Serial number qustions for 1918 DWM
 

A am talking to a guy selling what he says is a 1918 DWM luger. He says the serial number on the bottom of the barrel appears to be a 221 stamped over 8,82, with the serial number 221 and 21 appearing in other places on the pistol.

Why would the barrel be re stamped like that? Also, would a 1918 DWM really have a three digit serial number?


"Like I said I do not know these guns so you may have to help me make sense of the SN# but under the barrel is on top of each other read as 221 over 8,82 and 21 and 221 on other parts ???"

Every 10,000 Lugers, the number series repeated. They had a letter suffix, which generally appears on the front of the frame above the trigger guard.

"221" or "221x" where "x" is a suffix letter could be the serial number of the gun. 8.82 is the measured barrel gauge. "221" should appear on the receiver left side, and "21" on the other numbered parts for a military Luger.

Pictures help confirm that it's correct.

Marc

As mrerick said, that 8.82 is a bore diameter and common to all military Lugers, on the under side of the barrel only. Sometimes 8.83.
Everything sounds OK so far.
dju

At cursory inspection without tearing parts apart the gun appears to be matching, even the magazine is wood bottomed and numbered 221. I cannot find a number on the side plate, but I understand they were not always numbered, correct?

That said the finish is pretty much gone and it has abundant surface pitting.

Do you think $590 out the door is a good price for this considering the good and the bad?

The side-plate should be prominently numbered somewhere near the middle of the front face. If there is no number there, then it is either mismatched or scrubbed.

That would not bother me too much at that price, but I would use this fact to maybe offer $500.