Don M.,
* The attached URL might answer some of your questions:
http://www.gunboards.com/luger/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2200
* A "q" block with a Simson barrel proof made new or re-barrelled from a 7.65mm DWM (BKIW) commercial for a Police contract about 1927. As you can see the noted author and collector, Jan Still, believes these are newly made pistols
* I think the interesting question is "who" did the Weimar Alpha DWM "q" blocks for the Police?
- Was it Simson who was sanctioned by the Allied Commission to supply Lugers during this period? Did Simson purchase BKIW commercials & rebarrel to 9mm for a Police contract?
- Was it BKIW who had the capacity, capability, survival need, and spares to assembly a large order for Police replacement upgrades; but, needed the Simson proof(?)/acceptance(?) for the 9mm rework to gain covert coverage from the Allied Commission Inspectors?? While Sam Costanzo (WOLI) calls this barrel stamp a Simson stamp and it has the form of a number of stamps attributes to Simson, is it in fact a Simson stamp??
- Was the barrel conversion done by the Police themselves & we are looking at a Police re-proof barrel mark?
* BKIW is known to have shipped the Finns a batch of "q" blocks; so, it appears Contract pistols were the order of the day @ DWM.
* In any event, where is the Police sear safety on this example? Did this pistol escape that addition because it was actively used at a Police school & could not be made available for this update?
* The "b" block, blue tubed mag likely came from a 1938 S/42 P.08. This is intuitively contemporary to the 1937 holster. The "3172 no suffix", bright tube mag does indeed look like a "K" date mag with an O37 acceptance and block "S" mark. The "37" does not relate to the year 1937; but, rather to the Waffenamt inspector's "team" number assigned to the Mauser plant in 1934.
* Thats what makes the Weimar era so interesting. Just about the time you have a shread of continuity, the unexpected exception arises.
* Hope this answers more questions than it poses.
Respectfully,
Bob