LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post - What can the experts tell me about this Luger?

Claven2 · 01-26-2005, 04:35 PM

Admittedly, my knowledge of Lugers is limited, but this one to me seems unusual. Most of the markings I've not seen before. The gun is a Finnish M23 with the 9mm Tikka replacement barrel. Most of the receiver group matches itself, and most of the barrel extension and toggle group matches each other, but both halves of the pistol are toatlly mis-matched to each other, which I guess is common on these Finns. I know this Luger came straight from Finland to me through a Canadian Dealer and it was still in heavy Finnish storage oil when I got it last week.

So please, someone help me decypher this one's past!

Here you can see that the receiver ring doesn't seem to be out of round (unless I'm just not looking at it properly?) - yet there is no barrel extension date stamp...? That isn't really rus on the bbl - it's storage grease combined with a bright camera flash...

And this is odd... notice that there seems to be an old detent in the middle of the Gesichert marking - ???

The mis-matched wood mag it came with - it's stamped with a "+", so I assume it was once a spare mag.

Here are some faint proof marks that are partially buffed off, but they look like Imperial Army to me - might be an Erfurt eagle on the end, next pic I blew them up and increased the contrast.

Here are the bbl extension markings - anyone seen this before? Obviously the SA is Finland, but what's with the Star over the C and the flaming bomb proof? Anybody?

The toggle appears to be a DWM commercial because the serials are all hidden instead of out in the open and the proofs are crowns over an "N"

Lastly, another shot of the top of the bbl extension - Erfurt? ex-artillery? You tell me!

If anyone would like additional pics, let me know.

Also, I forgot to take a pic of it, but the frame serial number is "1870 L" with the L in small-case cursive.

01-26-2005, 04:35 PM	#1
Claven2 User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 16 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	What can the experts tell me about this Luger? Admittedly, my knowledge of Lugers is limited, but this one to me seems unusual. Most of the markings I've not seen before. The gun is a Finnish M23 with the 9mm Tikka replacement barrel. Most of the receiver group matches itself, and most of the barrel extension and toggle group matches each other, but both halves of the pistol are toatlly mis-matched to each other, which I guess is common on these Finns. I know this Luger came straight from Finland to me through a Canadian Dealer and it was still in heavy Finnish storage oil when I got it last week. So please, someone help me decypher this one's past! Here you can see that the receiver ring doesn't seem to be out of round (unless I'm just not looking at it properly?) - yet there is no barrel extension date stamp...? That isn't really rus on the bbl - it's storage grease combined with a bright camera flash... And this is odd... notice that there seems to be an old detent in the middle of the Gesichert marking - ??? The mis-matched wood mag it came with - it's stamped with a "+", so I assume it was once a spare mag. Here are some faint proof marks that are partially buffed off, but they look like Imperial Army to me - might be an Erfurt eagle on the end, next pic I blew them up and increased the contrast. Here are the bbl extension markings - anyone seen this before? Obviously the SA is Finland, but what's with the Star over the C and the flaming bomb proof? Anybody? The toggle appears to be a DWM commercial because the serials are all hidden instead of out in the open and the proofs are crowns over an "N" Lastly, another shot of the top of the bbl extension - Erfurt? ex-artillery? You tell me! If anyone would like additional pics, let me know. Also, I forgot to take a pic of it, but the frame serial number is "1870 L" with the L in small-case cursive.