Luger that I picked up, won't shoot 9mm or .30 what's up??
 

I picked this gun up yesterday and got home and tried to put a .30 in it and it will not fit. The bullet is bigger than the magazine. So I tried 9mm. 9mm fits the mag but not the gun. So what does this luger shoot? Did they come in any other calibers? Serial number is 5936 a and has GERMANY written on it. Every thing matches but I can't figure out what it shoots. Also I took the grips off and it looks like someones social security number. Any ideas? Also it is a DWM gun.
Robert

Also does anyone have any idea of the date it was made?

What is the barrel length ? What 30 ammo were you using? If 9mm fits the mag so should 30 luger. ?????

Can you micro-measure the bore at the end of the barrel?

In the 1950's they supposedly rebarreled / relined some to 8mm Nambu, never seen it, but heard the rumor. Also, very possible that a local gunsmith made it fit something else in a wildcat caliber...


During the 1960's / 1970's all the insurance agencies and local cops told folks to put their SSN # on valuables. Many folks did, I have a really nice 1943 Remington Rand with a drivers license # electro-penciled on it...

Ed

Hi not really sure maybe S&B ammo, will try another type today at a gunshop. the barrel length is just shy of being 3in. My friend has some 8mm nambu will try that too. The barrel matches the gun though. This is the first luger I've owned and may be doing something wrong.
Robert

Robert,

If the round truly will not fit the -magazine-, it is likely that you tried a 7.65 x 25 round, such as made for the .30 Mauser or Tokarev. These cartirdges have an overall length of 34.7mm.

The .30 Luger cartridge (7.65 x 22) is shorter, with an overall cartridge length of 29.8mm. The longer cartridge simply will not go into the mag (or chamber, for that matter).

If you measure from the breech face the barrel should be closer to 3 3/4 inches.

As far as determining the date, it will be necessary to know all the markings on the gun--pictures of them will be useful. If the letter suffix is truly a it may be a bit of a puzzle.

--Dwight

I forgot to mention there was a crown over an N, that's all.
Robert

Robert,

In that case, please make sure that the suffix letter is really an a .

--Dwight

Hi yes it is a cursive a, was unable to get any more ammo today, will try again tomorrow. Does anyone know of the age of this gun?
Robert

We would need a lot more informaiton and more pictures.

So far we know, it is:

5936 a and has GERMANY on it

Crown over N

Germany means it was exported, usually to the USA
Crown N is the commerical proofing

Dwight doesn't believe that the serial number should have an "a" suffix, unless it is a WW1 era that was refurbished and sold for export, very possible.

Ed

From my own personal experience....
I had the same experience when I got my luger. The guy I got it from told me it was 9mm, but after I loaded the magazine, they did not fit the chamber, turns out, it is .30 Luger.
.30 Luger is not that easy to find, I believe you probaby tried .30 mauser which is easier to find.
I was disappointed at first, but hey, its a Luger, and once I found the correct ammo.... its fun to shoot, and the fact that it is not 9mm does not bother me anymore.

ED,

Its easier to trace down a DL number than a social security number,
But I donâ??t think any one advocated inscribing numbers on guns.

you know how some people are......

Hi looking at it again, it looks more like an "o" than an "a".
thanks,
Robert

Does anyone know how I can tell the date?

I actually read a brochure (you know when I was little in the 1960's :D) and it showed guns on the page, and if I remember right, even listed guns as "valuables"to mark for safe keeping...

The older forensics books also used to state that one way to ensure the gun was kept with a proper chain of custody was to inscribe the case number or other number onto the gun itself...


Ed

Yes, give us many more pictures and list all known information in one place. I'm sorry, we can't help you, unless you help us.

Ed, you aren't going crazy; I've read that too! :D

Hi what I've listed so far is it, serial number, crown over N, and a "o" prefix, what else do I need to know?
Thanks,
Robert

You have one picture, can you not provide more?

The suffixes are hard to know, we want to see a clear picture of it, to see if it is an "a", a "o" or what?

Our gut feeling is that it was made in the 1920's... guns made or modifed in the weimar era are not as easy to pin down, as a gun made in 1937, 1915 etc.

Ed

Hi getting it examined by a collector today, he has a lot of books maybe it's in there, I don't think a pencil wil fit into the barrel, I tried a pen and it wouldnt' the other day. I think the mag is made of steel and there are no markings on it or the wood. DWM is on the receiver.
Robert