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I Shot A Luger!

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  wjh2657 
#1 ·
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
 
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#3 ·
I like the 9x18 and have 2 pistols in this caliber, a bulgarian Makarov, and a FEG PA-63. Fixed barrel, more punch than a .380, and my experience (5 such so far) is ACCURATE AS HELL. Never got to xhoot the Luger my uncle brought back from the war. That went to wire his house. But I did shoot his Walther P-38.

Gotta love those.. less usual guns Bob. Even if you do prefer a .44-.45 in the name. (shot that .455-70 revolover out there yet?)
 
#4 ·
I like the 9x18 and have 2 pistols in this caliber, a bulgarian Makarov, and a FEG PA-63. Fixed barrel, more punch than a .380, and my experience (5 such so far) is ACCURATE AS HELL. Never got to xhoot the Luger my uncle brought back from the war. That went to wire his house. But I did shoot his Walther P-38.

Gotta love those.. less usual guns Bob. Even if you do prefer a .44-.45 in the name. (shot that .455-70 revolover out there yet?)
No. The only experience I have with the .45-70 was in a Thompson Contender made up by J.D. Jones. Used 500gr. cast bullets lubricated with Teflon tape. Quite an experience! Steel targets knocked over by the .44 Magnum were knocked winding by the .45-70.

Bob Wright
 
#5 ·
"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."

A very good friend of mine, who was on the pistol team with me back on active duty in USMC, had several Lugers and I fired them. He had the Artillery Model and the Navy Model, both of which had more distinctive (and effective) sights and long barrels.

Yes, they did fire a lot better and were more accurate. A large part of the Luger production runs for WWI were longbarrelled. It was just that most we see now are WWII or postwar and the short barrel was more in demand, it was "sexier" and produced more than the WWI models.

They did make some prototype models of the Luger in .45ACP for Army trials in U.S. but they weren't given contract and prototypes were only .45 ACP Lugers made.
 
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