Please assess my first P.08

EddieinNC · 03-13-2012, 11:42 PM

Okay, here is the story (as stated this is all unverifiable and here-say):

The guy I bought the gun from was the father of a friend of mine. He owns a gun shop, is an NRA instructor also, and is a retired policeman (the friend, not his father). He isn’t just a random dealer at a gun show; he is someone I trust -we are both range officers at the same gun club.

I was told that this Luger was owned by an elderly, WWII vet who was a friend of his family. The vet had no intention of selling the gun, despite repeated offers. He claimed that he picked it up while recovering items: guns, ammunition, bodies, etc... after a battle. Rather than go through the proper channels to claim the gun as a “war prize,” he had heard stories of Privates who found Lugers, submitted the proper paperwork, and then found out the paperwork (and Luger) had vanished, so he discreetly slipped it into his personal effects. This is how it came to America, and is unstamped.

The elderly gentleman died recently and his son, who didn’t care anything about guns, inherited it. He promptly sold it to my friend’s father, who then put it on display (not for sale) in his son’s gun shop.

Now, this is a nice, even plausible, story. I am certain that my friend believes it. I’m not entirely sure, though. Here is my problem with the story: If this really was Lt. Schmidt’s Luger, and he died with it on his belt at the battle of [insert battle here], why do neither of the magazines match? What would Lt. Schmidt have done with the original magazines, and why would he be carrying two different ones from two different periods?

So, while I am certain my friend believes the story, and I wouldn’t want to bring up my reservations, seeing as how the previous owner was a friend of his family -call me a skeptic- I’m not completely convinced.

At any rate, it doesn’t affect my appreciation for the pistol at all. I’m sure I will tell my kids the story, maybe even with a few embellishments of my own (I’m really partial to the fictional Lt. Schmidt, for some reason -maybe it really was a Lt. Schmidt’s sidearm?).

03-13-2012, 11:42 PM	#1
EddieinNC User Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 10 Thanks: 8 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Okay, here is the story (as stated this is all unverifiable and here-say): The guy I bought the gun from was the father of a friend of mine. He owns a gun shop, is an NRA instructor also, and is a retired policeman (the friend, not his father). He isn’t just a random dealer at a gun show; he is someone I trust -we are both range officers at the same gun club. I was told that this Luger was owned by an elderly, WWII vet who was a friend of his family. The vet had no intention of selling the gun, despite repeated offers. He claimed that he picked it up while recovering items: guns, ammunition, bodies, etc... after a battle. Rather than go through the proper channels to claim the gun as a “war prize,” he had heard stories of Privates who found Lugers, submitted the proper paperwork, and then found out the paperwork (and Luger) had vanished, so he discreetly slipped it into his personal effects. This is how it came to America, and is unstamped. The elderly gentleman died recently and his son, who didn’t care anything about guns, inherited it. He promptly sold it to my friend’s father, who then put it on display (not for sale) in his son’s gun shop. Now, this is a nice, even plausible, story. I am certain that my friend believes it. I’m not entirely sure, though. Here is my problem with the story: If this really was Lt. Schmidt’s Luger, and he died with it on his belt at the battle of [insert battle here], why do neither of the magazines match? What would Lt. Schmidt have done with the original magazines, and why would he be carrying two different ones from two different periods? So, while I am certain my friend believes the story, and I wouldn’t want to bring up my reservations, seeing as how the previous owner was a friend of his family -call me a skeptic- I’m not completely convinced. At any rate, it doesn’t affect my appreciation for the pistol at all. I’m sure I will tell my kids the story, maybe even with a few embellishments of my own (I’m really partial to the fictional Lt. Schmidt, for some reason -maybe it really was a Lt. Schmidt’s sidearm?).