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THE RETURN OF THE KRIEGHOFF LUGER

BY JIM DICKSON

2006 marked the return of the Krieghoff Luger to production after a lapse of over 60 years. A limited edition of 200 guns was begun, built by hand to the Best Quality standards of a Dickson, Purdey, or Holland &Holland double, with the sole exception that the WWII finish is applied instead of the finish of a Best Quality double. The parts were all hand-fitted and finished by one man, master gunsmith Frank Kaltenpoth, the same way a Best Quality double is made. The enormous hours of handwork are reflected in the Best Quality price of $17,545 and the fact that production is still underway as I write this in 2009.

This is the only Best Quality production run of a pistol in history. It is fitting that this tribute to the Luger is being made by Krieghoff because they made the finest Lugers of all time during WWII. Krieghoff was the only Luger manufacturer to achieve 100% interchangeability of parts without any hand-fitting: a monumental achievement and a milestone in the history of mass production.