What Year and Model Were Metal Bottoms First Used
 

I asked this question as in Luger, Tales Of The Gun above, a luger is featured with what looks like a metal base and I displayed below. Shouldn't it be a wooden base? Also I believe the round toggle was also suspect for use that early!~~Eric

From Sturgess' book, (p1294) the first Aluminum bases were issued in 1925.

26 May 1925 they were adopted by the Army (Weimar).

Police use followed shortly after this.

This coincided with the 25 May 1925 Simson contract, which means that the Simson made Lugers should be the first with Aluminum bases.

According to Sturgess, all Mauser manufactured Lugers came with Aluminum based magazines. This must start with the 1934 "K" dates. It includes the blued steel body magazines, and Haenel manufactured milled body magazines. This would include nickel plated body magazines through 1937, and blued body magazines starting in 1936. Haenel milled magazines started becoming available in 1939-1940.

Marc

Obviously wrong! Should have been wooden! The toggle link itself should has been dished!

Eric,
I think your question is not complete enough to answer. Was the Luger shown in the photo represented as being a Model 1900 used in early test trials? If so, you are quite correct that it is totally wrong.

Yes Ron that was exactly what they were portraying! Sorry for the fuzzy picture!

Same quality research as the NRA Museum curator a couple of years ago...

There are so many assumptions made by people responsible for knowing, but that just plain don't have the background...

I guess that's where consulting experts come in. Perhaps the production didn't have the budget...

Here the 'consulting agents', if any failed! To the casual viewer no big deal. To all of us its more, its a part of our Lives. Whats amazing they interviewed three of the luger finest of the day!! Fred Datig and Charles Kenyan and even the late Ralph Shattuck and nobody noticed. I'm not nit picking. Being a prior trial attorney little obvious mistakes bug me the most and generlly they generally cost me even more. I know each of us depend on the experts for 'Luger Excellance' veracity and authenticism and we demand and deserve it!! PS I love it anyway!!!!!

Wrong. The Dutch contract lugers made by Mauser were supplied with wooden bases initially.

I have to wonder...Were any of the metal base magazines (of any year) made of Zamak (Zinc/aluminum alloy)??? :confused:

Zamac bottoms were introduced after WW2, during DDR production. The DDR made Haenel style P08 magazines have Zamac bottoms.