police luger

cwm · 02-02-2004, 11:34 AM

I have the 1910 DWM a post or two back. Someone mentioned that it may be a police pistol and not military. How do I tell the difference. Is there anywhere to look for more information?????????

Doubs · 02-02-2004, 12:38 PM

The two most common indicators of police use are the sear safety and the magazine safety. Your pistol has neither and is unlikely to have been a police pistol. That doesn't mean it wasn't.... only that the odds are not favorable.

The sear safety is an elongated "Z"-shaped flat spring riveted to the hood over the trigger bar and extends over the sideplate. The sideplate on police guns is slotted on top and the forward part of the spring has a pin underneath. The slot in the sideplate allows the receiver to recoil and the pin to move rearward with the receiver. (The pin doesn't actually move as it's part of the spring and stationary but the spring is attached to the receiver and moves with it during recoil.)

The purpose of the sear safety is to prevent accidental discharge of the top secion once removed from the frame. When the receiver is removed from the frame, the pin drops into a hole in the trigger bar and prevents it from being depressed to the point where the firing pin is released.

The magazine safety was designed to prevent firing of the pistol when the magazine was removed. Most mag safeties were removed or modified to deactivate them. Sear safeties were generally left on.

While the true meaning of the "108" on your grip strap may never be known, I'm with those who think it may be a "rack" number for inventory purposes. However, I also think it's most likely that your pistol is military issue and not police issue.... unless it became so in later years. If so, it was never modified IAW directives that added the sear and mag safties.

02-02-2004, 11:34 AM	#1
cwm User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: usa Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	police luger I have the 1910 DWM a post or two back. Someone mentioned that it may be a police pistol and not military. How do I tell the difference. Is there anywhere to look for more information?????????

02-02-2004, 12:38 PM	#2
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,693 Thanks: 789 Thanked 1,671 Times in 548 Posts	The two most common indicators of police use are the sear safety and the magazine safety. Your pistol has neither and is unlikely to have been a police pistol. That doesn't mean it wasn't.... only that the odds are not favorable. The sear safety is an elongated "Z"-shaped flat spring riveted to the hood over the trigger bar and extends over the sideplate. The sideplate on police guns is slotted on top and the forward part of the spring has a pin underneath. The slot in the sideplate allows the receiver to recoil and the pin to move rearward with the receiver. (The pin doesn't actually move as it's part of the spring and stationary but the spring is attached to the receiver and moves with it during recoil.) The purpose of the sear safety is to prevent accidental discharge of the top secion once removed from the frame. When the receiver is removed from the frame, the pin drops into a hole in the trigger bar and prevents it from being depressed to the point where the firing pin is released. The magazine safety was designed to prevent firing of the pistol when the magazine was removed. Most mag safeties were removed or modified to deactivate them. Sear safeties were generally left on. While the true meaning of the "108" on your grip strap may never be known, I'm with those who think it may be a "rack" number for inventory purposes. However, I also think it's most likely that your pistol is military issue and not police issue.... unless it became so in later years. If so, it was never modified IAW directives that added the sear and mag safties.