First Luger
 

Glad to to be member of a reputable forum!

I bought my first and only Luger from a mom and pop gun and odd/end store about 13 years ago. I have tried to to ID it in the past but have never been able to nail down the exact history. I spoke to Ralph Shattuck when I bought it and recommended/sold me "Lugers at Random" which all my knowledge about this pistol comes from. Ralph was a VERY NICE man...heard I was Active Duty and thanked me for my service and gave me a free 1st edition of his book. I was very sad to hear of his passing:(

Here is what I know and explain from the attached picture.

-The pistol is a DWM Luger with all matching serial number (6251) sans the mag.

-Based on a proof on the right-side of the receiver, it passed the Erfuhrt at some point.

-Based on the Waffen Amt eagle and the eagle 63 it was a military Mauser Pistol as well.

-There are two Nitro marks (N with crown) which Lugers at Random tells me it is a commercial production after 1920- I found two marks on the receiver and on the extractor.

-S/42 is marked on the bottom of the barrel, along with "8, 82," no idea what that means

-There is a seagull type proof on the front trigger guard - no clue what that means.

-No markings on the fron/back straps; there is an appendage of sorts on the back strap that looks like it would attach to a broom handle stock.

I would like to any.all information about this pistol to include what service it might have belonged to.

I WILL NEVER sell this pistol; my kids and grandkids will inherit this, but am curious as to the value.

Thanks!

Roger

Welcome to the forum. We are going to need better pics, taking them outside in indirect sunlight on the macro setting usually works well.

The 8,82 (mm) is the bore diameter measurement before rifling. (Or, in other words, the measurement between the lands.)

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Hi Roger, and welcome to the forum.

Your Luger is made up of a mix of parts from different pistols and different eras.

It probably started out as a commercial DWM Luger, but I can't tell more without detailed photos of the markings. I can't tell if the rear of the frame ears is straight or has the Mauser Hump. If it's straight, it could be a DWM frame (Get internal factory inspector markings photographed) or a Mauser frame. If it has the hump, it's a Mauser frame from 1938-1940.

The S/42 on the barrel indicates it was an armorer's part that was sourced from Mauser sometime after 1935. The 8,82 is a bore measurement in mm as quiet1 mentioned above.

Crown/N marks were commercial markings in Weimar and Imperial Germany depending on the crown used. They may also be marks from rework after WW-II by the Russians and East Germans.

We really need good sharp photos of the marks in detail. You need to shoot them with a digital camera using a tripod in natural shaded light. Use the self timer and the closeup setting until you get some in sharp focus.

Post them here individually with about 1024 pixels horizontal resolution.

All Erfurt receivers should be date marked above the chamber. Is your Luger blank there?

mrerick and Quiet 1,

First and foremost, than you very much for all the information. I will get better pictures.

-My heart skipped a beat when I read that my parts were a mix of different parts from different eras? Please explain to me how this can be if all the parts have the same serial numbers (sans the mag), even just the last two digits on the smaller parts? I thought all parts having the same serial numbers equaled an original/complete pistol. Is this correct or am I mistaken? Does the fact that the pistol is created from a mix bag of parts detract form the originality of the pistol?

-The frame ears have the bump you describe.

-There is no date that I can see above the chamber. What does this mean? I will look again closely to make sure.

-8,82mm for the bore measurement. Stupid question...why didn't they just mark it 9mm if that 's the round that the pistol fires?

Thanks again!

Roger

It would not have been terribly hard for someone with access to an arsenal full of parts to come up with matching numbers back then. It appears that the entire lower frame is from one pistol, (Mauser) and the upper receiver and toggle train from another, (DWM, or Erfurt with a DWM toggle train). The Barrel, as mentioned, is a Mauser made arsenal replacement barrel. There is no chamber date that I can see, so the upper was a commercial offering in .30 Cal. Luger and was converted to 9mm via the barrel replacement.
Although the numbers match, this does detract significantly from the pistol's collector value.

Thank you for the insight! Why do you think they went through the trouble of converting from 30cal to 9mm? Was it a common war-time practice to mix parts?

Thanks!

Roger

New pictures as requested. My wife and I took these pictures with her Cannon SLR.

Right

Above

Trigger guard and front receiver bottom base of barrel

Right front receiver

Left front receiver

Last picture - above chamber, no date.

The serial number appears to be from the time period of the late 1920's (an r suffix)

The crown N on the left of the receiver is a commercial marking - so I would say at first that it started as a commercial, then went into the army or police (likely army). The markings on the right look like rework markings (HZA markings are a Weimar depot), but are not close enough. I do not think that is an Erfurt proof on the far right. For one reason that if cleaned up from WW1, I doubt they would leave just the proof.

It is NOT a Mauser bump on the rear (see the FAQ)

Keep in mind that many, many WW1 guns were cleaned up (most markings taken off) and resold or reworked.
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Mr. Tinker, thank you sir very much for you weighing in. It is fascinating that the pistol startout as a commercial pistol before be absorbed by the army or police. Thanks for correcting me about the pistol not having a Mauser bump.

Now that I have clearer pictures posted, do you thing the gun is original or a parts gun as stated in previous posts?

The pistol really seem to have a story...I'm glad it's starting to talk:)

With no Mauser hump to muddle things, the lower frame would indeed match the balance of the pistol. The font looks consistent throughout the pistol, (with the barrel being a close approximation).
My guess would be an Alphabet Commercial, rebarrelled to 9mm at a depot for Weimar government service. As such, the pistol is in a sense "correct", although many purist collectors would rate the gun a bit lower than an untouched, factory original pistol.

Still, I find guns with a decipherable history of great interest.

alanint, Thanks for the feedback! I agree that pistols with disipherable history are of great interest. What is an Alphabet Commercial?

I agree that Alan's comments seem right to me :)

Mr. Tinker,

Yes sir...thanks...his comments seem spot on. What is an "Alphabet Commercial?"

V/R,

Roger