Recoil Lug Serial Numbering...?
 

Could use some help in knowing when to expect 2-digit serial numbers on recoil lugs and when not to; based on luger models and variations...

Photo below is from The Dutch Luger Book by Marten & de Vries, on page 135 and is included to help all see what my question is about :

http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/witnessmarks004b.jpg

Regards,

Pete... <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

Sorry IgNoRance showing... So some obviously have two and others have more or more likely none?

So yer question sir is? What years have and don't have them? (I know, I am starting to sound like a parrot aren't I).

Hello Ed,

Yes, I have seen some lugers with the 2 numbers on the lug, matching the last two numbers of the gun's serial.

On other lugs, I see a single number stamp (no related to the gun's serial), which might be an inspector's number. On other lugs, I have seen symbols such as a triangle...

Just trying to understand the ryhme and reason...that is, what is right and what is wrong for each manufacturer, model year, variation...

Have not seen any of the luger book authors really deal with this topic of recoil lug markings...

Regards,

Pete... <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

Pete, Costanzo on page 356 shows several examples of the lug markings, many with eagles over a number, some with up to three nembers(1900 DWM) and attributes them to being proof marks. If you have a specific example I can try to find the info. Nothing shown for the number in your picture. Both Vickers and Simpson liked to stamp nearly everything, so finding the last two on the lug would not surprise me.

Recoil lug markings observed on single guns:

1914 Erfurt LP08 letter & symbol stamps
1917 DWM LP08 letter & symbol stamps
1917 DWM Navy letter & symbol stamps, last two digits of serial#
1900AE last three digits of (5-digit) serial#
1936 S/42 letter stamp
1920 DWM Commercial no marks

The 1910/1914 orders for marking the P-08 (Still, Imperial Lugers) shows no marking specified for the recoil lug. Still (ibid.) shows a 1908 Commercial with the last two digits of a 5-digit number; and (in Weimar Lugers) a 1921 DWM, Swiss Cross chamber marking, Abercrombie & Fitch, with no marking.

--Dwight

Pete, I believe that you'll only find the last 2 or 3 digits of the serial number on the receiver lug of some commerical or contract lugers. Militaries generally didn't need it, as the full serial, less suffix letter, was stamped on the left side. When DWM discontinued this practice, is not quite clear, but I would guess sometime in the 1920s after switching from the 5 digit serialization. Tom H.