A Real Two-date Erfurt

Dwight Gruber · 08-27-2004, 10:34 AM

Part One

A Real Two-date Erfurt

We are all familiar with "two-date" or "double date" Lugers. They are erroneously called this because of the Weimar property stamp instituted in 1920, that number being stamped, usually above a preexisting date, on the receiver top of a Luger.

There are, however, in the 1910 Marking Instructions for the P-08, provisions for the application of two different manufacturing date stamps on a Luger. Instruction 3 states, "Receiver, hardened: [receives a] 3.2mm inspector's mark, plus the year of manufacture (3.2mm high, 9mm wide)." (GÃ?Â¶rtz & Bryans, "German Small Arms Markings", p. 111) This means that the first markings applied to the receiver were the leftmost inspector's stamp and the date, before bluing or any other assembly.

Note 4 of the same document states, "Receivers from reserve stocks, where the year of manufacture does not correspond with the year of completion of the weapon, will receive a 2.1mm-high correction for the year of completion behind the manufacture-year in fractional form. For example: 1909/13." (ibid, p. 114)

Presented here is Erfurt serial# 8895s, chamber stamped 1917/18 indicating a receiver fabricated in 1917 but not assembled into a Luger until 1918. It is all matching including the grips (but not the magazine). The small parts are inspector stamped as expected except for the grip screws. Examination and reporting reveals that sometime in the last years of production Erfurt ceased marking these screws.

Numbers and markings on this Luger have been filled with white LaquerStikÃ?Â® to increase their visibility. While I don't much care for the effect on my own Lugers, it does seem necessary for good interpretive photography, so I give up. The GESICHERT safety stamp was originally filled with white material, which has faded and discolored over the years.

As you can see, it appears to be an otherwise unremarkable late-war Erfurt. It displays many of the manufacturing and quality shortcuts taken near the end of WWI. These are mostly difficult to see in these photos, look for unsmoothed machining marks on the frame ears and in the hollow for the trigger guard, also poorly chamfered edges and, particularly, rough beveling around the face of the takedown lever.The toggle grips are clumsily checkered, as well.

The grips are numbered to the gun. They appear to be wood of some lighter shade, softer than walnut. The number stamps make a very soft-edged, 'smushy' impression--they look sharper in the photos than they do to the eye.

This Luger also has some noteworthy details. Both the barrel inspector's stamp and the receiver hardness stamp are surmounted with the c/RC Revisions-Commission stamp. This in itself is not unusual--many Erfurt P-08 have this stamp in these locations--but I believe they will be significant to the story of this gun.

08-27-2004, 10:34 AM	#1
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	A Real Two-date Erfurt Part One A Real Two-date Erfurt We are all familiar with "two-date" or "double date" Lugers. They are erroneously called this because of the Weimar property stamp instituted in 1920, that number being stamped, usually above a preexisting date, on the receiver top of a Luger. There are, however, in the 1910 Marking Instructions for the P-08, provisions for the application of two different manufacturing date stamps on a Luger. Instruction 3 states, "Receiver, hardened: [receives a] 3.2mm inspector's mark, plus the year of manufacture (3.2mm high, 9mm wide)." (GÃ?Â¶rtz & Bryans, "German Small Arms Markings", p. 111) This means that the first markings applied to the receiver were the leftmost inspector's stamp and the date, before bluing or any other assembly. Note 4 of the same document states, "Receivers from reserve stocks, where the year of manufacture does not correspond with the year of completion of the weapon, will receive a 2.1mm-high correction for the year of completion behind the manufacture-year in fractional form. For example: 1909/13." (ibid, p. 114) Presented here is Erfurt serial# 8895s, chamber stamped 1917/18 indicating a receiver fabricated in 1917 but not assembled into a Luger until 1918. It is all matching including the grips (but not the magazine). The small parts are inspector stamped as expected except for the grip screws. Examination and reporting reveals that sometime in the last years of production Erfurt ceased marking these screws. Numbers and markings on this Luger have been filled with white LaquerStikÃ?Â® to increase their visibility. While I don't much care for the effect on my own Lugers, it does seem necessary for good interpretive photography, so I give up. The GESICHERT safety stamp was originally filled with white material, which has faded and discolored over the years. As you can see, it appears to be an otherwise unremarkable late-war Erfurt. It displays many of the manufacturing and quality shortcuts taken near the end of WWI. These are mostly difficult to see in these photos, look for unsmoothed machining marks on the frame ears and in the hollow for the trigger guard, also poorly chamfered edges and, particularly, rough beveling around the face of the takedown lever.The toggle grips are clumsily checkered, as well. The grips are numbered to the gun. They appear to be wood of some lighter shade, softer than walnut. The number stamps make a very soft-edged, 'smushy' impression--they look sharper in the photos than they do to the eye. This Luger also has some noteworthy details. Both the barrel inspector's stamp and the receiver hardness stamp are surmounted with the c/RC Revisions-Commission stamp. This in itself is not unusual--many Erfurt P-08 have this stamp in these locations--but I believe they will be significant to the story of this gun.