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[DougT]

Steve,

I'm glad you enjoyed my humorous answer back--if we can't have fun then what do we have?

I think it's important to note that almost every Luger ever made came out of the factory designed and manufactured to be a "shooter." These were "real world" guns, sold to militaries around the globe to be used in combat. I shoot my restorations with just a few careful considerations in mind: I remove the restored original grips and in their place temporarily install affordable aftermarket grips that I have fitted to the gun, I ensure that the gun has a "fluted" or sometimes called a "vented" firing pin, I make sure that the recoil spring is up to snuff, and I am very careful about the ammunition I use. After that, I make sure they are clean and properly lubricated--then I shoot them 'till my heart's content. As elegant a design as they are, they are also very strong and durable provided they are in sound working order and properly cared for. Shooting doesn't seem to hurt the finish a bit. The rust blue that Thor applies is actually a much more durable bluing treatment than the modern salt blues--and very much more labor intensive to do properly. These guns are as tough as the German and Swiss people who made them. Enjoy!
DougT