Opinion on this 1933 Luger

[mrerick]

The Imperial Erfurt Arsenal was dismantled after WW-I in 1918 and it's tooling and machines were sent to Simson & Company in Suhl where they began Luger production in 1924-1925. They produced Lugers on this tooling until the Nazi government took over the Jewish owned company and relocated it's Luger production assets to Krieghoff.

Production of a Luger by the Erfurt Imperial arsenal in 1933 is not possible. No. It is not an original Erfurt Luger made in 1933.

It does look like it could be mostly an Erfurt Luger. The receiver may have been replaced, and the frame front shaved and renumbered (it looks like the receiver may be proud of the frame). Internal factory inspection markings could help identify the frame and receiver parts.

Please see our FAQ document for details.

It may have been rebuilt in some kind of field or arsenal operation and marked in this way at that point. Some members here may comment on rebuild operations that were supposed to be active in concentration camps, which this piece may be marked to indicate. Whether that is authentic or not I do not know.