Number of Model 1914 Navy's made

[Dan Clemons]

This is such an interesting topic, it deserves it's own subject.

John Walter in his book "Luger" writes, â??One additional piece of information in the history of the Navy should be considered. When the contract was placed with DWM in August 1916, a monthly delivery rate of 800 guns was required. The Kiel reports indicate that no guns were received in 1916 until June, when 614 arrived; thereafter, the monthly deliveries were 820,266, none, 200, 100 and 400. The June-August deliveries were the last of the prewar order, which means that only 700 third issue guns were acquired by the Navy in 1916; the serial numbers, however, suggest at least 7750!â?�


â??Of course, many of the guns delivered in 1917 may have been numbered and dated in the previous yearâ??s output. Genuine Navy third-issue pistols are dated either 1916 or 1917 yet more than four thousand were delivered from January to April 1918, completing the August 1916 contract. 7,926 had been delivered out of the 8,000 ordered, making nonsense of the estimates as high as thirty-thousand.â?� Page 211 The Luger Book

Based on how hard it is to find an authentic third issue Navy, I think he has to be right.

Shootin' for facks!

Dan