1915 DWM Markings

[jrw248]

Just joined forum. Good info.

I have refinished (maybe paint, not blued). 1915 military DWM.
byf bolt assy, 2 mags are WWII vintage.

Pictures are of barrel and receiver. Not sure of the 3 stamps above the s/n.

Barrel has many stamps around the lug. Crown N above s/n on barrel.

Military acceptance stamp is on top of barrel.

My guess the 3 unknown stamps are arsenal. Import stamp is under
receiver so it cannot be seen without field stripping (RTB Corp, Miami).

Any idea about the stamps above s/n?

[Ron Smith]

John,

Your Luger is a "VoPo" an East German Police Luger. The marks are DDR East German proofs.

It has been dipped in a hot bath solution similar to salt blue, by the Russians after capture. Prior to being issued to East Germany.

Ron

[jrw248]

Thanks. I did a search for 'vopo' and reviewed several pages of results.

The crown N on the barrel means it's a likely post-WWII replacement. However the faint, original DWM military barrel stamp is on top of the barrel.

Does this mean the barrel is original, with a crown N proof stamped during the DDR rebuild?

Looks like the mags that came with the gun are WWII rebuilds.
FXO E/37 and 122 E/37, both with bright aluminum bottoms with stamps matching s/n.

Is there a safe way to remove the black dip to reclaim the original blue finish, or just leave it alone?

[Ron Smith]

The Crown N was probably added to the barrel by the East Germans after a proof test. Hard to say, since no two VoPos have the same markings. They are found with a wide variety of proofs, force matched numbers, etc.

You can remove the dip, but it takes some skill and a lot of work. I've heard that the dip can be removed with an ultra-sonic cleaner, however there's a "trick" to doing it correctly.

VoPo Lugers are becoming collectable as is, I would leave it alone.

Ron