1920 Luger Military or Police?

barr44 · 08-19-2023, 10:26 PM

How would one differentiate between a 1920 Military and a 1920 Police? Mine is a 6407n but has no sear safety or any unit markings of any kind, which might suchased that would indicate it to be Police.

Doubs · 08-20-2023, 11:16 AM

The proof marks identify it as military from the 1920 era. While it's possible that it served as a police pistol, without unit markings or one of the two police safeties, there's no way to tell.

barr44 · 08-20-2023, 08:55 PM

Thanks again for your info, you seem to be well informed on lugers.
I had thought that this was a military pistol, but it always good to get an additional opinions.
Appreciate your help,
Thanks again, barr44

Daniel76 · 08-21-2023, 06:16 AM

IIRC about 50k P08's were made during this time period by DWM (1920-1921). Approximately 40k were sent to the police, making strictly Army pistols rather scarce. Hence the use of a lot of wartime manufactured pistols subsequently stamped '1920' and reissued to the armed forces as well as the police. Good looking pistol.

Piranha451 · 08-22-2023, 11:48 AM

My P.08 is just like yours, DWM 1920, Dove proof marks, no sear safety or unit markings. I was told it is a Weimar Army pistol.

Dwight Gruber · 08-24-2023, 02:04 PM

In 1920 the German Reichswehr entered into a contract with DWM for production of P08s. These are the pistols found with e/ArA4 or e/WaA4 inspection and acceptance, dated 1920 and 1921. They are serialized with no-suffix, a and b suffixes, and anomalous n suffixes. In 1921 the IMKK voided the contract as being in violation of the Versailles Treaty provisions, and production was halted. (Leftover 1921-dated receivers made their way into the commercial production stream.)

This was explicitly an army contract. Unless one of these pistols positively has police characteristics--sear or mag safety, or unit marks--it should be presumed that it entered army service. None went to the navy.

The "1920" property mark has nothing to do with this topic, except to say that it only represents a pistol's existence in army or police inventory at the time.

--Dwight

08-19-2023, 10:26 PM	#1
barr44 User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: york co., va Posts: 151 Thanks: 27 Thanked 35 Times in 21 Posts	1920 Luger Military or Police? How would one differentiate between a 1920 Military and a 1920 Police? Mine is a 6407n but has no sear safety or any unit markings of any kind, which might suchased that would indicate it to be Police. Attached Thumbnails

08-20-2023, 08:55 PM	#3
barr44 User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: york co., va Posts: 151 Thanks: 27 Thanked 35 Times in 21 Posts	Thank you, again! Thanks again for your info, you seem to be well informed on lugers. I had thought that this was a military pistol, but it always good to get an additional opinions. Appreciate your help, Thanks again, barr44

08-21-2023, 06:16 AM	#4
Daniel76 User Join Date: May 2021 Location: Texas Posts: 37 Thanks: 71 Thanked 110 Times in 26 Posts	IIRC about 50k P08's were made during this time period by DWM (1920-1921). Approximately 40k were sent to the police, making strictly Army pistols rather scarce. Hence the use of a lot of wartime manufactured pistols subsequently stamped '1920' and reissued to the armed forces as well as the police. Good looking pistol. Last edited by Daniel76; 08-25-2023 at 08:32 AM.

08-20-2023, 11:16 AM	#2
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	The proof marks identify it as military from the 1920 era. While it's possible that it served as a police pistol, without unit markings or one of the two police safeties, there's no way to tell.

08-22-2023, 11:48 AM	#5
Piranha451 User Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 21 Thanks: 16 Thanked 15 Times in 5 Posts	My P.08 is just like yours, DWM 1920, Dove proof marks, no sear safety or unit markings. I was told it is a Weimar Army pistol.

08-24-2023, 02:04 PM	#6
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,889 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,281 Times in 423 Posts	In 1920 the German Reichswehr entered into a contract with DWM for production of P08s. These are the pistols found with e/ArA4 or e/WaA4 inspection and acceptance, dated 1920 and 1921. They are serialized with no-suffix, a and b suffixes, and anomalous n suffixes. In 1921 the IMKK voided the contract as being in violation of the Versailles Treaty provisions, and production was halted. (Leftover 1921-dated receivers made their way into the commercial production stream.) This was explicitly an army contract. Unless one of these pistols positively has police characteristics--sear or mag safety, or unit marks--it should be presumed that it entered army service. None went to the navy. The "1920" property mark has nothing to do with this topic, except to say that it only represents a pistol's existence in army or police inventory at the time. --Dwight