Grip fonts
 

Greetings fellow members,
Anyone out in Luger land have any knowledge about whether or not there is a standardization concerning font sizes on grips? I have several Lugers that I feel very comfortable in saying their lineage is without question, but the font sizes are very different. My 1910 DWM for instance has very small numbers, but my BYF 41 has much larger numbers. Both Lugers are war trophies that I acquired directly from the GI who captured them, so I feel it is reasonable to assume the numbers on the grips are not home brewed. Before a conclusion is drawn concerning DWM and Mauser being different, I also have a 1914 DWM with large numbers much like the BYF.
Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Mike

The grip strap markings were applied by unit armorers with whatever die fonts they were issued or obtained. It is actually remarkable that there was any uniformity at all in individual markings across the span of thirty or more years. There were regulations dictating the size, style and placement of unit marks, but you make do with what you have to work with (and not every armorer was literate enough to understand published directives). The Weimar era marking goes all wonky, and early Nazi stuff isn't much better. I find that Imperial era stuff shows much more consistentcy, but that is just me:).

Are these the steel stamps used for "unit markings"???

I don't have any knowledge of a Reichsministerium regulation on size & font...I'd just like to know how they stamp a curved surface and get uniform depth and definition on the stamped letters...

It's pretty much impossible to find "curved" stamps even in this day & age...Where did the Germans get theirs??? Each machine shop/toolmaker make their own???

Ron,
I should have been a bit more clear. I was referring to the number size on the wood.

Mike

Oh... as Emily Latella (Gilda Radner) used to say on Rowan and Martin's "Laugh In", "that is very different...nevermind".:)

Well, that's an interesting answer; LOL. Is there an answer to the different size numbers?

Mike

Postino, it's still done today as it is refered to as roll stamping.

Regards,

George

George - So you're saying that every Regimental Armorer had a hydraulic press and rotary stamps available, plus the necessary fixtures to hold the Luger grip frame in place???

I find that hard to believe... ;)

Of course, I've seen stranger things... :p

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kSNVKrktKU...bicycles02.jpg

Mike, late Mauser grip plate numbering is usually quite large. The early guns seem to have had the numbers stamped using the same small dies as the frames were marked with.

My personal feeling on this Mike is that there may be some uniformity in grips produced at exactly the same period in the same manufacturer, but not across the spectrum of manufacturers and suppliers. Let me emphasize that this is my instinct on the question based on observations. I do not have a published reference to support this opinion.

Mike, Here are a few general observations: DWM & early Mauser military PO8 grips are stamped with the last 2 digits of the serial using 3mm high dies. DWM commericals after WW1 and some early Mauser militaries & commericahls, will have unnumbered grips. Erfurt & Simson grips are thicker and will be proofed inside in addition to the small digits. Later Mauser WW2 era grips will most often be numbered with a much larger die set. Sometimes only one side is numbered and the other side will have an inspector's WaA. There's a much greater variation of grip numbering on these WW2 grips. TH