More elegant than Luger?

[mrerick]

The Lahti is an interesting pistol (I have one of the "H" serial prefixed commercial version), but it is bulky, heavy and has some issues with slide cracking that required design modifications to keep it safe and operating.

The Luger was, of course, refined from the C-93's design (after Borchardt declared it "finished" and Luger asked Loewe management for the opportunity to "improve" it...). Everyone makes mistakes.

The Borchardt and Luger design derives from the Maxim toggle guns. This article will give you an idea of the progressive development of designs by Maxim that eventually incorporated the toggle principle.

http://www.victorianshipmodels.com/a...maximgun1.html

The Luger was a commercial success for DWM principally because of it's performance in the Swiss trials for replacing their revolvers with a self loading semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was one of many designs completed in the 1890's including Mauser's C-96 and a number of others. There are a small number of collectors that focus on these pre-20th century semi-automatic pistols, and they are collecting many that are "unobtainium".

As to safety, there are some design issues withe Luger that were eventually resolved with more modern designs. Walther's introduction of direct blowback single-double action pistols allowed hammer block safety designs and very compact handguns. PP, and PPK pocket pistols were preferred by many at the time they were available. Their "Army pistol", eventually the P.38, took this to the locked breech design still used in the Beretta 92F (M.9 service pistol in the USA).

In the Luger, you are holding history in your hand. I collect them because I like them for what they are and their place in the history of firearm design. They are reasonably unique, and remain landmark in their design.