1915 DWM - New member from Texas
 

Hello all. I just purchased my first Luger and would like some information on it. I know it's a 1915 DWM and the numbers seem to all match. I haven't disassembled it, though. Pics to follow.

More pics

Even more...

Welcome,
decent looking 1915 DWM.

I suggest reading the stickies for info, and then if you have more questions you can ask moe specific questions.

I don't see anything unusual.

Allen, I presume from gunboards?

Welcome to this forum :)

What I see is an army 1915 DWM made Luger, no unit marks and did not go into police service.

Edward, I'm on other gun forums, but I don't think gunboards is one of them.

I almost forgot the holster:

Here's what I know so far from browsing this site for the last three days:

Pistol was made by DWM, under German Military Contract.
Has military barrel proof and receiver proof.
Receiver inspection/acceptance stamps are S E S
Magazine is WWI, DWM Military and by the “+” means it’s a spare mag. S/N doesn’t match the pistol.
I have no idea about the holster.

Questions:
What does S E S mean on the right side receiver?
There are no import marks. Can I assume this was a bring-back?
There is a J engraved in the right side grip. I assume this was done after the pistol left the service?
What would be the approximate value of this pistol?
Value of holster?
Would you consider this a collector or shooter? I do plan to shoot it. Do I need to take it apart for this question to be answered?

Thanks!
AllenArmory

Your Questions followed by some answers/opinions:
What does S E S mean on the right side receiver?
Inspectors initials applied at various points in mfg. and after proofing. This is covered in the stickys.

There are no import marks. Can I assume this was a bring-back?
yes

There is a J engraved in the right side grip. I assume this was done after the pistol left the service?
yes
What would be the approximate value of this pistol?
Check online sales

Value of holster?
Not much, looks to be aftermarket or ?? not German WWI military

Would you consider this a collector or shooter? I do plan to shoot it. Do I need to take it apart for this question to be answered?
You need to take it apart to clean it and inspect the workings, and to lubricate it.

Collector or shooter-
yes and yes- if you want to.

If you want to share what you paid, we can say good or bad on the deal-
many of us don't do "valuations", it makes no one happy and one is never correct-
There are just too many variables and every one has an opinion. ;)

Hi Glenn,

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your Luger. There is quite a bit to learn about Lugers, and I hope you'll enjoy the ride!

I maintain the FAQ document for Lugerforum, and I think you'll find the reference material gathered there quite useful.

Here's a direct link to the post. Download the PDF file(s).

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121

Yes, I appreciate the FAQ document you've put together. I've looked it over twice and can't find what the letters S-E-S mean. Can you enlighten me?

The pistol was listed at $1299 at the local Cabela's in their "gun library." After applying Cabela's points that I had saved up, my out the door price was just over $500.

More specifically, I know that S-E-S are proof stamps, but is there a way to tie them to a proofing officer or his staff?

The stamps are the first letter of the inspectors last name with the Imperial crown over it. If two inspectors had the same last name, then the second on got a line under it.

I believe the actual names are lost to history- but someone may have more info on that.:thumbup:

I agree with the last above statement that these Crown over a letter are inspector's markings, applied at various stages of construction, not test firing proofs, which are the stylized eagle on the barrel, receiver and breech block. TH

I pulled this list of WWI Inspector names off the web years ago. It is the only reference I have ever seen that lists several of the inspectors by name. They quote source material.
Ron

Pretty nice, not much holster wear on front of the frame rails, sideplate island, and muzzle band sides. Sweet
:cheers:

A nice Luger, congratulations.

As far as it being a bring-back or not, I asked a similar question awhile back regarding non-import stamped military Lugers. Ed Tinker advised that lack of an import stamp does not prove it was a bring-back, although it could be. Apparently import stamps were not required until the 1960s on former military pistols.

http://luger.gunboards.com/showthrea...gers-come-from