What Kind of Luger Do I Have?

[dalvis]

Thanks for the info & safety advice. I inadvertently removed the trigger plate looking for number stamps & evidently failed to reassemble correctly. Could you please expound on how one would know when the gun was manufactured and what the terms "commercial" and "reproduction" mean related to how the weapon was used and it's present value?

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by dalvis

Could you please expound on...what the terms "commercial" and "reproduction" mean...

It was mfg'd for sale to civilians rather than a military contract...I don't see anyone mentioning reproduction unless you mean Ron's humorous sig line...but there are aftermarket parts mfg'ers making sideplates, magazines, barrels, grips, probably more parts that I don't know about that are sometimes "force matched" to a Luger by stamping the original serial numbers or proof stamps or even cartouches into the repro part to make it look original...

Yours looks original...but the sideplate shouldn't have a number on the face; it should be on the bottom edge (for a commercial) but the Schutzpolizei probably replaced that...

For dating, post a pic of the frame serial number + letter suffix...There is a listing here but I can't make head nor tail of it but others here can...