Unusual Dutch Vickers

[Lugers down under]

Dear Forum members,
Herewith some photos of a rather interesting â??Vickersâ?� Dutch East Indies Luger that I picked up at an auction this weekend here in New Zealand.

I am informed by the vendor, who is a highly respected collector here, that he purchased this Luger in the famous (only in New Zealand), Doctor Ongley auction in February 1977.
I have subsequently confirmed that this luger was in that early auction.
Dr. Ongley was a famous early New Zealand pistol and long arms collector and the auction after his death in the 1970â??s was a benchmark in New Zealand gun collecting.

This Luger, which was one of many unique guns in the â??Ongleyâ?� auction, is interesting inasmuch as we now know so much more about the â??Vickers contractâ?� and the Dutch East Indies guns today,

Firstly what is very significant is that this Luger has no major proof marks or serial numbers or date stamps whatsoever, apart from the side plate, which is stamped 30 and I believe mismatched.



It clearly has a Dutch East Indies frame, with â??RUSTâ?� on the safety. It also has a grip safety fitted to a frame that was intended to have a grip safety.




The toggle is clearly VICKERS but has no British nitro proofs. The barrel is pristine on the inside but carries the same amplitude of wear, scratch marks and loss of blueing on the outside as the total gun does overall, the blueing overall is about 90%. The extractor is marked â??Geladenâ?� on both sides in the typical Dutch manner. The barrel looks like it has never been fired.




The receiver is totally unmarked on the outside. There is no Queen Wilhelmina proof mark, and I have measured the size of the receiver with a vernier micrometer and hold the view that the receiver has never been modified. The marks on the front of the frame look like file marks but on a closer look under the glass look more like clamp marks or damage.



The grips are very coarsely chequered and ill fitting and look like the worst apprentice in the â??gun makers schoolâ?� made them. However, they are both stamped GS in an oval, and I have no reason to believe that they were not made in the East Indies.



I believe that this gun was â??made up from partsâ?� in the East Indies using Vickers parts held as spares in the arsenal in Batavia.

We know from history that they did have replacement barrels and other parts and that they had developed considerable skill at refurbishing Lugers. This gun reeks of an early East Indies rebuild in the arsenal, but what puzzles me is why no serial number on the frame.

The front of the frame where the numbers were usually struck is also pristine and very sharp and clearly there has never been a number on the front of the frame or under the barrel.



I hold the view that this gun was assembled but never issued.

I would really really be interested in some views on this little baby,

Regards Murray. â??Lugers down under.â?�