help with luger

[Don M]

Originally Posted by Ron Smith

Is anyone willing to pose an estimate for Richie?

I have a firm practice of never making an estimate while salivating.

Richie, to answer the questions you posed in your email, the markings on the right side of the receiver are typical military acceptances and a firing proof stamp. These are found on weapons indicating they have passed various government inspections and that the weapon has been successfully proof tested. This pistol was manufactured in 1918 during the final year of WWI and may or may not have seen action with the military. Following the war, it was issued (or reissued) to the police and, in 1920, received a stamp on top of the chamber indicating it belonged to the government. It served with a yet-unidentified police unit through the Weimar era and WWII. It received a sear (Schiwy) safety some time after 1933. I now believe it never had a magazine safety since none of the other Lugers with this marking has one. It continued to serve with the police through WWII. There is evidence that these pistols were captured by U.S. troops in Bavaria so any information you can learn about this one's capture may be of great help in identifying the police unit it belonged to.

I believe I see an eagle/Su25 stamp on the bottom of the barrel indicating the pistol was rebarreled at the Spandau arsenal. This is found on a couple of other Lugers from this unit.