitted three Lugers in .45 caliber. When the Army asked for 200 more .45 caliber Lugers, the article states that Georg Luger declined and the Luger was out of the competition. I am aware of the history of the three .45 caliber Lugers, but what happened to the original 1,000 Lugers in 7.65 mm? Are these the American Eagle "Loaded" and "Safe" Lugers I have seen referred to in this forum? If there were indeed 1,000 of these Lugers sent to the U.S. in 1900, surely some of them must still be around. What gives?