One of these pistos from the 1907 trials is known and it is serial number 2. It has been well illustrated and described, and it has changed hands a few tims at near a million dollars. I've heard rumors of another of these DWM Lugers, serial number 6 in a museum somewhere in Louisiana. Can anyone give me more definite information on this? I'd really like to track it down.

Norton Museum in Shreveport

Inside Shreveport's Norton Art Gallery - SB Magazine

Very interesting. The picture posted on LugerForums of the .45 in the Norton Gallery and the one posted on the Norton Gallery's own website are not the same gun. Conspiracy???

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Because the one posted on their website is not a .45 cal Luger. The .45 Luger is a pretty massive gun compared to the one pictured. Also, it was my understanding, and Rudy knows I "might" be wrong, but I thought there were only (2) guns made up for the trials.

There is a letter in response to a LugerForum members question about the .45 in the Norton museum. It is serial number 3 and was sold to Harry Jones in 1960 then sold to Norton that same year. As to where it was before Jones I don't think anyone knows.

I was under the impression that there were 3 guns made, 1 was shot to destruction, 2 was the always known example, and 3 was retained by DWM as a control sample in Germany. Gun 3 was rumored to have been a WW2 bring back and was the Harry Jones example.

Bear in mind please that I'm going off memory here.

Having said all that, I noticed also that a Carbine has surfaced with an unknown provenance. I do know there was a company building them in the 80's on a custom basis and they cost more than a new car.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

A 45 Luger Carbine, wow!?!? I know that someone, in the '90s I think, but my mind is a little fuzzy on the subject (and others besides), had access to SN 2 and took measurements. He made something like 100 reproductions, and they cost about $11,000. A friend, a real Luger collector has one, and I've examined it; a great job. I didn't know he made carbines though.

I've head both SN 3 and SN 6 for this pistol. SN 3 sounds more likely. From the pictures it differes from SN 2 in the trigger. SN 2 has an almost straight trigger with a hook at the bottom, while this is semicircular like other Luger triggers; odd. Wonder what other differences there are, and wonder how the Norton museum reacts to requests to examine the pistol. Also wonder if it is marked with Georg Luger's initials?

Krausewerk was making repros of the .45 Test and .32 Baby.

The Carbine that was mentioned was in the hands of Ralph Shattuck for a while, IIRC he was trying to sell it for a family up in the Pacific NW. There is a lot of information on the .45's on both the Lugerforum and on Jan Stills site. I would go there to get everything you ever wanted to know about these pistols.