Erfurt Artillery
 

It just doesn't seem right to me that there's no thread about Erfurt Artillery Lugers. They were only made in 1914 with approximately 23,000 produced. I purchased this one at an estate sale many years ago. All matching, even the mag, and it has an excellent bore. It's unit marked to the 51st Reserve Artillery Regiment which saw a lot of action on the Western Front. I also have a second Erfurt Artillery Luger unit marked to the same regiment but it has a couple of replaced parts and is British proofed. Of the two, this is the nicest.

https://i.imgur.com/xRhKi6S.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pf5qgEM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TZ3mDBl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6KdgzWt.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Zmof5XY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zjwEBiV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5x0yGO6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/K8NZhmh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6YYpH4m.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bym6lwm.jpg

Nice Erfurt.
Now there is a thread.
Here are my two.

A "straight" 1914, and a 1914 with 1920 property stamp and Navy markings.
:cheers:

Well, might as well join the parade here and post mine since I got it about a month and a half ago from Don. It’s all matching sans the magazine, but was refinished and heavily buffed. Nonetheless, it makes for a good quality shooter and looks better than most other refinished Lugers that I have seen (except for those done by Thor, he just does magical refinishes on Lugers)

Interesting that only Don's has the broken crown.
dju

We've discussed and speculated about the broken crown die before.

Seems obvious that Erfurt used more than one roll die for the mid link, and probably also replaced the dies when they noticed that they developed a defect. JMHO.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to date they are observed.

Of my two 1914 Erfurt Artillery Lugers, one has a perfect crown and the other a broken crown. They are both in the first block of production - no suffix letter - and approximately 4,600 numbers apart. The earlier one, serial # 2361, has the broken crown.

I have other Erfurt Lugers with both perfect and broken crowns from later years. As Don says, there seems to be no pattern to when they appear.

Does the break always appear in the same part of the crown?

The ones I have seen or seen pictures of- yes.

This may not show as clearly as I'd like but the right "leg" of the crown is not complete.

https://i.imgur.com/aqTfR0E.jpg

My pictures , with the white in the markings, in post #2 clearly show the break in the right lobe of the crown.

Here's one from my work
http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...ht=1914+Erfurt

Thor,

By chance was that one you restored in your thread the same one I now have in my possession? I cant quite make out the SN on the one you posted but it looks similar to my numbers.

Here is the post made back in 2002 when I finished Mark's Artillery. He lives in Virginia I think. The small parts look like "79" but the SN digits are 2263 g from my records.
http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...ht=1914+Erfurt

I have worked on (7) 1914 Erfurts 1327a, 5519a, 1005b, 2263g, 1946 NS, 4324 NS (Double date 1914/1920), 9259 NS NS=No letter suffix

Thank you. Mine is 8019 a which explains why they looked similar in the post.

Acceptance stamps and numbers on the mag are more than questionable...

I image you're talking about my mag in the first post. I agree and have so stated before. It is the mag that came with the gun when I bought it and I've questioned it's originality from the beginning.

Below is the mag that came with my other Erfurt Artillery. What do you think of it? (It doesn't match the gun)

https://i.imgur.com/Dp6gl3e.jpg

This is my favorite thread! :D :thumbup:

Maybe one day I will find an Erfurt Arty for myself!

Spoiler
 

Since everyone was posting such nice Erfurt's I figured I could show the other side of the fence. This one just shoots like a dream, is all matching except the sideplate, and mag which is only 7 numbers off. I'm not sure if it is chromed, or nickel. I've even got a chromed loading tool. I'm not sure if it could be restored or not. If anyone has some chromed or nickel parts they do not need, let me know. Ok, Erfurt lovers, try not to get wet eyes. :)

Hard to tell but I'm guessing chrome. A custom chrome plating shop could probably tell you for sure. You can bet there won't be another one just like it at the range...
dju

I agree, likely chrome- not nickel.

Cool though, I "need" a chrome luger- everyone should have a least one to show
what our GIs though was a neat way to personalize their hard won souvenir. :)

I also think it's chrome. You say "it shoots like a dream" so I'd leave it as it and enjoy it. From what I can see, the lines have been smoothed somewhat as it was no doubt polished before the chrome was applied and will never be original again.

As Don says, everyone should have a chrome or nickle plated Luger. Mine is an all matching alphabet commercial and, like your Artillery, it's a very reliable shooter.

Shoot it, have fun and enjoy the attention it gets at the range from envious people. :)

Mine was heavily buffed and reblued, but it was my first luger - sold a 4 inch Python and bought it! Usually I'd say for most trades (sales) years ago that a luger was always the better buy, but unsure about that one!

It gobbles up almost every round Iv'e fed it, to include small plinker reloaded bullets (didn't like them very well) to WW2 ammo.

---

Mine had those same kind of plastic faux bone grips. I removed them, dropped them in the nearest trash can and found the proper grips for the year, and the wear. Too bad about the python, worth some big bucks now.