Japanese Luger Story in AutoMag...

Doubs · 09-04-2003, 01:00 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Edward Tinker:
Very true !!

And well said, do you still have this 1911A1? Sounds very sweet, would like to see pictures of it?

Ed<hr /></blockquote>Hi Ed,

The pistol was sold to the US&S senior official. That was probably 12 or 13 years ago and at this late date I don't think there would be any harm in mentioning that his name was Robert Karrow. He retired shortly after I sold the pistol to him and if he's still alive is likely living in PA.

The "story" that came with the pistol may interest others so I'll repeat it for what it's worth.

Supposedly a crate of .45's was on one of the Pacific island air bases in 1945 or 1946 and when the base was closed the guns were offered to air crew members. This particular pistol was taken by a B-29 crewman. A friend of mine purchased it from the man's widow, wrapped in old newspaper and completely covered in a heavy black grease that it had apparently been dipped in while the grease was liquid. In turn, it was sold to another mutual friend. Neither of them attempted to remove the grease beyond ID'ing the maker and serial number. That's how I received it and the grease had set up to be very stiff. Removing it from the outside wasn't too much of a problem but even soaking it in mineral spirits didn't faze the grease inside. I finally put it in the oven at about 150 degrees until it was soft enough to take down and complete the cleaning.

Ed Banks, who I mentioned in my earlier post, was one of the annual "American Handgunner" Top 100 pistolsmiths with over 30 years devoted primarily to the 1911. In his opinion, the pistol was correct in every respect. Mr. Karrow also believed it to be original.

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of it at the time and wish I had. I also wish I'd have kept it as the prices for US&S 1911's has shot through the roof. That, I'm afraid, is the lament of anyone who has collected guns for any period of time.
<img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

09-04-2003, 01:00 PM	#20
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,742 Thanks: 826 Thanked 1,788 Times in 590 Posts	</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Edward Tinker: <strong>Very true !! And well said, do you still have this 1911A1? Sounds very sweet, would like to see pictures of it? Ed</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Hi Ed, The pistol was sold to the US&S senior official. That was probably 12 or 13 years ago and at this late date I don't think there would be any harm in mentioning that his name was Robert Karrow. He retired shortly after I sold the pistol to him and if he's still alive is likely living in PA. The "story" that came with the pistol may interest others so I'll repeat it for what it's worth. Supposedly a crate of .45's was on one of the Pacific island air bases in 1945 or 1946 and when the base was closed the guns were offered to air crew members. This particular pistol was taken by a B-29 crewman. A friend of mine purchased it from the man's widow, wrapped in old newspaper and completely covered in a heavy black grease that it had apparently been dipped in while the grease was liquid. In turn, it was sold to another mutual friend. Neither of them attempted to remove the grease beyond ID'ing the maker and serial number. That's how I received it and the grease had set up to be very stiff. Removing it from the outside wasn't too much of a problem but even soaking it in mineral spirits didn't faze the grease inside. I finally put it in the oven at about 150 degrees until it was soft enough to take down and complete the cleaning. Ed Banks, who I mentioned in my earlier post, was one of the annual "American Handgunner" Top 100 pistolsmiths with over 30 years devoted primarily to the 1911. In his opinion, the pistol was correct in every respect. Mr. Karrow also believed it to be original. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of it at the time and wish I had. I also wish I'd have kept it as the prices for US&S 1911's has shot through the roof. That, I'm afraid, is the lament of anyone who has collected guns for any period of time. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />