1902 American Eagle "Fat Barrel" Luger

Imperial Arms · 12-03-2003, 11:45 AM

Hello Tony,

Would you please provide the serial number of the Fat Barrel Luger to determine if it was produced in the first or second lot of commercial Fat Barrel Lugers. By reason of the fact that these Lugers fall in a serial range before the Cartridge Counters, there could be a slim chance that Springfield Arsenal could have examined a commercial Fat Barrel destined to the US Market before it actually requested for the Cartridge Counters. This is only a 'wild guess' because there is no data to prove this possibility.

I cannot determine the reason for the three holes drilled in the lug, but my guess for the 'US S' marking means 'US Springfield' even though I have not observed this type of marking before. Obviously, it was not applied at the DWM factory which would have been unconventional.

Just as a side note, you might be interested to learn that two of the Cartridge Counters which were delivered to Springfield Arsenal had their grips removed and the Powell indicator added to two 1905 Colt pistols. Therefore, there are only 48 known Cartridge Counters known to exist!

I continue to research this area and give you an update soon.

Cheers,
Albert

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12-03-2003, 11:45 AM	#14
Imperial Arms Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Malta, EU Posts: 579 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Hello Tony, Would you please provide the serial number of the Fat Barrel Luger to determine if it was produced in the first or second lot of commercial Fat Barrel Lugers. By reason of the fact that these Lugers fall in a serial range before the Cartridge Counters, there could be a slim chance that Springfield Arsenal could have examined a commercial Fat Barrel destined to the US Market before it actually requested for the Cartridge Counters. This is only a 'wild guess' because there is no data to prove this possibility. I cannot determine the reason for the three holes drilled in the lug, but my guess for the 'US S' marking means 'US Springfield' even though I have not observed this type of marking before. Obviously, it was not applied at the DWM factory which would have been unconventional. Just as a side note, you might be interested to learn that two of the Cartridge Counters which were delivered to Springfield Arsenal had their grips removed and the Powell indicator added to two 1905 Colt pistols. Therefore, there are only 48 known Cartridge Counters known to exist! I continue to research this area and give you an update soon. Cheers, Albert