Two more photos from Kelly :

http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfupload/kelly_barrel.jpg

http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfupload/kelly_proof.jpg

Okay, here it is. What do you think? It really looks like a "Y" to me now. It's still a little hard to tell from the photo, but maybe someone can clean the pic up a little and tell. Thanks a whole bunch, Kelly

Hello Kelly,

Without a doubt it is definitely a "Z". What makes it look like a "Y" is how the top of the "Z" is made. You have certainly created an interesting transfer of information on one of the fancier suffixes on Mauser lugers and one that is not often seen by many people.

Good Luck,

Well ToggleTop it looks like it's you and me together again. Sounds like a song title to me!! It's a "Z" !!!!!!!!!! :)

What's funny is the guy that stamped that letter on it probably had no idea that it would end up in America and 60+ years later a number of Americans would be discussing what the stamp is.

Why didn't they just have a standard set of letters anyway? I mean why all the different kinds of the same letters boggles my mind.

I thinks its and "R"!! Okay, I flux between an X and a Z, but if TT and Frank say its a Z, well, it is hard for me to argue!

The dreaded, can you make the suffix clearer picture comes to mind....

Ed

I don't know if this helps or hurts. It didn't help me to tell what it is.

http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfuploa...roof_copy1.jpg

Hey Kelly, please tell us the Waffenamt Markings on the right side of the receiver. They are either both a droop eagle over 63 (DE/63) or a straight wing eagle over 63 (SE/63) or one of each. Which is it for your Luger!!!!!!

Hello Frank,

Thanks for your support. Without your support, I think the limb would have already been sawed off. I find it good to have Frankenstein on your side!!

Best Regards,

Chester,
W.C.'s on your side too. I vote for "Z".
If Chester, Frank and I are wrong. We ain't goin' down without a fight!

Ron

Hello Frank,
My Luger has three. The first is a straight winged eagle 63, next is a drooped eagle 63 then another eagle waffen mark (with no 63).

Kelly, your Luger is known as a transition variation. The inspectors stamps changed from DE/63 to SE/63 and yours was caught in the transition. The Y-Block Lugers I have recorded are marked with DE/63 & DE/63, the No Suffix Lugers are marked with SE/63 & SE/63. Thus, this change in inspection marks was made somewhere in the Z-Block.

So gentlemen, the suffix is a "Z"

:)

Very interesting info Frank. I'm still learning, so by "transition variation" do you mean that it went to a different type of bluing and the strawing disappearances? And, any way this suffix could be a "Y"? I mean it really, really looks "Y"ish to me. Kinda neat figuring it out from another angle (by other stamps to tell you what it is).

It is definately not a "y", the z is a hard one that is a bit wild looking.

Ed

Kelly, there are two major variations in the 1937 Luger; those with rust blue and straw parts and those with hot dip blue parts.

Then within the first variation there are two sub variations; those with a Mauser Hump and those without the hump. All of these will have a Waffenamt Marks of DE/63 and DE/63.

Within the second variation, there are also two subvariations; those marked DE/63 and DE/63 and those marked SE/63 and SE/63. Further within this second variation there is a transition between the two subvariations; marked DE/63 and SE/63.

You have this transition variation. I don't know how many of these were built, but I don't think too many.

Hope this helps explain!! :)

Luger letter suffixes can be hard to read and difficult to guess. For the confusing ones I refer to Costanzo on page 152. The letter in question is a Z.
Jan