45 cal Luger

[Hugh]

Here is a quote from THE LUGER STORY by John Walter, page 118:


"Though the progress of the American trials is well documented, controversy still surrounds the .45 Lugers. Work apparently began in the late summer of 1906, when 5000 cartridges were sent to Luger from Frankford Arsenal. The pistols were completed late in February 1907, two of them arriving at Springfield Armory some time prior to 28th March. One gun, believed to have been no. 1, was put through the trials whilst no. 2 was retained for examination. The latter still exists, thought he fate of its companion is unknown.


But where are the others? And, if so, how many? Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken clearly made more than two, as at least one would have been retained in Germany as a safeguard against the loss of the guns despatched to the USA; coincidentally, .45 Luger no. 4 is said to have been found in Germany in 1945 and taken to the USA as a souvenir. Another example, apparently numbered '4', was pictured in LUGER. The late August Weiss credited his predecessor, Heinrich Hoffmann, with a statement that "no more than six" 45 calibre guns had been made.


......Harry Jones pictured two surviving guns in the revised edition of LUGER VARIATIONS, commenting that the second survivor was fired 150 times in 1960 without a single stoppage. Unfortunately for Luger and DWM, the ammunition used in 1907 was not as reliable!