30 cal."erfurt"

Doubs · 09-25-2002, 11:40 AM

[quote]Originally posted by John Sabato:
<strong>virtually all Erfurts have the notched receiver... it was a standard manufacturing thing in case an artillery model was to be made from the receiver.<Snip></strong><hr></blockquote>

Actually, the only Erfurt Lugers with the notch are those made in 1914 as Artillery models and those made after a directive was issued in late 1916 (Nov., IIRC) to notch all receivers. Even so, you'll find 1917 and 1918 Erfurts without the notch.

I also have an Erfurt "commercial" Luger in .30 caliber. These were military guns that had the original 9mm barrels removed and replaced with a 7.65mm barrel. This was likely done in the 1920's. My pistol has had the chamber date removed as yours appears to have had done because you don't mention a date. If you look at the receiver closely, you should be able to see a difference in the bluing between the part that was refinished after removal of the date and the earlier original finish. Unless, of course, they refinished the entire receiver.

Strictly speaking, Erfurt, an Imperial Arsenal, only produced military Lugers in 9mm. They didn't produce "commercial" pistols. However, after the war, many thousands of Lugers made by Erfurt and DWM were reworked in .30 caliber for export. Yours is undoubtedly one of them as is my pistol. Most were marked "Germany" somewhere... the front of the frame, the side rail of the frame or right side of the receiver are the most common places. Your mag is so marked, indicating it was for export.

Note that your barrel doesn't carry a serial number. All original Erfurt barrels will be numbered.

You have a nice, representative .30 caliber commercial Luger from the 1920's. It's value will be somewhere in the $500 - $700 range, although they frequently sell for less. At 95%+ condition, yours is worth a little more.

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09-25-2002, 11:40 AM	#6
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,736 Thanks: 819 Thanked 1,769 Times in 586 Posts	[quote]Originally posted by John Sabato: <strong>virtually all Erfurts have the notched receiver... it was a standard manufacturing thing in case an artillery model was to be made from the receiver.<Snip></strong><hr></blockquote> Actually, the only Erfurt Lugers with the notch are those made in 1914 as Artillery models and those made after a directive was issued in late 1916 (Nov., IIRC) to notch all receivers. Even so, you'll find 1917 and 1918 Erfurts without the notch. I also have an Erfurt "commercial" Luger in .30 caliber. These were military guns that had the original 9mm barrels removed and replaced with a 7.65mm barrel. This was likely done in the 1920's. My pistol has had the chamber date removed as yours appears to have had done because you don't mention a date. If you look at the receiver closely, you should be able to see a difference in the bluing between the part that was refinished after removal of the date and the earlier original finish. Unless, of course, they refinished the entire receiver. Strictly speaking, Erfurt, an Imperial Arsenal, only produced military Lugers in 9mm. They didn't produce "commercial" pistols. However, after the war, many thousands of Lugers made by Erfurt and DWM were reworked in .30 caliber for export. Yours is undoubtedly one of them as is my pistol. Most were marked "Germany" somewhere... the front of the frame, the side rail of the frame or right side of the receiver are the most common places. Your mag is so marked, indicating it was for export. Note that your barrel doesn't carry a serial number. All original Erfurt barrels will be numbered. You have a nice, representative .30 caliber commercial Luger from the 1920's. It's value will be somewhere in the $500 - $700 range, although they frequently sell for less. At 95%+ condition, yours is worth a little more.