Thread: Dwm?
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Unread 03-11-2006, 01:30 AM   #13
Dwight Gruber
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Zeke,

The horizontal ("lazy") c/N, stock lug, and 5-digit serial number identifies this gun as a 1914 Commercial (I -really- wish you had provided the serial number).

DWM made these guns from 1914 to approximately the end of WWI in 1918. They are found in the commercial serial number range from approximately 70491 to approximately 76071. There are several different commercial variations salted into this range, so there are not nearly as many of these guns as the numbers suggest.

Bill Reupke (Auto Mag, 11/05) has suggested the existence of a sub-variation he has named 1916 Commercial, which has the relieved sear bar this pistol shows, characteristic of Lugers made after the middle of 1916 when the sear modification went into effect. Serial numbers of this variation begin about 74900 (Reupke, ibid.) It would be interesting to know if there is a small P stamped on the frame between the trigger guard and serial number; it is -crucial- to know the serial number itself.

This is a very uncommon and desirable Luger. The only mediating factor to its value (if the finish is original) is that not many collectors specialize in commercial Lugers, and so there is not much demand for the supply.

This gun offers the potential to help better understand the late-war commercial production of Lugers, and if you buy it I hope you will post high-quality, detailed photos of its characteristics.

--Dwight
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