unit Mark 1920

[Don M]

Jes,

OK, I'm ready to go out on a limb. I believe this to be one of the Lugers produced by DWM in 1920 for military and police use. I don't see the commercial c/N nitro proof on the left side of the receiver and the acceptance stamps and small parts markings seem appropriate. I believe the assigned serial number was 1699b, which put it in the third 10k of guns produced that year. See Jan Still's Weimar Lugers, pp. 1 & 15.

This gun was mistakenly property stamped 1920 although it would not have been required since it already had a 1920 date identifying it as govenment propery. Quite a few of the 1920 and 1921 dated DWMs were "double dated."

I suspect that this gun originally went to the Prussian police in the K�¶nigsberg district. It does not have a sear or mag safety suggesting that it was removed from police service prior to the implementation of the 1933 order mandating these devices on police Lugers.

My main sources of concern with this identification are the placement of the suffix "b" above the serial number on the barrel and the presence of an "n" on the barrel and frame. I don't know what the "n" signifies.

This is all I know and more. I hope it helps.