Bill Akins
New member
Stoeger has owned the copyright to the name "Luger" on a product, since the 1920's. These .22 LR caliber Lugers are not an exact P08 parabellum
as designed by Georg Luger, but they legally are a Luger and they are (debateably) close in resemblance as well as have a working
toggle which does somewhat retard (delay) the otherwise straight blowback bolt. So it is correctly termed as a retarded/delay blowback action as opposed to the P08's action being recoil operated.
Some people claim these are not Lugers. But they legally are Lugers. They just aren't constructed exactly the same as the P08 was designed originally by Georg Luger. My all steel frame one has the heft and feel of a P08 while my aluminum frame ones are much lighter.
The Stoeger Luger is superior to the .22 cal Erma P08 style which was made of questionable pot metal with a steel sleeve for a barrel encased in pot metal and most of the other parts as well as the Erma's frame are zinc type "Zamac" pot metal. These being the only working toggle .22 caliber Lugers and Luger (type) pistols mass produced (not including .22 conversion kits
for larger caliber lugers), it therefore is common for some people to confuse the Stoeger's and the Erma's and to even think they are the same pistol. Both have been out of production for decades.
The Erma looks a lot more like the P08, but the pot metal parts commonly crack and break. The Stoeger, even with the aluminum frame version, holds up excellent. I know. I have two alum frame ones and one steel frame one and I have been inside them and worked on them to smooth up their operation. Most complaints on these fine pistols are made by people who do not know what to do, such as polish the feed ramp, micro chamfer the breech edge so it won't catch the head of the bullet and jam against the breech, bend (if necessary) the mag feed lips to aid feeding. Replace a worn extractor spring. Most of the public will not know these things nor do them and that, along with incorrectly lumping them in with the inferior pot metal Erma's, is why some people call them "Jam-a-matics". But they aren't. If they did the things I mentioned like I have, their Stoeger .22 Lugers would work fine.
The .22 Stoeger Luger's toggle assembly is steel as is the bolt which rides in steel recesses not in aluminum recesses as well as the entire barrel is all steel, as opposed to the Erma barrel which is a steel sleeve
encased by zamac pot metal. So all steel where it was needed was used in the aluminum frame Stoeger and the aluminum frame was rated at 82000 psi. So it is very sturdy.
The Stoeger steel frame ones are even sturdier and feel just like a regular P08 in weight and heft. It is a pleasure to shoot both Stoeger frame types.
The Stoeger company of today, is not the same Stoeger company which produced these .22 caliber Lugers although they still own the copyright to the name "Luger" on a product.
Unfortunately, records of the old Stoeger company were lost or not kept, as to the exact production date of each individual Stoeger Luger.
So all we can know is the aluminum frame Stoeger Lugers were made from 1969 to 1979 and the Stoeger all steel frame ones were made from 1980 to 1985.
Hope you enjoy the video.
http://vimeo.com/118525608
Bill Akins
.
as designed by Georg Luger, but they legally are a Luger and they are (debateably) close in resemblance as well as have a working
toggle which does somewhat retard (delay) the otherwise straight blowback bolt. So it is correctly termed as a retarded/delay blowback action as opposed to the P08's action being recoil operated.
Some people claim these are not Lugers. But they legally are Lugers. They just aren't constructed exactly the same as the P08 was designed originally by Georg Luger. My all steel frame one has the heft and feel of a P08 while my aluminum frame ones are much lighter.
The Stoeger Luger is superior to the .22 cal Erma P08 style which was made of questionable pot metal with a steel sleeve for a barrel encased in pot metal and most of the other parts as well as the Erma's frame are zinc type "Zamac" pot metal. These being the only working toggle .22 caliber Lugers and Luger (type) pistols mass produced (not including .22 conversion kits
for larger caliber lugers), it therefore is common for some people to confuse the Stoeger's and the Erma's and to even think they are the same pistol. Both have been out of production for decades.
The Erma looks a lot more like the P08, but the pot metal parts commonly crack and break. The Stoeger, even with the aluminum frame version, holds up excellent. I know. I have two alum frame ones and one steel frame one and I have been inside them and worked on them to smooth up their operation. Most complaints on these fine pistols are made by people who do not know what to do, such as polish the feed ramp, micro chamfer the breech edge so it won't catch the head of the bullet and jam against the breech, bend (if necessary) the mag feed lips to aid feeding. Replace a worn extractor spring. Most of the public will not know these things nor do them and that, along with incorrectly lumping them in with the inferior pot metal Erma's, is why some people call them "Jam-a-matics". But they aren't. If they did the things I mentioned like I have, their Stoeger .22 Lugers would work fine.
The .22 Stoeger Luger's toggle assembly is steel as is the bolt which rides in steel recesses not in aluminum recesses as well as the entire barrel is all steel, as opposed to the Erma barrel which is a steel sleeve
encased by zamac pot metal. So all steel where it was needed was used in the aluminum frame Stoeger and the aluminum frame was rated at 82000 psi. So it is very sturdy.
The Stoeger steel frame ones are even sturdier and feel just like a regular P08 in weight and heft. It is a pleasure to shoot both Stoeger frame types.
The Stoeger company of today, is not the same Stoeger company which produced these .22 caliber Lugers although they still own the copyright to the name "Luger" on a product.
Unfortunately, records of the old Stoeger company were lost or not kept, as to the exact production date of each individual Stoeger Luger.
So all we can know is the aluminum frame Stoeger Lugers were made from 1969 to 1979 and the Stoeger all steel frame ones were made from 1980 to 1985.
Hope you enjoy the video.
http://vimeo.com/118525608
Bill Akins
.
