Gentlemen,
I must say that I am enjoying this subject and, Ron, I appreciate your 'artistic' talents in explaining some details - well done!
Calion, I shall soon post an image of the top view of the British Test Luger serial #26 which does NOT have a 'GL' on the rear of the toggle. You must understand that Fred Datig made a mistake 20-30 years ago when he bundled together the various pre-production Lugers together and stated that they had 'GL' hallmarks. Furthermore, Luger serial #5 does NOT have a 'GL', most likely because the rear toggle link was replaced during the 1898 tests (it carries magazine serial #10), whereas serial #6 has a 'GL' hallmark (as well as on the magazine) which surprises me. I shall withhold my reasons for the latter to avoid any controversy.
For your information, serial #19 (with a 'GL') is a 1899 pre-production model with the short non-reinforced rear toggle (see Ron's images) and it is probably the only correct pre-production model known to exist - unfortunately, it was taken from the Thun Museum and it cannot be found! Somewhere in my files, I have a photocopy of Swiss model 1899 serial #20(?) which is documented in the Swiss Pistol Commission journals and the safety area is polished like a 1900 model!
Albert at Imperial Arms
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