Last Saturday morning, a newcomer appeared on the range. He unpacked a Luger and another auto loader. Chatting with him, he offered to let me fire a few rounds downrange with his pistols.
Now, ya'll know me, my choice in handguns runs to a .44 or .45 caliber single action, preferably from Ruger. But, I'm no greenhorn with the autoloader, nor the Luger, having gone through one of those $49.95 prehistoric Lugers.
So, I sent a few rounds downrange. The Luger had no reputation accuracy, but I did keep my shots in the black. The Luger is distracting, with its toggle link jumping up into your line of sight upon firing, and to me, the second impulse as the barrel assembly hits the stops at the rearward movement.
Also fired a 9 x 18 Makarov, of which he seemed rather proud. The 9 x 18mm, he told me, is between a .380 and 9mm Luger. Didn't know there was a gap between the two. But the Makarov was pleasant shooting, recoil was nil, but still had the second recoil impulse as the slide hits the stops.
I always admired the Luger toggle link design from a mechanical sdesign standpoint. But, to me, far too muzzle light. If maybe so somebody had put some good sights on the pistol, added some heft out towanrds the muzzle, chambered it for .45 ACP, then there'd be a pistol.
John Browning and Hugo Borchardt approached from two different directions. Seems like John went the more enduring direction.
Bob Wright
Now, ya'll know me, my choice in handguns runs to a .44 or .45 caliber single action, preferably from Ruger. But, I'm no greenhorn with the autoloader, nor the Luger, having gone through one of those $49.95 prehistoric Lugers.
So, I sent a few rounds downrange. The Luger had no reputation accuracy, but I did keep my shots in the black. The Luger is distracting, with its toggle link jumping up into your line of sight upon firing, and to me, the second impulse as the barrel assembly hits the stops at the rearward movement.
Also fired a 9 x 18 Makarov, of which he seemed rather proud. The 9 x 18mm, he told me, is between a .380 and 9mm Luger. Didn't know there was a gap between the two. But the Makarov was pleasant shooting, recoil was nil, but still had the second recoil impulse as the slide hits the stops.
I always admired the Luger toggle link design from a mechanical sdesign standpoint. But, to me, far too muzzle light. If maybe so somebody had put some good sights on the pistol, added some heft out towanrds the muzzle, chambered it for .45 ACP, then there'd be a pistol.
John Browning and Hugo Borchardt approached from two different directions. Seems like John went the more enduring direction.
Bob Wright