Brian,
Thanks for the extra pics.
The flat recoil spring well was instituted late in 1914, somewhere between sn 70632 and sn 72353. All of the reports of 1914 Commercials in this range up to sn 71182 are Commercial Armys, that is, commercial 5-digit serial numbered, but military proofed and accepted. The lazy c/N commercial proof indicates that the gun was proofed (by my estimation) before 1916 when the proof was stamped vertically and designates the 20DWM variation.
Commercial production was very limited during The Great War. The range of flat-well 1914 Commercial production in the Commercial database extends from sn 72353 (and possibly as early as sn 71504) to the final entry (intermixed with 20DWM and relieved-sear 1914 (1916) Commercial variations) of sn 76071. Examination of this range in the Commercial database suggests this gun was most likely made in 1915, possibly early 1916.
The maximum extension of the range of flat-well 1914 Commercials extends from approximately sn 71500 to sn 76071. Therefore, the maximum number of these pistols made is approximately 4,571 examples. There are only 100 serial number reports in this range; slightly more than half of them are 1914 Commercial, interspersed with 1914 Commercial Armys, 1914 Commercial Navys, 20DWMs, and possibly a couple of "1913 Commercials". It would be unwarrented to establish a production number based on the statistical average, but it seems reasonable to estimate from the pattern of reports that production of these guns may range from 2,000 to 3,000 units, pending reports of more data.
Although the frame has been ground back shorter than the front of the receiver, indicating the possible removal and replacement of a serial number, my own suspicion is that this is the original frame assembled with this gun. The matching serial numbers of the small frame parts tend to support this, as does the observation that Luger frames ground back farther than the receiver are much more common than is usually expected.
It is my own speculation that Commercial Lugers manufactured during the war were made up almost entirely of parts rejected during military contract production. This would be one possible way to account for the frame/receiver length mismatch.
--Dwight
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