New Member - Alphabet Commercial date?
 

Hi,

After years of wanting a Luger P-08, I finally connected with a nice one at a local gun show.

It's an alphabet commercial s/n 70xx m marked "made in germany" on the right receiver.

Good halos where the serial is stamped on the barrel and all matching with about 95% blue and decent straw (don't quite know how to rate it...) and strong sharp bore.

I checked Dwight's database, but can't determine the born on date. Is this from 1924 or 1925?

Also, caliber isn't stamped anywhere, but it looks like .30 Luger (7.65x21 parabellum). Any good way to verify this? Other than 9mm parabellum, were there any other cartridges near the size of the .30 Luger that lugers were chambered in?

Thanks for your help and work on this board!

Marc

The rule of thumb for caliber determination around here is to take a #2 pencil. If it slides down the bore it is a 9MM, if it does not it is a .30

From STILL'S WEIMAR AND EARLY LUGERS, an 'M' series would have been the last part of 1923 to the first half of 1924, so if they made at a steady rate, about March.

FN

Thanks for the information and updates! DOM in Spring of 1924... I wonder what was happening in Europe and the rest of the world then....

MArc

Here are some pictures:

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u.../_DSC1860s.jpg

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u.../_DSC1859s.jpg

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u...eInGermany.jpg

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u...n/LugerDWM.jpg

Is it possible to get a condition estimate from these photos?

Thanks, Marc

Percentage of finish is a subjective call and I am not very good at it. But I will say that it is a pretty nice looking Luger. Looks like your scored well on your first acquisition. Now you have the bug, one Luger is never enough!:)

My Luger
 

For years I have been interested in buying a Luger. So about 7 months ago I decided to get serious and buy one. I look at two which were a 1916 Erfurt and a 1921 DWM-both 9mm. I was so taken by them, I adopted both. After reading and learning more about their potential value, even after shooting both, I decided to buy a third just as a shooter. I will try and upload photos of the DWM, and let the experts tell me what I have. Even though I have only been a member of this forum for a few months, you have taught me much.

I hope that these photos come thru.

Newluger