Why just non-matching side plates? and s/n question

[Jasta2]

Looked at a few local Lugers today. Three were completely matching except one thing in common, all had non matching side plates. What would be the main reason for just a side plate to be replaced?

Second question, Another of the Lugers viewed today was matching except for the toggle. It was a 4" 1918 that must have been a artillery at one point. On the front edge of the chamber there was a notch cut into it. The only reason I could guess it was cut there for a artillery sight. Is this correct? The 4" blr s/n matched. Would a armory rebarrel a artillery to a 4", stamp the correct s/n and install a non matching toggle? or was this toggle a owner replaced item later in it's history?
thanks,Bill

[wlyon]

I would suspect it was an Erfurt with the normal 4" barrel with a mismatched non Erfurt toggle. There has been several theories on the mismatched sideplates and is not an uncommon occurence. Bill

[Jasta2]

If it were a standard 4" barrel, what would the notch be for on the front top of the receiver? After seeing so many very nice Lugers which otherwise might be thought of as collector quaility, deemed only a shooter because of it's mismatched sideplate. I take from the number of people looking for a certian number on a sideplate are trying to cure this problem.Then I guess the wear of the finish would need to be close to the wear on the Luger.
Bill

[Ron Smith]

Bill (Jasta),

Erfurt Lugers beginning in 1914 all have the receiver sight notch. Erfurt produced their Artillery Luger only in 1914. However, all of their pistols there after had the sight notch.

Ron

[MFC]

Ron,
According to Still's Central Powers Pistols (pg.78), an amenment was added to the dimensional tables for the P08 in November 1916. The cut for the rear sight on Erfurt P08's didn't start until late 1916. Some late 1916 and almost all 1917 and 1918 Erfurts have this cut. 1914 Erfurt P08's don't have the cut.

[Thor]

I too see a lot of matching Lugers except with a mismatched sideplate and/or magazine. I have heard the story, and it might be bovine stuff, that when the GIs took a Luger from a German Soldier they would take out the mag and perhaps the sideplate off to render the Luger unuseable to the enemy. I have shot a Luger top, without the frame, with a 9mm loading before just to see what it felt like so they still are dangerous in the right hands with ammo. Of course Police models have the added sear safety to prevent this from happening during cleaning.

[Lugerdoc]

Bill et al, Toward the end of WW1, both DWM & Erfurt (mostly) used their left over LPO8 notched receiver to build 4" barrelled PO8 as needed. The most common story that I hear from WW2 vets, is that many captured Germans removed the side plate to render there pistol unoperable before turning it in to their captors. Nothing worse than being shot with your own sidearm. TH

[saab-bob]

Tom
That story about the missing side plates makes a lot of sense!
After you take off the side plate and return the takedown lever to it locked position, the gun stays together,but pulling the trigger does nothing.
As a conjecture,the GI's probably go wise to this and started picking up the side plates after the Germans tossed them on the ground. That could be why so many are mismatched,but still on the guns?

Bob

[Jasta2]

In the end it is a shame that what would be an otherwise nice matching collectable Luger is rendered in the "shooter" class because of a unmatching or unmumbered sideplate. Such is collecting!
Bill