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Doubs · 09-21-2021, 08:45 PM

To further confuse the OP, the military serial numbers went from 1 ~ 10000 beginning with each new year. The second series of 10,000 were 1a ~ 10000a then b etc. Therefore, 1911 will have serial number1234a and 1912 will also have serial number 1234a. Thus the year is important in identifying your specific Luger if it's a military pistol. To further complicate things, both DWM and Erfurt made Lugers in the same years with identical serial numbers so the maker is also important. When Mauser took over military production in the 1930's, they didn't begin a new serial number sequence each year but went through the alphabet at least three times for some suffix letters in a continuous series without regard for the year.

Commercial Lugers, OTOH, began with serial number 1 and continued through the years in a continuous series until after WW1 when they reached approximately 92000. Concerned that it would soon become necessary to use six digits in the commercial serial number series, they decided to continue using five digits plus a letter. Because each letter represents a block of 10,000 Lugers, they began with the 9th letter of the alphabet which is i. It is commonly thought that the first alphabet Luger was serial number 2001i which would be the equivalent of 92001. Some think that the first alphabet Luger began with serial number 1i as some have been noted below 2000i.

The first commercial alphabet Lugers were made in mid-1921 and the letter i was followed by k, l, m, n, o, p etc. Each suffix letter was produced in blocks of 10,000. Knowing that the Finns placed an order for 5,000 alphabet Lugers in 1923 and the first delivered were in the k block and the q block pistols were delivered in 1928, it's reasonable to think that your pistol was made in 1926 or 1927. I said 1925 before and I now think that is too early.

ALL alphabet Lugers were made with a stock lug so yours was either ground off OR an earlier frame without a lug has been renumbered to your upper. Seeing pictures of the back of the grip will tell the story.

09-21-2021, 08:45 PM	#11
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,743 Thanks: 828 Thanked 1,793 Times in 591 Posts	To further confuse the OP, the military serial numbers went from 1 ~ 10000 beginning with each new year. The second series of 10,000 were 1a ~ 10000a then b etc. Therefore, 1911 will have serial number1234a and 1912 will also have serial number 1234a. Thus the year is important in identifying your specific Luger if it's a military pistol. To further complicate things, both DWM and Erfurt made Lugers in the same years with identical serial numbers so the maker is also important. When Mauser took over military production in the 1930's, they didn't begin a new serial number sequence each year but went through the alphabet at least three times for some suffix letters in a continuous series without regard for the year. Commercial Lugers, OTOH, began with serial number 1 and continued through the years in a continuous series until after WW1 when they reached approximately 92000. Concerned that it would soon become necessary to use six digits in the commercial serial number series, they decided to continue using five digits plus a letter. Because each letter represents a block of 10,000 Lugers, they began with the 9th letter of the alphabet which is i. It is commonly thought that the first alphabet Luger was serial number 2001i which would be the equivalent of 92001. Some think that the first alphabet Luger began with serial number 1i as some have been noted below 2000i. The first commercial alphabet Lugers were made in mid-1921 and the letter i was followed by k, l, m, n, o, p etc. Each suffix letter was produced in blocks of 10,000. Knowing that the Finns placed an order for 5,000 alphabet Lugers in 1923 and the first delivered were in the k block and the q block pistols were delivered in 1928, it's reasonable to think that your pistol was made in 1926 or 1927. I said 1925 before and I now think that is too early. ALL alphabet Lugers were made with a stock lug so yours was either ground off OR an earlier frame without a lug has been renumbered to your upper. Seeing pictures of the back of the grip will tell the story.