DWM commercial 30 cal.
 

Did DWM make commercial lugers with engraving?
I have been thinking of purchasing this luger, mis-matched #'s, 4 3/4" barrel ser# 86996. Any information would be helpful.

No, and that is not the original back sight, either. This gun has been modified to someone's taste and would not interest a collector.

It may, however, make a great shooter with a nice touch of engraving if the price is right.

How much engraving? Looks ok so far as Alan suggested?

Can we see right and left?



ed

Are the grips genuine ivory or some synthetic? That would also influence the price.

It's odd that someone would lavish this much attention on a mismatched gun.

The seller says, ivory grips, but he has the original grips. This was given to him by his father in law. A gunsmith told him that it was a 1921 commercial luger. I have more pictures, but I don't know how to reduce the size. I will be glad to send them. e-mail me and I will foward pictures. zylicz3@sbcglobal.net
Thanks for the imput. Larry

DWM commercial 30 cal.
 

Ivory grips

DWM commercial 30 cal.
 

another picture

another picture

a different picture

4 3/4" barrel?

another different picture

final picture. Thanks again for all the help and putting up with a computer wizzard. Larry

What is he wanting for it?
The rear sight is pretty cheesy and it has no collector value, but nevertheless it does have a bit of charm.
The question is how much is charm worth to you?
I'd say $500 to $600 is OK, $800 or more walk away from it never looking back.
But remember that .30 is pricey to shoot so you are buying a charming paper weight.
dju

lzcypress - a full left side view would be helpful... :)

postino -

Did you notice someone has put a flip-up rear peep sight in front of the rear sight too? (looks a little crudely made IMHO)

I could be wrong, but I do not think those are genuine ivory grips. Anyone disagree?

Spring-loaded, too...looks kinda floppy...and there seems to be a pin sticking out from the OEM rear sight...if it is the OEM rear sight...It would be helpful to know how it was fastened to the toggle...

I've had the imitation ivory grips that Melvin Tyler used to distribute (still have a set); they age to yellow after a few years...they also show the laminations...

I think you guys are being generous with your value estimates...It has always been my opinion that engraving is used to hide defects...This engraving looks like someone learning the craft, or maybe toying with mechanized engraving...Awful lot of engraved lines on the sideplate...

I would like to see a side view, especially to gauge whether the barrel is 4" (measured from outside) or 4 3/4" (measured to breech face)...

I was incorrect about the barrel length. It is a 6" barrel. The seller says that they are ivory grips. He will be fowarding me pictures of both sides.

right side

left side

In that case, I would think that $600+ might be realistic...You might be able to sell it to an engraving/ivory fan for more, but it might be a while...I think I would agree with DJU that $800 is not worth it...For a shooter...

IIRC, you can tell if it is real ivory with a red-hot needle...but it's not a popular test... :rolleyes:

you can tell if it is real ivory with a red-hot needle...but it's not a popular test... You heat the needle to red hot and touch the underside of the grip in an out of the way place. If it smells like burning hair, it is genuine ivory. If it smells like plastic...that's what it is. The hot needle will not plunge in if it's ivory but if it's plastic be careful, it could penetrate the other side. I just touch it lightly enough to give a spurt of smoke. It's all you need.
Also look carefully..this test may have been done before!
Your first photo's didn't look much like ivory but the second? Maybe. If they are genuine elaphant ivory they might be worth some bucks by themselves. I have to say..the left grip certainly fits well!

I don't think the pistol is worth a great deal...unless you like it yourself. It's a pimped out shooter...likely with some fairly serious problems ...the rear sight is certainly buggered up.
That's if it even shoots. Does the seller indicate it shoots well? The barrel dosen't look kosher to me.

Not something I would be anxious to put in the safe. But to each their own.

Jerry Burney

The longer barrel makes a better shooter. Overall a real mutt that will eliminate a lot of luger buyers. But not all.
But it is interesting. And I'll stick with the $ figues posted earlier.
Is this what you want or do you want a military P08? You need to decide for yourself.
dju

Thanks for all the information, I will let you all know if the transactiion takes place.
Larry

I would like to see a closeup of the front sight from both sides and the muzzle end. It looks rather unusual in the only photo in which it show.

If the grips prove to be genuine ivory, then I think that the OVERALL value of the gun is a bit more... Genuine Ivory grips that have been tastefully fitted (many of them are crudely fitted) would be an item that might please some Luger owner, and when you find them, they sell for several hundred dollars. This pair would obviously fit a DWM frame and might enhance the right pistol.

This pistol is a curiosity, but not a collector. It is a shooter, and commands only a shooter's price. The engraving, really doesn't add much to a mixed-part gun.

If you get the gun for the estimates given here, and it SHOOTS, you haven't done badly for a shooter. If the grips prove to be Ivory and not some man made material, you could sell those and end up with a shooter that costs must less.

That's My $0.02

The barrel muzzle protrudes significantly beyond the front sight and the barrel thickness at the sight is dramatically larger than the balance of the barrel, indicating it is some sort of gunsmith's special, not a factory item.

If I get this pistol for the amount mentioned above, I will be able to take all the pictures needed to try to find just what it is. I should know within the week.

Larry, Think about it...Don't be so quick to say "I do" to an ugly bride!

Jerry Burney

Hey Jerry -

All Lugers are beautiful in the dark.

Ah, but will Larry respect it in the morning?

Which is not necessarily a bad thing...I make a lot of my own barrels from blanks, and I chamber a 9mm Luger to .003"-.004" headspace. Most OEM Lugers I've checked are way beyond that.

I like long barrels. I have long barreled Lugers, long barreled Mausers, a long barrel Lahti, a long barrel S&W 659...Pretty much anything I work on gets a long barrel... :)

If you can get this for a reasonable [read 'shooter'] price, then I think the long barrel is a big plus. The flip rear sight is junk, but the v-notch should be ok for plinking...

The grips are a matter of personal preference. They are a firing-line attention getter, for sure...and they do sort of accentuate the engraving...

It would be an interesting basis for a target Luger... :rolleyes:
Mount a micrometer rear sight on the toggle, higher front sight, drill the trigger for a setscrew... :D

I agree with Jerry a good one to avoid. Bill

Had a nice phone conversation with Larry..He has a couple of Lugers in the safe..He says this one would be for shooting. Says he will keep us updated on what's what!

Good Luck Larry!

Jerry Burney

The grips could be composite ivory, that is, ivory powder mixed with a resin base, like fiberglass. I have a pair of these, they have turned bright yellow. The smoke test smells like resin, and a chip from the inside fractures like one would expect resin to fracture, and is pure white underneath.

--Dwight