Luger Shotgun

[Rome]

Hi, all.

I'm a newbie to shotgunning and will take it up this Spring with a friend of mine who is an expert. I recently purchased a Luger shotgun. I was on a budget and, until I can determine if I'm going to like this aspect of the sport, I decided that around $350 was going to be my limit. I also wanted a semi-auto. I'm used to that kind of action. Finally, I wanted something that would kind'a fit all situations. This shotgun has chromed barrel lining, all the chokes, and takes both 2.75 and 3" shells with an auto gas adjustment system. Here's the description from where I bought it:

Luger 12 gauge 3" Semi-Auto Shotgun Ultra Light New In Box. The classic lines with the richly blued barrel and receiver are complimented by the high grade glossy finish European walnut stock and forend. This easy to carry gas operated semi-auto only weighs 6 1/2 lbs and handles the 2 3/4 " light loads as well as the powerful 3" magnums without a flinch. Recessed screw-in choke tubes gives you the flexibility for shooting everything from doves to ducks, F, M, and IC. The highly polished chrome lined barrel has been designed to handle steel shot.

My question is do any of you have experience with this shotgun?
I know it was made in Turkey like others but the quality is supposed to be excellent, especially for the cost.

Thanks!

Rome

 

[Rome]

addional info I've discovered

I've been able to determine that Stoeger Industries of Wayne NJ is the sole importer of Sako and Tikka arms as well as modern Luger weapons. Their Shotgun is one of these. They are also publishers of firearm literature. I still can't find a lot about them, however, and have only found this basic info regarding the shotguns. I'm hoping that this additional info will shake out some info out there. Maybe one of you has a Stoeger catalogue. I understand that they are quite collectible. Any bites?

Rome

 

[Rome]

Luger is actually Huglu

After posting my initial topic, I've finally made some progress

I've come to the conclusion that Luger, along with Traditions, were made by Huglu, the Turkish shotgun maker. After comparing the Luger, originally offered by Stoeger, and the Traditions shotgun, I've been able to determine that they are, in fact, clones of eachother unless I'm totally missing something.

Stoeger sold off it's firearms business to Benelli/Beretta. The Luger brand name went with it. In comparing the Huglu semi auto with the Traditions and Luger, it is clearly evident that Huglu made all three. Huglu is a quality builder of very nice, but affordibly priced shotguns.

This information was gleaned through four days of internet research, visits to shops, and phone calls. I'll know for sure after a person I've met returns from the ShotShow this weekend.

So, I've been able to answer my own question for the most part but I'll wait for final confirmation. There has been a consolidation in some of the firearms businesses resulting in same guns with different brands plunked onto them. Kind of like Ford and Mercury making the same car with different marks.

Any additional information will be apprecaited by anyone who can help me out.

Rome

 

[Rome]

Huglu says "no".

Huglu has recently replied to my emails and indicated that "while they may appear to be the same, they are not". So, I'm back to square one, it appears.

The Luger 12 Gauge Semi Auto shootgun is really beautiful. The fit and finish is flawless. Last night, I displayed it to a couple of avid collectors and hunters who both gave it the highest marks, especially for the price: $360. I'll be wringing it out this weekend and let you know how it shoots.

By the way, the serial number is only 3xx. So, not many of these out there. The Luger name clearly carved into the left of the receiver. That gets attention, I'll tell you.

This will be the last post by me in the thread. I had hoped to find someone else who had a Luger shotgun but, I guess, no luck!

Rome

 

[ENC]

It is new to me although that means nothing, but here is an idea instead of figuring out where it came from and what its quality is....



Go shoot it and come tell us about it I would be glad to hear anything you find out. It is a toy play with it.

 

[Dave McC]

Go shoot it. THAT determines its worth better than any name. If it hits most of what it should, smile quietly when you walk past the guys with the fancy stuff that didn't bust as many as thee.

It's not the piano, it's the pianist....

 

[Rome]

Tomorrow

I'll post a range report tomorrow. The weather is good enough to get to the range for a couple of hours and give her a whirl.

Rome

 

[SDC]

Stoeger imported at least two shotguns under the "Luger" name; one was an O/U built by Laurona in Spain, but the semi-auto you have was built by ATA in Turkey.

 

[Rome]

SDC, are they known for quality?

I'm going to research them as soon as I complete this post but am curious to know if they are know for any quality? I can tell you that this one was executed beautifully. I couldn't improve anything. (I'm a cabinetmaker, btw, and have a pretty critical eye to any types of flaws).

Rome

 

[Rome]

What does ATA stand for?

SDC,

Can you tell me what ATA stands for? I can't find anything that pertains directly to them on the 'net.

Thanks!

Rome

 

[Rome]

Luger SemiAuto 12 Ga. Range Report

Well, I'm hooked. What a blast. This was my first time to shoot at clays and I really enjoyed it. What made it most enjoyable, however, was the Luger. It had to be the easiest thing in the world to handle.

Now I'm an experienced large caliber shooter and have a good collection of a variety of rifles and pistols but shotguns are completely new to me. I was able to bring some of my experience to the table and that's probably why I hit about 40% of my shots today.

Before you think I'm going to be a one-note-samba, here, we had four shotguns with us: a JC Higgins pump, Weatherby o/u, Benelli semi-auto, and the Luger. So, I was able to compare side by side, the performance of all of them.

The Luger performed flawlessly. I couldn't think of one improvement mechanically that I'd suggest as a change. I quickly learned that the cheek weld is the most important thing when it comes to "aiming". Every time I missed, I immediately recognized that my cheek was not properly planted. Once I got that down, my scores went up immediately. And the Luger makes that really easy. I was eventually hitting in the 70% range by the end of the session. It all came down to the cheekweld in every case. The rifle fits me like it was custom made for my arm length and, after hauling the other three rifles, I realized that the weight of the Luger (about 6.5 pounds) made a difference.

As I tried the other shotguns, I realized that shooting a shotgun becomes a personal thing. You get used to sighting one particular rifle pretty quickly. Swap guns and my scores plummeted. That is all except the Weatherby. It was a very nice, but slightly short O/U but it had a very similar sight picture so I scored really well with it, too. I liked it very much, as a matter of fact. I was really surprised that I didn't much care for the Benelli semi-auto. It was an expensive gun but felt heavy and the site picture was difficult for me to find.

Finally, I asked my instructor to try out the Luger. He was able to hit 100% with his first 10 rounds and told me that I had a real winner. He, too, reported that the site picture is easy to obtain and regardless of the direction of the clay, he was able to hit his mark. I couldn't duplicate his efforts but I'll learn. It was an enjoyable morning and I'm looking forward to more of them in the near future, especially if the days stay like they are now.

In conclusion, the Luger lived up to and way beyond my expectations. It's pretty, handsome, and very effective. I can highly recommend it to anyone. BTW, my serial number is only 3xx. Pretty low!

Rome

 

[Hawkaaa53]

Ciao Rome ,

Try to find a Beretta AL-1 , AL-2 or 303 ; break down both guns and compare the actions . When I looked at one at the range where I shoot , it seemed remarkably familiar . They have had several but none very long .

With an import , such as yours , you might want to squirrel-away
some vital parts in case the importer "quits" and parts aren't interchangeable with something else .

As I recall , some Beretta parts , e.g. hammer struts and bolt
links might be worth consideration .

Maybe clean it once a year , whether it needs it or not . Hawkaaa53

 

[Rome]

Hi Hawkaa53,

I'm going to do just that. The parts in the Luger appear to be very robust but I've already sent a letter to the importer to find out all the data I need. In addition, I'm just about certain that the Traditions shotguns are identical in every way. Fortunately for me, they're just about an hour South from me in Old Saybrook CT so it won't be difficult for me to examine both shotguns side by side.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Rome