"Shoot through a tree"

[BobbyZ]

I'm a brand new member of the Luger Forum, having just joined earlier this morning.

I've collected military style firearms now for decades, and while I will readily admit that Colt pre-war automatics are my favorites, I will also freely admit that I believe German Lugers were probably the most finely crafted and best manufactured mass produced handguns of the 20th Century. I've owned numerous examples down through the years and my very first one was a 1920 Commercial Model in .30 caliber Luger. Since that time over 30 years ago, most of my Luger collecting has centered around World War II models manufactured in the 1930's and 1940's.

But the real reason I am posting this message here today is because I wanted to relate something that my grandfather used to tell my mother back when she was a kid. My grandfather was a veteran of World War I, and although from my research he never severved overseas, I still remember to this day the thing he used to say when it came to a German Luger. He owned a local "beer joint" as they liked to call it and from time-to-time people would come in with various items they wanted to either sell for a drink or get money for. My grandfather, being a sucker for a good story and a bleeding heart when it came to helping people out, nearly always loaned or at times gave away money to the guys that would tell him about their hard times. Often times these guys would bring in different guns they had and asked to exchange them for drinks and/or a little cash. Sometimes they would return latter to recoup their items, but most of the times all they wanted was the money and he never heard from them again. He operated more or less like a pawn shop at times, the only differences was he never charged any interest and no one ever reclaimed their property. My father, years ago, was given a Luger from my grandfather and from what I can tell that's most likely how he acquired it. But what I remember most is what my mother used to tell me when it came to my grandfather and the German Luger. According to her, he always said, "A Luger? That'll shoot through a tree!" Now, as we all know, a 9mm isn't going to shoot through a tree, but I suppose the allure of the iconic German Luger through two World Wars is what prompted that surprising, if somewhat mislead, assumption. My grandfather died back in 1969 and the "beer joint" was later torn down and the land now sits vacant and abandoned.

Nowadays whenever I buy a new Luger at a gunshow or wherever, I always tell my mother about buying a new gun. When she asks "What kind?" I always reply with "It'll shoot through a tree!" And, she always knows what type I'm talking about.