P08 dwm 1916
 

Hello.

I recently bought a DWM 1916 9mm Luger. It's all matching except for the magazine. I've cleaned it really well but I haven't shot it and I'm not sure if I ever will.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about the markings and stamps on the gun?

It has the following stamps:
Left side: 1 marking with a crown.
Right side: 4 markings, two fishes, a phoenix and I can't spot the first one.
Front: E underneath the serial number 1617.
Under the barrel: Again an E. Five markings: CP N, SNP, 9x19 (I know this one), 1B96 between swords? and lastly, 8.83.
Handle: 178. R. 2,5.


Here are the pictures. The pictures are quite large and detailed so you guys can zoom into them with the + button.

Best regards.

The grip strap marking indicates that it was issued to the 178th Infantry Regiment, 2nd company. It was weapon # 5 in that company.

Ditto on what George has said WRT the unit markings on the grip.

At some point in time it has been proofed in England as evidenced by the stamps on the underside of the barrel and left receiver. "BNP" means "British Nitro Proof".

8.83 is the bore diameter in mm; approximately .348"

It's otherwise a typical 1916 DWM Luger although someone has scratched it... while "cleaning" no doubt.

When you record the information, list the date (1916), the make (DWM) barrel length (4") and the serial number on the front of the frame INCLUDING the suffix letter "e". Why? Because in 1916 there will be multiple DWM Lugers with a serial number the same as yours. The difference will be the suffix letter (a, b, c etc) or, in the case of the first 10,000 made, no suffix letter.

I like it! And great pics too!

If you are into the history of such things, as noted the pistol is unit marked to the 178th Infantry Regiment. The 178th was a regiment in the German 123rd Infantry Division. The link below is their main story as far as what the unit did. It appears they were pretty much on the Western Front. Check out the link, it helps tell the story.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/123r...(German_Empire)

If only these old things could talk.

I like it! And great pics too!

If you are into the history of such things, as noted the pistol is unit marked to the 178th Infantry Regiment. The 178th was a regiment in the German 123rd Infantry Division. The link below is their main story as far as what the unit did. It appears they were pretty much on the Western Front. Check out the link, it helps tell the story.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/123r...(German_Empire)

If only these old things could talk.

Also, the 178th and 123rd were from Saxony, in eastern Germany on the Elbe River. The more well known cities there are Danzig and Leipzig.

Vignir,

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your Luger.

We publish a useful FAQ reference at:

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121

Be sure to download a copy.

Your Luger's full serial number is "1617e" including the suffix letter on the frame.

The markings on your receiver front right are, in order, (corrected), three Imperial German military contract inspection acceptance marks and an Imperial German proof acceptance mark.

It's preferable if you resize your photos to about 1024 pixels on the longest axis, and then upload them here using the "Attachments" function from the "Go Advanced" editor. This is because they are useful in the future for reference purposes, and they often disappear from remote sites. You can use a program like "GIMP" the Graphics Image Manipulation Program (a free version of PhotoShop) to do the resizing and export to Jpg.

Has your firearm been deactivated while passing through Britain? Do they allow / license firearm ownership in your country? Please configure your name and location into your profile. i think you'll find quite a bit of interest from forum members here.

Marc

Enlarging the image shows that the first stamp is not a C/RC but a C/letter. The C/RC is normally stamped above the first C/letter if it's on the receiver. On the frame it'll appear above the normal C/letter on the trigger guard.

The C/RC stamp signifies that a specific part - not the whole pistol - was initially rejected by inspectors because it failed to meet specs. Later, a Revisions Commission inspector could authorize use of the part and stamp it C/RC. If the part later failed, the stamp exonerated the original inspector of all blame.

Below are examples of the C/RC on the receiver and frame but I've also seen it on parts of the toggle train. These are all Erfurt Lugers because, as said, it's uncommon on DWM Lugers.

https://i.imgur.com/ChbWw6e.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/x2d1aky.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/APRaept.jpg