Artillery Luger questions
 

I recently received a Luger from my father, he's had it for at least forty years that I know of an never touched it. I have quite a few guns and know Broomhandle and other collectables fairly well. Enough of that. This Luger has no numbers or proof marks anywhere. It has a cut out in the back where a strap would go but no signs of ever having the bar to attach it to. The barrel is more of a straw color than the rest of the gun with no marks on it. The finish seems to be about 85 percent maybe more. It has an adjustable rear sight (elevation) but no numbers or proofs at all? The grips have wear that would be consistent with age and they have no stamps either. Any ideas ??? Also it does not have a grip safety and appears to have a "0" under the safety lever

Me thinks we need pictures to be of any help.
dju

Yes, pictures are a must. It sounds different, so.... I am inclined to think it is a commercial 8 inch, but with pictures we would know more.


Ed

pictures added, Thanks

Just a WAG from the pics, but it appears to be heavily buffed...and the rear toggle piece looks odd...It has a scallop that none of my Lugers have...

It appears to be buffed and hot-blued. That cut out in the back is where a lanyard loop should be. Can't tell you more on the numbers from the photos, but look closely on the lower edge for the last 2 digits of the serial #. Repro. holster.
dju

My artillery toggle train does not have this scallop in it...Anyone have any idea what it is for???

The lanyard loop has been ground off flush and reblued. You can make out the embedded stubs in your pic.

The rear toggle "knobs" appear to have been compressed (not parallel to axis of barrel, so the indentation, is probably a relief cut so that the mid toggle link will move when attached to this rear link. TH

The relief cut in the rearmost link was certainly made to allow the toggle knobs to be bent in, for some bizzare reason. The middle link's tab, which interfaces with the rear link would have had to be ground down some to work with these bent in knobs.
What I can't figure out would be the purpose of this arrangement?

Before or after your pistol was aquired 40 some years ago... Bubba killed it. I would be very hesitant to fire this pistol.

I disagree...Looking at my Lugers, no part of the middle link ever comes close to the 'scallop'...It might possible have been incidental metal removal from a grinder widening the gap for the middle toggle link...but the grinder operator (I'm thinking a 4 1/2" hand grinder with a cutoff wheel) would have had to be pretty careless...

I do share the opinion that the toggle knobs have been bent...Very mysterious...It would have had to have been done off the pistol...

...Ten foot pole Luger... :D

Doug, I've been racking my brain for ways to duplicate this 'scallop'...The only way I can think of is with a round file; using it to 'clean up' the middle link clearance relief without detaching the rear link...and getting incidental filing of the rear link in that area...Maybe removing pitting before buffing... :p

I still stand by my theory. The relief cut is clearly purposely done and removes enough metal to allow the knobs to be bent in without cracking the rear toggle. I think it was milled in just for the purpose of bending the knobs in and has nothing to do directly with the middle toggle. The only possible reason for bending the knobs in would be to allow the knobs to gain a tighter grip on the middle link's tab, for some reason. An attempt to tighten up the action?
I really have no logical explanation for this work