1920 commercial Luger

[Norme]

Originally Posted by postino

*That* pic looks suspicious, too...the witness marks don't line up and the angle of each is different...

I'm a suspicious cynic...and I think that is a replacement barrel...

...Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Hi Rich, There has been considerable speculation on what exactly "witness marks" signify. There are five theories:
1/ It's a mark, struck with one blow from a single implement, that certifies that the barrel is original.
3/ A register mark, should the barrel have to be removed, it can be re-installed in it's original position.
4/ A draw mark. Both barrel and receiver are struck at bottom dead center and the barrel is then screwed in until the marks match up.
5/ None of the above.
I spent a lot of time a while ago, collecting photos of witness marks, to try to solve this mystery, and came to the conclusion that it's a research dead-end. I have photos of guns that are clearly original, with suspect marks, and photos of known fakes with perfect marks. Best regards, Norm