quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
The Lugers were interesting, but this chopped P38 appealed to me more.

Yes! My eye actually went to that first!

(And the Luger is uber-cool!)

Do you guys remember a gunsmith named John Martz who used to do exotic work on Lugers and P.38s? IIRC he converted Lugers to 45 ACP and chopped the P.38s in more compact versions. He also offered long barrels and shoulder stocks for the P38s. My memory is a little fuzzy so maybe someone else can help out.

quote:

Originally posted by Grayguns:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
I don’t believe many people would purchase guns like that because they’re the best to shoot 10mm or 45 ACP with any more than many people purchase Rolex watches because they keep such good time.

Hi old friend! My three cents:

Let me ask, have you had occasion to shoot a really good Luger off a bench? There is nothing in the semiautomatic pistol world with greater accuracy potential. And the locking system, properly made, can contain fantastic pressures. A 10mm Luger may be outre’, but I see little reason other than magazine-feeding geometry to stand against the thing doing a fine job as a field / hunting handgun.

I’ve certainly seen hipsters pay more for less utility.

-Bruce

Thank you for chiming in. I never knew any of this before and while I've seen a luger and handled one, I've never shot one and wondered why they were so coveted and expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Do you guys remember a gunsmith named John Martz who used to do exotic work on Lugers and P.38s?

I well remember avidly reading about Martz Lugers. For some reason I was particularly fascinated by the .22 WRM conversions. Everybody gets excited over his .45s made by cutting two guns into unequal parts and welding the large segments together.

You might also look up the Wyatt-Imthurn .45 Luger. It was less sophisticated, they just opened up the action as much as possible, and put on a .45 barrel. There was no room for a detachable magazine, it just top loaded with five rounds like a Mauser. Most were in Artillery configuration with 9 inch barrel and barrel mounted sight for target shooting. I saw a picture of a 5" one time. About 50 made.

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Do you guys remember a gunsmith named John Martz who used to do exotic work on Lugers and P.38s? IIRC he converted Lugers to 45 ACP and chopped the P.38s in more compact versions. He also offered long barrels and shoulder stocks for the P38s. My memory is a little fuzzy so maybe someone else can help out.

I remember his work very well. In the 80's I bought 3 shooter grade Lugers, and wrote to him asking his advice on how to get them to function without jamming. Really nice gunsmith, that took the time to answer my questions wiyh advice.

His work was featured in many gun magazines throughout the years. His conversions were shooter grade Lugers & P38's, it took 2 Lugers to make one of his conversions. His work was nothing short of amazing.

One of his specialities was "in the white" guns. These were his custom guns, with all parts left in the white, lightly polished, really beautiful, but as you can imagine, a nightmare for maintenance.

His shop was in a rural area, and his range was firing at an old tree stump. His masterpieces came out of what appeared to be a non descript garage !

He stamped his guns with "JVM" insode an oval.

https://www.phoenixinvestmenta...ook/1365MartzP38.htm

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sunset_Va, February 29, 2020 08:04 PM

Come on lottery...

I'll 2nd Bruce's comments on the Luger design potential. Both of the ones I've owned (a 1920 commercial .30, and a 1938 9mm, both with ~4" bbl's) were superbly accurate off the bench. The triggers, however, were a nightmare to work with, and combined with the muzzle-light balance and less than sterling sights made them no better than my Smiths and a cpl of Gold Cups when shooting from conventional two-handed combat stances.

Aesthetically, their unique geometry, and that pronounced grip angle gave them a look that's been admired for over 100 years. And the machining work on even the military ones, is incomparable in my opinion for gov't arsenal.

Loading for them was easy for the 9mm but a real challenge for the .30. That bottle necked case, thin at the mouth, just wouldn't hold FMJ's without a canelure while feeding. I had better luck with Hornady's swagged 90 gr .32 LSWC's than any FMJ, and got 1-1/2" accuracy at 25 yds too. Leading with that bullet was a problem, and I had difficulty getting the gun to cycle fully, and still get acceptable accuracy. I was successful, but it was a long quest to be sure.

All in all, Lugers are a niche gun, loved by many for their long history and superb manufacture; but expensive for the average Joe who'd like to try one. Best Regards, Rod