new here, hope for some help

g eremenko · 01-10-2013, 07:57 AM

hope this post makes sense, just signed up. i guess as these men from ww2 pass on. more lugers will show up. just found 1 yesterday. dwm with black holster. i never saw that before. but i know very little about these. 1920, what intrigued me is its #, 2 digits. when i look at book it is 1 of first 10 made. should i look harder at this gun? supposed to see second 1 today. mans son who has them knows nothing about guns. said he has 3. from talk. i think third is p38. i am not collector. any help i would be grateful for.

alanint · 01-10-2013, 08:55 AM

Hi Greg,

Welcome to the forum. WW1 Lugers were manufactured in blocks of 10,000, starting with 1-9,999, then 1-9,999, letter suffix "A", then "B" etc. for each year of manufature

Does your serial number have a letter suffix? If not, it would have been made in the first number block of the year on the gun's chamber.

Is the "1920" on your chamber alone, or with what looks like another, earlier date? If ther are two "dates", then the "1920" is not a date but a Wiemar Goverment property code.

sheepherder · 01-10-2013, 10:20 AM

Welcome Greg!

It is pretty much essential that you post pictures of anything you wish help with. Lugers especially. Take close-up pics of all numbers, letters, graphics, full side views, make sure you go over the entire pistol with a light and magnifying glass...Many numbers are small and easy to miss...

Areas to inspect are: Chamber; underside of barrel near frame; front of frame; front & rear gripstraps; and top of toggletrain. Bottom of magazines; rear of holsters.

Hopefully, these Lugers you will be looking at have been stored for quite a while, not shot or exposed to the elements.

g eremenko · 01-10-2013, 11:53 AM

will try to look at second gun today and post pics and more info. it has only 1920, and in front of trigger 7.3. what is this?

calibrator · 01-10-2013, 12:18 PM

My $.02 is that it's a .30 cal Commercial. Pretty expensive to shoot, compared to the 9mm. It IS a Luger however. If ammo were plentiful, I'd rather shoot a .30 cal vs a 9mm for accuracy. They don't seem to hold their value as well as a 9mm variant. NOT an expert here, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

mrerick · 01-10-2013, 09:31 PM

Hi Greg, and welcome.

As Doug mentions, there is nothing particularly special or valuable about having a low numeric serial number on most Lugers.

When you take your pictures, don't use the camera's flash. Take them using a tripod and the self timer (to keep it steady) in natural shaded light outdoors. The color rendition and finish appearance will be more accurate in the photos...

Marc

01-10-2013, 07:57 AM	#1
g eremenko New User Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	new here, hope for some help hope this post makes sense, just signed up. i guess as these men from ww2 pass on. more lugers will show up. just found 1 yesterday. dwm with black holster. i never saw that before. but i know very little about these. 1920, what intrigued me is its #, 2 digits. when i look at book it is 1 of first 10 made. should i look harder at this gun? supposed to see second 1 today. mans son who has them knows nothing about guns. said he has 3. from talk. i think third is p38. i am not collector. any help i would be grateful for.

01-10-2013, 10:20 AM	#3
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,413 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Welcome Greg! It is pretty much essential that you post pictures of anything you wish help with. Lugers especially. Take close-up pics of all numbers, letters, graphics, full side views, make sure you go over the entire pistol with a light and magnifying glass...Many numbers are small and easy to miss... Areas to inspect are: Chamber; underside of barrel near frame; front of frame; front & rear gripstraps; and top of toggletrain. Bottom of magazines; rear of holsters. Hopefully, these Lugers you will be looking at have been stored for quite a while, not shot or exposed to the elements. __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

01-10-2013, 09:31 PM	#6
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,919 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,135 Times in 1,518 Posts	Hi Greg, and welcome. As Doug mentions, there is nothing particularly special or valuable about having a low numeric serial number on most Lugers. When you take your pictures, don't use the camera's flash. Take them using a tripod and the self timer (to keep it steady) in natural shaded light outdoors. The color rendition and finish appearance will be more accurate in the photos... Marc __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

01-10-2013, 08:55 AM	#2
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Hi Greg, Welcome to the forum. WW1 Lugers were manufactured in blocks of 10,000, starting with 1-9,999, then 1-9,999, letter suffix "A", then "B" etc. for each year of manufature Does your serial number have a letter suffix? If not, it would have been made in the first number block of the year on the gun's chamber. Is the "1920" on your chamber alone, or with what looks like another, earlier date? If ther are two "dates", then the "1920" is not a date but a Wiemar Goverment property code.

01-10-2013, 11:53 AM	#4
g eremenko New User Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	will try to look at second gun today and post pics and more info. it has only 1920, and in front of trigger 7.3. what is this?

01-10-2013, 12:18 PM	#5
calibrator User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cave Creek Posts: 315 Thanks: 55 Thanked 243 Times in 93 Posts	My $.02 is that it's a .30 cal Commercial. Pretty expensive to shoot, compared to the 9mm. It IS a Luger however. If ammo were plentiful, I'd rather shoot a .30 cal vs a 9mm for accuracy. They don't seem to hold their value as well as a 9mm variant. NOT an expert here, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).