Inherited Dads Luger/ Identify

[Don M]

Dean,

The missing chip on the upper right of the left grip just means someone removed the grip carelessly. Whether or not the gun was well cared-for depends on its condition.

The magazine and sear safeties were installed pusuant to an August 1933 order. The magazine safeties proved to be a bad idea and were ordered disabled in 1937.

The markings on the right side of the receiver are E/ArA4 and are inspection stamps of the Ausrüstungsamt which was the name of the military procurement office in the early Weimar years. The inspection stamps were applied at successive stages of manufacture. Your pistol was manufactured in early 1921. Soon after, this office was renamed Waffenamt and later markings on 1921-dated DWMs are E/WaA4. The third stamp may be a WaA but I can't tell from the photo.

The 1920 and 1921-dated DWMs were manufactured for both police and military and procured through the military. Your gun was probably issued immediately to the police and received the 1920 government property stamp unnecessarily.

As to why the police unit marking was ground off, my best speculation is in my earlier reply.

I would be very leery of historical explanations by PIA. They are way out of date!