First Luger, help needed

[mrerick]

gTony, welcome to the forum .

I think you have a Weimar era DWM Luger that was rebarrelled in the mid 1930's.

I think that the antler proof mark on the barrel may be from the Oberndorf proof house. The droop wing eagle points to the era of the rebarrel.

Is this in 7.65mm. The photo showing the muzzle is out of focus.

We publish a FAQ PDF document you may find useful. Just follow the FAQ links at the top of every page.

The witness mark is a strike across the barrel base and the receiver to indicate it's correct rotational position when it's installed.

The wood base magazine is also fragile. Try to find a Haneal Schmeisser magazine if you want to shoot the gun. They were made during the 1940's as well as after the war by the DDR (Ernst Thalmann).

[Tonyt915]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

I have the impression that police guns of that era didn't necessarily display a chamber date? What I deem to be its typical property stamp seems to wind up in a variety of places in relation to the breech above the blank chamber onto which it's been hand stamped. Admittedly, this one's on there nice and straight, all right, but it's located too far from the breech compared to what I think we'd expect from a chamber date. Here's a link to one on another thread, which obviously gives an extreme example of being located otherwise than a "normal" chamber date. http://forum.lugerforum.com/attachme...1&d=1575414347

I agree about the possibility of a barrel change. I didn't even notice the gouges and was going by the distinctly different color tones, frame v. bbl. Also, the finish of the top, leading corner of the barrel flange is worn less than that of the frame's similar corner? If replaced, it was fairly officially executed, with the new one re-marked, as would have probably been done by an armorer. How about a closeup of the witness marks on the barrel and frame? The vise-gouges hypothesis is suspect to me because there are no corresponding gouges on the other side.

The Parabellum is a robust, durable pistol by design. Nonetheless, things happen that bring to fruition the risks involved when shooting any collectible gun. Break a numbered part on a numbers matching gun, and its value takes a serious hit, as well as its history, perhaps more so. Your gun, though, so your choice.

Aftermarket grips, the MecGar mag are good steps to minimize your risks of this nature. The firing pin and extractor are other numbered parts commonly swapped out for shooting. The relieved/fluted firing pin style adopted around WWII (or maybe earlier?) is reputed to be safer.

Originally Posted by mrerick

gTony, welcome to the forum .

I think you have a Weimar era DWM Luger that was rebarrelled in the mid 1930's.

I think that the antler proof mark on the barrel may be from the Oberndorf proof house. The droop wing eagle points to the era of the rebarrel.

Is this in 7.65mm. The photo showing the muzzle is out of focus.

We publish a FAQ PDF document you may find useful. Just follow the FAQ links at the top of every page.

The witness mark is a strike across the barrel base and the receiver to indicate it's correct rotational position when it's installed.

The wood base magazine is also fragile. Try to find a Haneal Schmeisser magazine if you want to shoot the gun. They were made during the 1940's as well as after the war by the DDR (Ernst Thalmann).

Thanks, I will go take a picture of that area. it is a 9mm not a 7.65

[spripple33]

I think that the antler proof mark on the barrel may be from the Oberndorf proof house.

mrerick- Is what you're referring to the mark shown in pic 10?
-Jason

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by spripple33

mrerick- Is what you're referring to the mark shown in pic 10?
-Jason

I would disagree that that is an "antler" proof mark, it is the center part of a poorly struck Weimar era proof, the same mark as the second from the left on the right side of the chamber.

IF the one in picture #10 is the reference.

The 1920 is a property stamp, not a date; DWM did not reach the "r" suffix in 1920 or 1921.

JMHO.

[Doubs]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

I would disagree that that is an "antler" proof mark, it is the center part of a poorly struck Weimar era proof, the same mark as the second from the left on the right side of the chamber.

IF the one in picture #10 is the reference.

The 1920 is a property stamp, not a date; DWM did not reach the "r" suffix in 1920 or 1921.

JMHO.

Don, I agree that it's not an antler proof mark.

However, DWM did produce military and police Lugers in the o - r suffix range in 1920. My reference is G&S red books, chapter 9, page 467.