1917 DWM Artillery Luger
 

Greetings All! I have a 1917 DWM (all matching) that I inherited from my Grandfather. He "liberated" it from a soldier that wasn't going to be shooting anything anymore in Normandy in 1944. I was wondering if anybody knew of a Luger specialist in the Dayton/Cincinnati/Columbus, Ohio area. I'd like to get my Luger checked out. I know it's been fired in the past (most of the checking on the palm side of the grip-for right handers- is worn off) and I'd just like to know if it is too far gone to be a true collector. I'm dying to put a few rounds through it, but I don't want to ruin it.

Specs are:

Serial: 5971 h (under barrel, front of frame); 5971 (left side of barrel above locking bolt); 71 on tangent sight block and slide, trigger plate, locking bolt, front/rear toggle, and extractor

Inspector's marks: #15 from the Proof Marks section of the Luger forum (German military receiver proof. Found on DWM Lugers 1914-1918) on the left side of barrel; there is another proof mark on the left side of the barrel under the sight slide that looks like an Imperial German Eagle with a "D" or a "0" underneath. The mark is pointing with the head of the eagle to the left (as you look at it).

I have pictures, but I have to get them loaded on this computer before I can post.

Thanks for all your help!

-Tservo

Now with Pics!
 

A few selected pics. They look better uncompressed; have more if different views are required.

I think its cool and not too much risk to shoot it (its not pristine).

Do you know more of the story of how your grandfather got it, where he was stationed etc?

I have about 5 or 8 more stories for my next vol, vol III of Vet Bring Backs, if interested, shoot me an email with full size pictures, ed_tinker@hotmail.com


Ed

It looks like the right grip is fire damaged. Precisely in the small area that would have been exposed had the gun been in its holster. Battle damage?

If it could only talk!!

It's definitely not pristine, but the close-up shots make it look like there is much more rust in there than there really is. I just don't want to shoot something that is more valuable as a collector. I'd really like to track down the history of the gun; what unit it was issued to, where it's been, all that kind of stuff.

Unfortunately, my grandmother only told me about having it after my grandpa died. I was only 11 or 12 at the time, so I hadn't really developed the interest that I have now. I do know that he went into the ETO through Omaha Beach on June 8th (I think he was in the 16th Inf.; the sister unit of the 116th Inf that landed there on D-Day.) he was in the Battle of the Bulge and got a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. I think that's where he got the Luger from a dead German soldier. I'll have to ask my mother if my grandmother ever wrote down how he acquired it since my grandmother has passed on.

Funny you should mention the holster; the rig that I have looks like a Mauser holster, but the owner cut about an inch off the bottom so the barrel can poke through. The grips are definitely black, but it's not a sooty black, more like the black you'd get from lots of oils and dirt built up from lots of use. But you're right, that would be the area that would be exposed.

I'll put a picture of it up here sometime. I've seen the posts from holster repair guy, so I thought about having him look at a picture or too to see if he can tell me what I have.