WWI Luger Identification Help

[KoltSupa]

Good Morning!

I purchased this Luger for a very reasonable price and wanted to inquire with you, the Luger experts, about its markings/story behind it.

WHAT I KNOW: It is a 1918 WWI Luger, Navy, serial number 4793, from Erfurt, and has various other stamp markings which I attempted to find the meaning of with no success.

Thank you in advance for helping me out and am happy to be a part of this wonderful Luger forum.

[Norme]

Hi Kolt,
Welcome to the forum! You have a relatively common 1918 Erfurt that appears to have been reblued in the past. What makes you think it's a Navy issued gun?
Norm

[gunbugs]

And the toggle train appears to be mismatched.

[George Anderson]

Only the toggle train is Erfurt. The pistol is a DWM.

[DavidJayUden]

Definitely reblued and mismatched, it appears that the entire front surface has been ground and re-numbered.
So how does it shoot?
dju

[KoltSupa]

I checked on some photos about proof markings and their meanings, provided by germandaggers.com, and saw that the closest looking grip safety marking photo identified it as a issue NAVY...

...of course, being that I just began attempting to identify these markings, I could be (and probably am) wrong.

[KoltSupa]

So to sum it up, I pretty much have a common pistol from WWI that has a combination of Frankenstein parts in it and was re-blued? LOL.

[KoltSupa]

I barely got the pistol the other day and have yet to shoot it...hopefully it doesn't blow up. ;-)

[DavidJayUden]

Your description is spot on, but remember that it IS a Luger. That means a lot, regardless of its lineage.
Take it slow at the range, start out with one round at a time, check and observe, etc. Good tight grip.
Have fun and let us know how it goes.
dju

[DonVoigt]

Well-
the description is not correct- nothing shown says or indicates the luger has any connection to
"Navy".

I don't see a grip safety, but then none of the pictures show that area.

When posting for ID, or other questions, a full view - left, right, and top are needed; along with close ups of any markings, the front of the frame and bottom of the barrel.

Check out the stickies for lots of great background in the "Frequently asked questions".

Welcome to the board.

[KoltSupa]

DavidJayUden, this information actually helps me feel alot better about taking it out shooting, for if it was a rare Luger of some kind, I would feel guilty about taking it out to the range to shoot it constantly.

Thanks for the advice.

DonVoigt, as mentioned in my previous post, I merely based the "Navy" connection from a website that posted photos of Luger markings and "appeared" to be the photo closest resembling my pistols' safety marking. However, with the information provided in this forum, I now realize that it is not.

Also, there is no grip safety on mine. I will definitely check out the stickies in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Thank you for all of your guys' advice! With your help, I've already learned so much more about this pistol than originally.

[Edward Tinker]

no offense, but you mean 'geladen' ??

[KoltSupa]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

no offense, but you mean 'geladen' ??

None taken, I am new to Lugers. But no...I mean the wording behind the safety that says, 'Gesichert.' (Not Pictured)

[ithacaartist]

One more thing to add is that the cursive, lower case "i"is part of the serial number of the pistol -- called the letter suffix. So, the complete serial number is 4793i.

[Bill_in_VA]

Originally Posted by KoltSupa

None taken, I am new to Lugers. But no...I mean the wording behind the safety that says, 'Gesichert.' (Not Pictured)

“Gesichert” translates to “made safe”; “Geladen” is “made loaded.”

[mrerick]

Hi Kolt, and welcome to the forum.

We publish a fairly comprehensive FAQ reference document in addition to forum stickies. I suggest you download a free copy. You'll find the detailed information useful.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=13121

Marc

[KoltSupa]

That is very interesting about the cursive 'i' being part of the serial number. That means my FFL didn't jot it down in the paperwork correctly, ithacaartist. :-/ LOL

Thanks for the info, mrerick. I will download it now.

You are correct, kurusu, it may just be a blessing in disguise! I showed the gun to my little neices and nephews and they stated, "It's the gun from Call of Duty!" (*sigh* Young bucks...)

[Sergio Natali]

Originally Posted by kurusu

Just shoot it. That's where Lugers excell. Being a "non collectible" may be a "blessing in disguise".

Even though I prefer inter wars or WWII Mausers as shooting pieces. They are "younger" afterall.

Those who own Luger pistols and never shot them are missing a lot (providing they do know how to shoot). A brick is an excellent paperweight, and way much cheaper than a Luger.

I totally agree with kurusu, consider this as your first step into the Luger World.
The first Luger that I bought was a Mauser Russian capture transformed in cal. 9x21IMI, surely wasn't a collectable but was still in good shape to shoot at the range sometimes and to learn how to disassemble & reassemble it.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by KoltSupa

That is very interesting about the cursive 'i' being part of the serial number. That means my FFL didn't jot it down in the paperwork correctly, ithacaartist. :-/ LOL

Yes, this illustrates quite well a two-edged situation. As familiar, as are most people (e.g. your progeny), with the Luger's distinctive shape, this degree of of familiarity matches the level of ignorance generally achieved about any other of the Luger's aspects, even by licensed gun dealers or smiths. Its mechanics are unique, and there are many other fine details concerning its collection or operation that are in danger of being just lost. But not if the members of Lugerforum and Jan Still's forum have anything to say about it!