I think I have a 1908 DWM???

dpdole · 06-19-2012, 06:06 PM

Hello to everyone first of all. This is my first posting here, and I was told by a friend to check this site out since I have a luger. I was given this luger by my dad and all he knows about it is that it was his grandfathers. So I am guessing it had to be a WWI pistol. I have attached some pics as to see if some people may help me out with what exactly I have. I tried to get all the parts and pieces with numbers stamped on them as clear as possible. Please let me know if I need to post more or you need different angles.

The toggle inscription is DWM with the #56
There is no chamber inscription
There is no Grip Safety
The thumb safety is Safe in the rear position
THe number 956 is on the bottom of the barrel, along with the number 384 under it
ON the front of the frame by the trigger guard the number 1892 is stamped on it with an "a" under it
The rear sight is an adjustable one and has the number 56 stamped on it
The grips are wood, but I am not sure what kind.
The magazine has a wood bottom with the number 956 stamped in it along with a + symbol underneath it

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for your help and information. Just wanted to get some more information on this so when I pass it down to my son he knows some historical facts to go with it.

alanint · 06-19-2012, 06:28 PM

Your Luger looks like a commercial Artillery model, but built out of parts from various pistols. It has been reblued sometime in the past and so has lost its primary collector value. Still, in the condition it is in it is worth $1,200, give or take a couple of hundred, depending on where you live and the level of desire of the buyer.
It is curious that the magazine matches the upper receiver

dpdole · 06-19-2012, 06:36 PM

Thank you very much for the info. I am more interested in knowing what I got than a $ amount. To me its the sentimental value behind the gun that means the most. Thank you again thought, I appreciate it greatly.

lugerholsterrepair · 06-19-2012, 10:22 PM

Doug is correct I think. If there is no chamber date and no proof marks on the right reciever then it has a possibility if being commercial but I didn't spot any Commercial proofs in your photo's. Could be the chamber date and right reciever proofs have been scrubbed during the re blue?

The 956 magazine is a Military with a + indicating a spare magazine.

The pistol is a collection of mis matched parts. Grips inside should have a number and so should the firing pin.

Without a date or Military markings it will be difficult to tell much about it...

alanint · 06-19-2012, 10:38 PM

Jerry is right. A closeup of the top of the chamber area would help answer more questions. If the magazine with the "+" matches the upper, one would suppose the upper is military, although the chamber has no date. Please show the right side of the gun, where proofs should be located to try and answer more questions. Photos of the holster, although it appears to be home or saddlery made, would be interesting as well.

mlmahon · 06-20-2012, 01:23 AM

Interesting observation is that the holster looks homemade and it's for a 'lefty'.

Also, the 384 on the barrel is actually 8,84 which is the bore measurement in millimeters from land to land. (a light strike on the 8 looks like a 3 or it could be a result of being scrubbed before rebluing.)

Cheers,

-ML

dpdole · 06-20-2012, 01:32 AM

OK, I broke the pistol down a little further and took a few more pics to see if this may help! SO I guess we shall see. From what I can see all of the upper to the pistol has 56 on all its parts matching the barrel. The bottom frame has 3 different sets of numbers with the majority matching the serial number on the front frame by the trigger guard.
ON the right side of the pistol you can't see it in the picture but there is what appears to be part of an engraving there, but its really small and I have no clue what it could resemble. Thanks for all the info you have given me this far.

Dave

dpdole · 06-20-2012, 01:40 AM

The holster may be homemade. My great grandfather was involved with the oldest private military college in the United States (Norwich University) which was originally a calvary school. He was a president and I was 6th generation going through the school which happens to be in my hometown. So I wouldn't be surprised if he had a holster made there at the school while he was working there.

Ben M. · 06-20-2012, 10:11 AM

does you gun have the typical artillery notch at the front edge of the receiver-chamber?

alanint · 06-20-2012, 10:22 AM

To determine if the notch is there, you will need to lift the rear sight as high as possible without damaging it and then photographing the area beneath it where the upper receiver meets the barrel.
The "browned bare metal" look of the finish over the chamber is not consistent with the balance of the pistol and may indicate that a date was gound off and then reblued.

Your holster is intriguing and may have been re manufactured from a US Cavalry holster originally intended for the 7.5" Colt SAA by remodeling the closure flap to fit a Luger. Are there any stampings in the leather?

dpdole · 06-20-2012, 06:30 PM

OK so i took some pics of what it looks like underneath the rear site, hope this helps.
As far as the holster goes there is no markings that I can find. I am sure it is an old calvary saddle my great grandfather got from the university when he was an instructor there.

dpdole · 06-20-2012, 06:36 PM

After looking up the artillery luger and looking at pics from the NRA website (http://www.nramuseum.com/media/94066...te%20luger.pdf) I have overlooked some things. The bottom frame of my pistol has an area to attach a buttstock to it. The front site appears that you can adjust it, apparently when I was looking at it before I overlooked that. So some added pieces. Thanks!

alanint · 06-20-2012, 06:59 PM

Your frame also has the artillery notch, so that's good.

06-19-2012, 06:06 PM	#1
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I think I have a 1908 DWM??? Hello to everyone first of all. This is my first posting here, and I was told by a friend to check this site out since I have a luger. I was given this luger by my dad and all he knows about it is that it was his grandfathers. So I am guessing it had to be a WWI pistol. I have attached some pics as to see if some people may help me out with what exactly I have. I tried to get all the parts and pieces with numbers stamped on them as clear as possible. Please let me know if I need to post more or you need different angles. The toggle inscription is DWM with the #56 There is no chamber inscription There is no Grip Safety The thumb safety is Safe in the rear position THe number 956 is on the bottom of the barrel, along with the number 384 under it ON the front of the frame by the trigger guard the number 1892 is stamped on it with an "a" under it The rear sight is an adjustable one and has the number 56 stamped on it The grips are wood, but I am not sure what kind. The magazine has a wood bottom with the number 956 stamped in it along with a + symbol underneath it THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for your help and information. Just wanted to get some more information on this so when I pass it down to my son he knows some historical facts to go with it. Attached Thumbnails

06-19-2012, 10:22 PM	#4
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,775 Thanks: 4,995 Thanked 3,133 Times in 1,439 Posts	Doug is correct I think. If there is no chamber date and no proof marks on the right reciever then it has a possibility if being commercial but I didn't spot any Commercial proofs in your photo's. Could be the chamber date and right reciever proofs have been scrubbed during the re blue? The 956 magazine is a Military with a + indicating a spare magazine. The pistol is a collection of mis matched parts. Grips inside should have a number and so should the firing pin. Without a date or Military markings it will be difficult to tell much about it... __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

06-20-2012, 01:23 AM	#6
mlmahon User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Port Neches, TX Posts: 80 Thanks: 51 Thanked 23 Times in 12 Posts	Interesting observation is that the holster looks homemade and it's for a 'lefty'. Also, the 384 on the barrel is actually 8,84 which is the bore measurement in millimeters from land to land. (a light strike on the 8 looks like a 3 or it could be a result of being scrubbed before rebluing.) Cheers, -ML __________________ Knowledge is Power. Trust but Verify.

06-20-2012, 01:32 AM	#7
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	OK, I broke the pistol down a little further and took a few more pics to see if this may help! SO I guess we shall see. From what I can see all of the upper to the pistol has 56 on all its parts matching the barrel. The bottom frame has 3 different sets of numbers with the majority matching the serial number on the front frame by the trigger guard. ON the right side of the pistol you can't see it in the picture but there is what appears to be part of an engraving there, but its really small and I have no clue what it could resemble. Thanks for all the info you have given me this far. Dave Attached Thumbnails

06-20-2012, 06:30 PM	#11
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	OK so i took some pics of what it looks like underneath the rear site, hope this helps. As far as the holster goes there is no markings that I can find. I am sure it is an old calvary saddle my great grandfather got from the university when he was an instructor there. Attached Thumbnails

06-19-2012, 06:28 PM	#2
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Your Luger looks like a commercial Artillery model, but built out of parts from various pistols. It has been reblued sometime in the past and so has lost its primary collector value. Still, in the condition it is in it is worth $1,200, give or take a couple of hundred, depending on where you live and the level of desire of the buyer. It is curious that the magazine matches the upper receiver

06-19-2012, 06:36 PM	#3
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thank you very much for the info. I am more interested in knowing what I got than a $ amount. To me its the sentimental value behind the gun that means the most. Thank you again thought, I appreciate it greatly.

06-19-2012, 10:38 PM	#5
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Jerry is right. A closeup of the top of the chamber area would help answer more questions. If the magazine with the "+" matches the upper, one would suppose the upper is military, although the chamber has no date. Please show the right side of the gun, where proofs should be located to try and answer more questions. Photos of the holster, although it appears to be home or saddlery made, would be interesting as well.

06-20-2012, 01:40 AM	#8
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The holster may be homemade. My great grandfather was involved with the oldest private military college in the United States (Norwich University) which was originally a calvary school. He was a president and I was 6th generation going through the school which happens to be in my hometown. So I wouldn't be surprised if he had a holster made there at the school while he was working there.

06-20-2012, 10:11 AM	#9
Ben M. User Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Retired to Naples, FL. Posts: 498 Thanks: 96 Thanked 145 Times in 90 Posts	does you gun have the typical artillery notch at the front edge of the receiver-chamber?

06-20-2012, 10:22 AM	#10
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	To determine if the notch is there, you will need to lift the rear sight as high as possible without damaging it and then photographing the area beneath it where the upper receiver meets the barrel. The "browned bare metal" look of the finish over the chamber is not consistent with the balance of the pistol and may indicate that a date was gound off and then reblued. Your holster is intriguing and may have been re manufactured from a US Cavalry holster originally intended for the 7.5" Colt SAA by remodeling the closure flap to fit a Luger. Are there any stampings in the leather?

06-20-2012, 06:36 PM	#12
dpdole User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	After looking up the artillery luger and looking at pics from the NRA website (http://www.nramuseum.com/media/94066...te%20luger.pdf) I have overlooked some things. The bottom frame of my pistol has an area to attach a buttstock to it. The front site appears that you can adjust it, apparently when I was looking at it before I overlooked that. So some added pieces. Thanks!

06-20-2012, 06:59 PM	#13
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Your frame also has the artillery notch, so that's good.