1908 Military First Issue <img BORDER="0" src='http://forum.rennlist.com/luger/pic.gif'>

Marvin · 04-22-2002, 01:16 PM

Barry,

I don't know a lot about the early Lugers, But the photo shows what I think are DWM internal inspections stamps. Most manufacturing plants have their own internal inspection processes to control quality. That is what most of these are. You will also notice inside the takedown lever well there will be a myriad of different stamps for different time periods, when different inspectors were at work. Some of the internal stamps may also have been removed during the finishing process. The Government inspections stamps had to remain visible to assure that the pistols meet all the requirments for quality. Most collectors note the stamps, but don't get overly concerned about them and their meanings.

I would think that the stamps will continue to bew different on the pistols as the inspectors changed. In the NAPCA newletter, there was an articlbe by a member where he was trying to get the stamps inside the takedown lever well coordinated with the date of manufacture. If my memory serves me correctly, you could take his matrix and determine when the frame was made within about 1 year. Where this comes in handy is if there is a question about the pistol frame date vs the rest of the pistol. You could look up the stamps in the matrix for those stamps and see if it was correct for the pistol. Could be a good detector for a "faker".

Marvin

P.38 Forum

04-22-2002, 01:16 PM	#2
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: 1908 Military First Issue Barry, I don't know a lot about the early Lugers, But the photo shows what I think are DWM internal inspections stamps. Most manufacturing plants have their own internal inspection processes to control quality. That is what most of these are. You will also notice inside the takedown lever well there will be a myriad of different stamps for different time periods, when different inspectors were at work. Some of the internal stamps may also have been removed during the finishing process. The Government inspections stamps had to remain visible to assure that the pistols meet all the requirments for quality. Most collectors note the stamps, but don't get overly concerned about them and their meanings. I would think that the stamps will continue to bew different on the pistols as the inspectors changed. In the NAPCA newletter, there was an articlbe by a member where he was trying to get the stamps inside the takedown lever well coordinated with the date of manufacture. If my memory serves me correctly, you could take his matrix and determine when the frame was made within about 1 year. Where this comes in handy is if there is a question about the pistol frame date vs the rest of the pistol. You could look up the stamps in the matrix for those stamps and see if it was correct for the pistol. Could be a good detector for a "faker". Marvin P.38 Forum