The M1906 Russian Contract Controversy Strikes Again

Vlim · 10-01-2011, 09:44 AM

It would be great to have some contacts in Bulgaria going through the archives there.

About the cartel agreement: One of the first lessons of historical research is to find out whether a particular item that exists today had the possibility to exist in the time frame it was claimed to come from.

With the Bulgarian/Russian luger, the same practice exists. If the cartel agreement between Steyr-Mannlicher and Loewe existed for pistols, then it would be very, very unlikely that any Parabellum pistol was sold to Steyr-Mannlicher controlled areas (like Bulgaria).

So we have established that:
-Mannlicher had the exclusive right to sell military rifles to Bulgaria and Rumania.
-Loewe group had the exclusive right to sell rifles to Serbia and Greece.
-The market for sporting/hunting rifles, pistols and revolvers was open for all players

Which means that
-There was a market for the Parabellum in Bulgaria at the time.
-Loewe/DWM was free to sell Parabellum pistols to any military organization in that country.

10-01-2011, 09:44 AM	#15
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,991 Times in 1,205 Posts	It would be great to have some contacts in Bulgaria going through the archives there. About the cartel agreement: One of the first lessons of historical research is to find out whether a particular item that exists today had the possibility to exist in the time frame it was claimed to come from. With the Bulgarian/Russian luger, the same practice exists. If the cartel agreement between Steyr-Mannlicher and Loewe existed for pistols, then it would be very, very unlikely that any Parabellum pistol was sold to Steyr-Mannlicher controlled areas (like Bulgaria). So we have established that: -Mannlicher had the exclusive right to sell military rifles to Bulgaria and Rumania. -Loewe group had the exclusive right to sell rifles to Serbia and Greece. -The market for sporting/hunting rifles, pistols and revolvers was open for all players Which means that -There was a market for the Parabellum in Bulgaria at the time. -Loewe/DWM was free to sell Parabellum pistols to any military organization in that country.