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Unread 09-15-2005, 04:37 AM   #13
maddog350gt
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Washougal WA
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Big Norm,

No need to apologize, I like to shoot them also but I am primarily a collector. I am sure the gun is a rework of a WWI DWM gun done in the early 20's. I don't think it has been re-blued or altered since it left Germany. The 6" barrel has a crown/N proof and appears to have been assembled to the gun before it left Germany. No military markings on the barrel, and as Dwight pointed out if the barrel had not been part of the gun it would not have been proofed (spare parts were not proofed before shipment). The crown/N is the same pattern and size as the C/N proofs on the receiver, frame and breech block.

The owner is in his 80's and is hard of hearing, the gun was displayed with a sign "not for sale" it was only after I asked to look at it and we talked for a while that he said he might sell it if the offer was good enough. My thoughts were that he had the "not for sale" sign to keep people from telling him it was over priced. I haven't had a chance to call him and talk since the show; too many late nights at work this week. I will try to touch bases with him this weekend. When we talked at the gun show, he told me that Don Hallock looked at the gun back in the 80's and told him it was a Krieghoff rework, and that it was worth a lot of money. He may not listen to anything else.

From the style and placement of the C/N stamps it is consistent with what is listed in all of the Luger books for Krieghoff rework markings but it does not have a Krieghoff logo that I can see. It also has the same polishing pattern on the takedown lever that is associated with Krieghoff manufactured guns. This is not a proof only an observation.

At the time I looked at it I didn't ask to take it down, I didn't think the owner would have agreed and that is just my intuition. I should have asked. I think if I show more interest, and especially if I can provide any additional information. I think he will agree to let me disassembly it. If I find some other indications of Krieghoff involvement it would make it worth pursuing, if not I will probably let it go. In any case it is an impressive looking gun as the finish is very good and it has not been abused. The current owner said he bought it from a private party in the early 60's shot it once and put it away. According to him it has not been shot since.

I did learn some things here, most note worthy is that other manufacturers or re-workers used the same lazy crown/N rework proof as Krieghoff. So providence can't be established with only the proof marks.

Ron Wood; you made a comment that I don't understand that if it were a lazy crown/N it couldn't be a 20's commercial? This might be true for DWM reworks but if you go to Gibson page 140 (as pointed out by Dwight), Krieghoff (and from the other collectors here, others also) used the lazy crown/N proofs on commercial reworks in the early 20's. Do you have information to the contrary? Bye the way good to hear from you, I hope everting is going well in El Paso; do you plan to go to Reno in November?

Thanks for the help
Bob M.
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