I.D.ing Frame Manufacturer
 

Can you tell by the serial number and suffix if the frame is by the same maker as the marked toggle? I have a 40xxh DWM with 1920 over the chamber. Do the ser. no. and manufacturer match?

That can be an indication, because they made serial numbers in certain "groupings", so some years didn't have, say an 'h". The 1920, usually isn't a year, but a Rheichswehr property stamp. 1920 guns are in the Weimar era when vast quanities of WW1 guns were refinished from older guns and many were also made.

In what is considered the "Alphabet" Lugers, made in the 20's and given serial numbers, there were no "h"s made, they started in the "i" block.

So, yours was made some time during the WW1 era and then used during the Weimar era. Good indications, but not proof positive are Weimar acceptance markings, and Imperial (WW1) markings, but many times these were scrubbed off.

I'm still learning about this but wouldn't an Erfurt frame have distinctive markings that a DWM frame wouldlack?

Yes John it would, but I didn't know enough to state where or what they would have, so hoped others would chime in <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

So, it has to be either a DWM or an Erfurt, and it has no Erfurt marks, so confidence is high that it is a DWM. Since numbers match on the frame, cannon and barrel, and bluing extends to inside the frame, it would appear to be a WWI reworked after the war, with all it's original major components. Now, is there a way to determine date of manufacture by DWM? Do these lists exist?