DWM Unit Marked
 

I originally posted this in the New Collectors forum but since it is unit marked I will repost here with photos.

I picked up a DWM 9mm Luger at a gun show this weekend. It has 1920 over the chamber. Is this a property mark or date of manufacture? Serial #1508 n. It is all matching except for the Side Plate. I am not sure about the grips and the mag is a blued wood bottom with no markings but it is a period mag.

It was reblued but all corners and edges are still very sharp so it was a good reblue job. It has a sear safety and had a mag safety but that has been removed. It is unit marked. I assume a police unit.

All parts that should be strawed are blued also. Can I have comments about weather you would strip the blue and re straw the parts or leave it alone.

Also if I were able to find an 08 side plate would I be better to leave the sear safety or remove it.

By the way I paid $495 so I think I did okay

You have a great looking Luger there Ken and at an excellent price, congratulations. Lon

A good gun, at a good price. Definitely a Police gun.

Strawing the parts normally strawed would be a personal preferance issue. It will not increase the value of the gun, and regardless of quality of the reblue, it's collector value is permanently reduced. The blue is also a hot-salt blue and not rust-blue... another distinction from the original qualities.

Replacing the sideplate with a correctly numbered one would still not make it "all matching" because the replacement part didn't leave the factory with the pistol.

Enjoy it for what it is, IMHO,... A GREAT shooter.

Ken, even though the gun has been refinished, you did more than OK!

The chamber number 1920 is the year of manufacture. Yours is one of a series manufactured in 1920 with the suffix "n." This suffix puzzles collectors as the other Lugers manufactured by DWM in 1920 have no suffix or the letters "a" or "b." The "n" is out of sequence and no one knows why.

The grips (at least the left one) are probably replacements. If they were original, I would expect to see a notch out of the upper left corner of the left grip for the mag safety.

The grip strap marking is from the Schutzpolizei of the Breslau administrative district, specifically the command stationed in Waldenburg (HWIS, p. 161).

Can you tell me whether the inscriptions below the eagles on the right side of the receiver are ArA4 or WaA4?

DWM Unit Marked
 

Thanks for your quick response.

I will need to put the eagles under magnification to answer your question. These marks are now faint so I am not sure that I can tell.

I will post the answer when I get home later this evening.

DWM Unit Marked
 

At first I thought it was WaA4 but after I looked at it again I believe it is ArA4.