Question private Purchased 08
 

Hallo all
I have a Question about private Purchased ww1 Offices Lugers.
Did they have the Same Military proofmarks as the others?

How can i detect a private One?

Regards thomas

No military markings. The commercial private purchase P08s had five digit serial numbers and either BUG proofs or Crown/N horizontal proofs.

Geo:
It never occurred to me that the commercial P08s we see could have military history thru private ownership in the upper ranks. Would they all be 9mm, and are there any distinguishing features or markings?
dju

David, they were all 9mm and fall into the category of 1908 commercial and 1914 commercial. I believe the serial number ranges would be 50000 through 70000. The very rare 1913 commercials may also have been among the private purchase pistols. The only distinguishing markings can be found on some of the early BUG proof '08 commercials. They are found inside the magazine well on the bottum back. The marking is "Prv" which is thought to indicate privat, in English private.

Thank you George, and Merry Christmas.
dju

Thanks for your help...

Merry Christmas

I have attached a thread from Jan Still's forum dealing with a private purchase officer's '08.
http://luger.gunboards.com/showthrea...nt-auction-buy

did some of these go to the swiss? I know the swiss use prv to indicate the release of a military weapon into private sales

These markings are only found on '08 BUG proofed commercials in 9mm as far as I know and the Swiss private or commercial sale guns had a rather large P on the receiver. The '08 9mm commercials had no connection to the Swiss. The Swiss also used a cursive P on the spine of magazines.

Not all private purchased Luger are in the range between 50000 and 70000. In the Landau list are a few Lugers with standard 4 digit serial numbers mentioned as private.
I think that all the Lugers with the 3 lobe crown X are private purchased Lugers for the officers which were stamped in a small series in late 1914.

Central Powerws Pistols (p.147) has a 1917 list of pistols offered for officer private purchase from the Gerrman War Department, including P08 and LP08. It is not clear how or where these pistols were procured, but it is suggested that many, if not most of them, had army inspection stamps.

--Dwight

Dwight,
these pistols on page 147 of Central power pistols are "non ordnance" pistols.
There are some documents in German archive about the ordnance pistol P08.
Officers were allowed to wear and use a handgun as they wont- only the holster should look like the P08 holster.
The best hint to answer the question what kind of Lugers was purchased by the officers until the Great War is the Landau list. There are written the numbers of the private Lugers of the officers with the unit stamped of the different regiments.
I have added some points of the list. The numbers are between 39000 and 64000.
I found meanwhile 12 Lugers which are listed there.
Regards
Klaus

My 08 commercial is in the 497xx serial range with the PRV mark inside the rear lower grip frame. Has the un numbered twin mags and in an early holster with rod and pin punch present.Regards Dave

So to see the marking do you remove the grip panels, or just peer into the bottom of the mag well? Along the rear edge?
dju

look imside the bo
ttom of the mag well.