Greetings sirs, I had an impulse buy today.

Yogurt · 01-13-2005, 03:31 PM

Hello everyone, I've been a fan of the Luger for a long time and I'm a relatively young collector. My plan of recent was to rid myself of the two WWII pistols I own so I could own a nice new firearm without worrying about hurting anything. So I stopped by a local gun & pawn today to look at a Sig Sauer and while I was waiting to be helped I saw a Luger sitting in the safe. So I own a Luger now. I apologize for any gaps in the info, but this what I get to pick up in 10 days. I was wondering if I could have some help ID'ing it!

It's a DWM Luger, marked so on the toggle. There are no dates or markings on the frame above the breech. The bottom rear of the grip has the raised metal part but it isn't milled to accept a stock.

Marked 5043a on the frame and on the barrel. On the barrel, the number 884 is underneath the serial. On the front of the frame where the serial is located, there is a small X mark in the upper right corner, similar to the big large ones on some imported P.38s, etc.

I field stripped the pistol and removed the grips, here are the numbers I found.

43 is present on the trigger plate, locking bolt, sear bar, safety bar, extractor, the rear of the rear toggle, and trigger. The rear toggle axle is marked 89 or 68 on the left. I may have missed one or two, but all of the small part numbers I found except for the 89/68 are 43.

The wooden grips are very very worn, dirty, and unmarked. The magazine is an fxo with tiny 37 Waffenamts. The base looks like dark brown bakelite. The spine of the magazine is electropenciled with the number 5043. There are no import marks on the pistol.

(I apologize for neglecting to make note of the proofs. I dont' recall a series of proofs on the right side of the frame or anything.) There may have been a nitro proof on the barrel and on the frame near the locking bolt.

The condition of the pistol is pretty good. It has very light pitting on a few parts but what I believe to be the original finish is probably 70% there. The bore is dark but crisp.

Any ideas? I'll say how much I paid after my stomach settles down. Thank you!

Ron Smith · 01-13-2005, 04:30 PM

Hi Gary,
It sounds like you have a Russian rework"(X)". They are selling in the $500-$600 range, if in decent shape. They are mainly shooters, and not very collectable yet. Hope I did'nt rain on your parade.

Ron

Yogurt · 01-13-2005, 04:38 PM

I'm guessing it's an early import if that's true. I'm still excited, the price was in the middle of that range. Does it sound like a military DWM? It did have 43 on the toggle next to the logo. I'm wondering about the date too, since there's nothing above the breech.

Don M · 01-13-2005, 04:46 PM

Gary,

A bit of probably useless trivia -- I have an Alphabet DWM manufactured in 1927 that also has a mismatched rear toggle pin marked 89 or 68. I wonder if someone had a batch of these.

John Sabato · 01-13-2005, 05:22 PM

Gary, welcome to the Lugerforum and congrat's on your purchase.

The 884 on your barrel under the serial number is actually 8.84mm, the land diameter measurement at the time of manufacture.

The tolerances for land diameter were:

8.85mm plus 0.04mm or minus 0.03mm

The tolerances for groove diameter were:
9.10mm plus 0.04mm or minus 0.03mm

so your barrel passed inspection handily during assembly...

The lack of the date over the chamber means it was either ground off at some time in it's life, or it never had one.

There are two styles of numbering... if the number 43 appears on the face of your sideplate and the face of the takedown lever, then it is representative of being numbered in the military style (I suspect this is the case), and if the number is on the bottom of the sideplate and takedown lever, then the numbering is in the civilian style...

Your FXO magazine is of 1940's vintiage and is one of the finest magazines you can own... be careful not to drop it on a hard surface because the bakelite bottom is VERY prone to cracking. I would suggest you buy a couple Mec-Gar modern reproduction magazines for shooting and protect your original mag.

Clean it well, lubricate it with breakfree, feed it 100-round bulk-pack Winchester ammo from walmart (about $11.00 a box) and it should give you years of shooting enjoyment.

Yogurt · 01-13-2005, 06:02 PM

Thank you, Mr. Sabato. The numbers are indeed on the face side. On the locking bolt it's on the bottom as well. I look forward to taking it to the range. It's definitely a shooter, but I love putting some elbow grease into an old gun. I suppose this little fellow been through a lot. Thanks everyone, I'll post pictures when I pick it up next week.

01-13-2005, 03:31 PM	#1
Yogurt User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Greetings sirs, I had an impulse buy today. Hello everyone, I've been a fan of the Luger for a long time and I'm a relatively young collector. My plan of recent was to rid myself of the two WWII pistols I own so I could own a nice new firearm without worrying about hurting anything. So I stopped by a local gun & pawn today to look at a Sig Sauer and while I was waiting to be helped I saw a Luger sitting in the safe. So I own a Luger now. I apologize for any gaps in the info, but this what I get to pick up in 10 days. I was wondering if I could have some help ID'ing it! It's a DWM Luger, marked so on the toggle. There are no dates or markings on the frame above the breech. The bottom rear of the grip has the raised metal part but it isn't milled to accept a stock. Marked 5043a on the frame and on the barrel. On the barrel, the number 884 is underneath the serial. On the front of the frame where the serial is located, there is a small X mark in the upper right corner, similar to the big large ones on some imported P.38s, etc. I field stripped the pistol and removed the grips, here are the numbers I found. 43 is present on the trigger plate, locking bolt, sear bar, safety bar, extractor, the rear of the rear toggle, and trigger. The rear toggle axle is marked 89 or 68 on the left. I may have missed one or two, but all of the small part numbers I found except for the 89/68 are 43. The wooden grips are very very worn, dirty, and unmarked. The magazine is an fxo with tiny 37 Waffenamts. The base looks like dark brown bakelite. The spine of the magazine is electropenciled with the number 5043. There are no import marks on the pistol. (I apologize for neglecting to make note of the proofs. I dont' recall a series of proofs on the right side of the frame or anything.) There may have been a nitro proof on the barrel and on the frame near the locking bolt. The condition of the pistol is pretty good. It has very light pitting on a few parts but what I believe to be the original finish is probably 70% there. The bore is dark but crisp. Any ideas? I'll say how much I paid after my stomach settles down. Thank you!

01-13-2005, 04:30 PM	#2
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Hi Gary, It sounds like you have a Russian rework"(X)". They are selling in the $500-$600 range, if in decent shape. They are mainly shooters, and not very collectable yet. Hope I did'nt rain on your parade. Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

01-13-2005, 04:46 PM	#4
Don M Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,429 Thanks: 67 Thanked 292 Times in 191 Posts	Gary, A bit of probably useless trivia -- I have an Alphabet DWM manufactured in 1927 that also has a mismatched rear toggle pin marked 89 or 68. I wonder if someone had a batch of these. __________________ Regards, Don donmaus1@aol.com Author of History Writ in Steel: German Police Markings 1900-1936 http://www.historywritinsteel.com

01-13-2005, 05:22 PM	#5
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,154 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,306 Times in 1,097 Posts	Gary, welcome to the Lugerforum and congrat's on your purchase. The 884 on your barrel under the serial number is actually 8.84mm, the land diameter measurement at the time of manufacture. The tolerances for land diameter were: 8.85mm plus 0.04mm or minus 0.03mm The tolerances for groove diameter were: 9.10mm plus 0.04mm or minus 0.03mm so your barrel passed inspection handily during assembly... The lack of the date over the chamber means it was either ground off at some time in it's life, or it never had one. There are two styles of numbering... if the number 43 appears on the face of your sideplate and the face of the takedown lever, then it is representative of being numbered in the military style (I suspect this is the case), and if the number is on the bottom of the sideplate and takedown lever, then the numbering is in the civilian style... Your FXO magazine is of 1940's vintiage and is one of the finest magazines you can own... be careful not to drop it on a hard surface because the bakelite bottom is VERY prone to cracking. I would suggest you buy a couple Mec-Gar modern reproduction magazines for shooting and protect your original mag. Clean it well, lubricate it with breakfree, feed it 100-round bulk-pack Winchester ammo from walmart (about $11.00 a box) and it should give you years of shooting enjoyment. __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

01-13-2005, 04:38 PM	#3
Yogurt User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm guessing it's an early import if that's true. I'm still excited, the price was in the middle of that range. Does it sound like a military DWM? It did have 43 on the toggle next to the logo. I'm wondering about the date too, since there's nothing above the breech.

01-13-2005, 06:02 PM	#6
Yogurt User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thank you, Mr. Sabato. The numbers are indeed on the face side. On the locking bolt it's on the bottom as well. I look forward to taking it to the range. It's definitely a shooter, but I love putting some elbow grease into an old gun. I suppose this little fellow been through a lot. Thanks everyone, I'll post pictures when I pick it up next week.