Heydrich, it was not claimed that the 1914 "q" Luger was assembled in 1916. The statement is that it was assembled "no earlier than 1916". Looking at "Imperial Lugers", 1916 production stopped at the "g" block, pretty much ruling 1916 out. Only 1917 and 1918 Erfurt production made it into the "q" range of suffix letters. That's also when many Erfurt Lugers began appearing with the C/RC "Revisions Commission" stamp on various parts, indicating a part that failed quality inspection in some non-critical area. If there were such parts available from previous years, why not use them?
The explaination may not satisfy everyone but the possibility must be considered. As I've said previously, in manufacturing almost anything is possible. A few years back a gentleman wrote to one of the gun magazines wanting to know if a S&W revolver with a 6 inch smooth bore barrel was uncommon. He had purchased it new and it left the factory that way. As the pistol was in violation of federal gun laws, he was advised to get it back to S&W as quickly as possible.
I personally would like to have the Luger in question actually examined by Mr. Still but, until then, his theory of how it came to be is the best we have.
|