Vern,
Yes, there are three variations in takedown lever numbering. If you go to the "Research Archive" section and read Dwight Gruber's excellent essay on Commercial Lugers, he does a wonderful job of discussing various physical variations. The following is an extract or the portion on takedown lever numbering:
"Takedown lever numbers
One of the common â??understandingsâ? about Model 1900 Lugers is that the takedown lever serial number was located on the right-round end until sometime after the U.S. Test Eagle series, at which time it moved to the bottom edge. From the examples reporting this characteristic, this is not the case at all. The serial number is indeed found on the end for the first approximately 3,000 guns, after which it is found on the bottom edge.
Sometime around sn 6000 the takedown number returns to the right end. Between sn 7094 and sn 7108 the number migrates to the left face of the takedown lever. Between sn 7775 and sn 7857 the number returns to the bottom edge. From sn 8348 to at least sn 8678 the number returns to the right end, with at least one reported on the bottom. From sn 8977the number returns to the bottom edge, where it remains for the next 28 years of DWM Commercial production."
[Ha! Dwight beat me to the draw on this one!
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