Please Help Identify Unit Marking on 1916 DWM

Don M · 04-20-2011, 09:22 PM

Bruce, this pistol once had a sear safety that has been removed. In addition, the side plate has been replaced and stamped with a matching serial number. The clue is the hole in the receiver flange just above where the main safety contacts it. This is where the rivet attached the sear safety spring. I had to lighten your photo to show this clearly.

There is the remote possibility that the gun was drilled for a sear safety that was never installed. One way to tell is to remove the side plate and see if there is a vertical hole drilled in the sear bar. If there is, the sear safety was once installed and the side plate is a replacement. If it were the original, it would have a slot cut out of the top.

bdome · 04-20-2011, 10:57 PM

You are correct Don. When I removed the side cover I could clearly see the hole which was drilled in the sear bar. Thank you for the clarification. I've read that it was a requirement for the sear safety to be installed on pistols used by the police. Was it commonplace to remove these sear safeties once they were removed from police service? I'm just curious why it may have been modified but then removed. Thanks again.

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04-20-2011, 10:57 PM	#2
bdome User Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 14 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	You are correct Don. When I removed the side cover I could clearly see the hole which was drilled in the sear bar. Thank you for the clarification. I've read that it was a requirement for the sear safety to be installed on pistols used by the police. Was it commonplace to remove these sear safeties once they were removed from police service? I'm just curious why it may have been modified but then removed. Thanks again.