While DWM was the primary Luger (Parabellum) manufacturer they were not the only producers in the 1920s and early 1930s. Additional companies and gunsmith jobbers assembled the commercial market Parabellums, these include Krieghoff, Vono, Anschutz, Frankenschloss, Fritz Kless. The DWM marked toggle was probably used by all of these jobbers. With this number of companies involved in producing the Parabellum there is a wide range of quality.
During the 1920s and 1930s many variations of the Luger pistol were produced. Most of these variations were produced utilizing the vast stores of surplus Luger components. Many variations were assembled with improper and mixed surplus part numbers. Many of the pistols did not have completely matching numbered components. The primary emphasis of Parabellum fabricators was to sell as many Lugers a possible to stay in business.
We see many mismatched Lugers with “Germany” markings which are discounted as shooters of little value. I have wondered if some of these Lugers were assembled by German cottage industry gunsmith jobbers. These are Luger variations that need more investigation.
|