Stamped Take Down Lever
 

After 40 plus years of collecting and admiring Lugers, believe it or not, this is my first Swiss. So I will be the first to admit that I have very little knowledge of what is right or not right when it comes to judging this Luger. My big question is the take down lever; it is not stamped. The seller, a very well respected dealer, tells me that all four of his remaning '06 Cross in Shield Swiss are this way. I also called a friend who owns a Cross in Shield as well, and his take down lever is also unstamped. I would much appreciate feedback from the forum members who own similar Swiss Lugers and whether or not their take down lever is stamped. Here are a few pictures of the Swiss Luger.
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss1.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss2.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss6.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss7.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss10.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss11.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss13.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss14.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss15.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss17.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss18.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss20.jpg

You may want to remove from frame to see if it is numbered internally. Since these M06 lugers were made by DWM for the Swiss, I would have expected the standard DWM serialization and inspector's markings of the period, unless later reworked by the Swiss. TH

Hi Mike,

This topic came up recently in a discussion over on Jan Still's Gun Boards as well :

http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11321

A member, named Armin from Germany, indicated he had seen lots of M1906's and even M1900's with un-numbered TD levers and the 2-digit stamping on the trigger side plate upside-down (i.e. top of numbers pointing towards the side of the Luger instead of away from the side of the Luger).

BTW...regarding the P-release date stamping on Swiss Lugers; you will see them in 3 possible configurations :

1. Letter/numbers stamped and then the gun reblued by the Swiss at time of gun release. This will result with "bluing" down in the stampings of the P-date.

2. Letter/number stamped and showing a "halo" effect. This has two possiblities :

a. Halo appears on an original finished gun.

b. Halo appears on a previously refinished gun.

In this case # b, one would need to look for other signs of a refinish to determine if the halo is on an original finished gun or on a arsenal refinished piece.

As the Lugers in CH were in service many years and issued to possibly several, sequential soldiers, the Luger may have been arsenal reworked 1-2 times or more before finally receiving its P-release stamp which would display halo if the gun was in great condition at its time of release from Military use and did not require a refinish.

Regnier is selling this one in CH...M1906 cross/shield, serial # 10093.

Both TD lever and trigger side plate numbered with the 2-digits pointing up.

http://www.luger-genesis.com/detail_...=223&img=5&p=1

Hi Mike,
that's an interesting issue you bring up here. I have been watching the logic of the Swiss Luger numbering for a while now. On the Swiss Mod. 1900/06 I have seen the normal configuration with the numbers on the takedown lever and the sideplate in line and I have seen many Swiss with the sideplate number upside-down and the number on the takedown lever missing.
BTW my DWM 1906 cross in shield with the number 9774 has exactly the same configuration as yours and it even bears the same arm on the barrel's underside.
Armin