1893 Loewe Borchardt

StarOfTheWest · 01-20-2008, 07:34 PM

1893 Loewe Borchardt

Serial #814, mag unmatched, #120.
No stock or holster.
Serial is on the side of the trigger, and on the bottom of the frame, next to the mag well.

This is amongst the first thousand Borchardts made, by the earliest maker, Waffenfabrik Loewe, Berlin.
BUG proofs on barrel, BU on receiver, breech block also marked, but I did not open the action to get pics.
D.R.P. 75837 is the Patent number.

Gun shows a bit of honest wear, I would rate it at 90% finish.
Straw parts look good, but the fire blued parts are a strikingly beautiful shade.
Back of the mag release button, extractor, and all screws are in brilliant fire blue.

I am not brave enough to field strip this one, sorry, and I even cringe at jacking it open.

A beautiful and rare species, Borchardts are the first semi-auto, mag fed handguns to go into production in the world.

Georg Luger "borrowed" and refined the toggle action from the Borchardt to design the Luger.
Borchardt had "borrowed" the toggle joint from the Maxim machine gun, although the toggle is internal on the Maxim.

As unwieldy as this gun appears, it actually balances pretty well in your hand.
This surprised me.
I understand that this is the Holy Grail of Luger collections, and I am suitably impressed enough by this 115 year old bit of workmanship to see why.

alvin · 01-20-2008, 07:42 PM

Anna -- I'm very impressed. You have my dream gun! So beautiful.

StarOfTheWest · 01-20-2008, 07:43 PM

Thanks Alvin, a few more pics.

Edward Tinker · 01-20-2008, 07:51 PM

ahhh, a dream gun, very nice. If I can pick one up or a reblue as an example, I will get one, but otherwise, there are others out there i want.

ed

Heinz · 01-20-2008, 08:28 PM

Great gun! Great pictures!

Ron Wood · 01-20-2008, 09:52 PM

You continue to trot out the goodies and this one is very special! It is a bit lower number than my #897. I have been tracking Borchardt serial numbers for years and yours is one that I had not previously recorded. So now it has been added to the list and becomes a recorded part of history...thank you!

StarOfTheWest · 01-21-2008, 10:59 AM

Thank you, Ed, Heinz, Ron, very nice of you to post.

I know there are some Borchardt owners on the board, but there are also possibly many that have not seen detail shots of one of these rare old birds.
I primarily posted to let the newer folks have a closer look at this beast, and for comparisons with other people's Borchardts.
I did a search through some of the older posts, and had not seen one of these examined closely.

And yeah, maybe a bit of Show and Brag.

Thanks again.

laoshi75 · 01-21-2008, 11:28 AM

...shall we see you again, reflected in the bluing or in the mirror finish of this astonishing beauty ?

StarOfTheWest · 01-21-2008, 11:42 AM

How kind of you to ask, but no, sorry.

A Parisian "lady killer", so to speak?

laoshi75 · 01-21-2008, 11:50 AM

right, he is Parisian, the lady is lover to death

Wilhelm · 01-21-2008, 12:03 PM

Shoot it! That's what it was made for.

lugerholsterrepair · 01-21-2008, 12:12 PM

Shoot it! That's what it was made for. Easy to say when you are not risking your own money..However, if it were mine I would have to shoot just one round.
Regardless of that..It is a gorgeous piece of history. I would dearly love to have one someday too. This one Anna shows is a very nice example!
Thanks for showing it off!
Jerry Burney

Pete Ebbink · 01-21-2008, 12:12 PM

Anna,

Classic example of honest patina on a gun finish of over 110 years old.

Beautiful gun...thanks for sharing it with us all !

Some sellers of late hope to convince us guns such as these are original finish...

http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp...erms=borchardt

http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp...erms=borchardt

Imperial Arms · 01-21-2008, 01:03 PM

Watch it, Anna, Christian is trying flirt with you!! If you need to defend yourself against his charm, I would recommend a DWM 480C (9 mm) cartridge!!!

I have some French blood in me, and I can see French charm coming in at 100 yds!!

Albert

Dwight Gruber · 01-21-2008, 02:05 PM

Anna,

Thanks very much for the closeup pictures, they are very enlightening. You might consider taking one more, turn the gun upside down and show us one of the strangest features of these, guns, the radically offset trigger.

--Dwight

StarOfTheWest · 01-21-2008, 02:51 PM

Yes, that is a weird design indeed, Dwight.
Hope this shows the asymmetrical offset well enough.

A.Mifsin · 01-21-2008, 03:19 PM

Again I thank you for sharing this very beautiful borchardt, and the pics are great. The only Borchardt I handled was 2 years ago at a fair in Kassel, I nearly made a deal, but I took too long to decide, and lost it.

Alf.

alvin · 01-22-2008, 08:47 PM

What's the technical reason bebind the offset trigger? There must be a reason......

StarOfTheWest · 01-22-2008, 08:59 PM

Because it just didn't look Rube Goldberg enough without it?

Seriously, with the huge wound up leaf spring in the hump at the back and the general oddity of the whole thing, it really looks like it goes "cuckoo!" before it goes bang.
I am only surprised it doesn't have little people spin out of it and dance on the hour too.

alvin · 01-22-2008, 09:14 PM

Let me make a guess.... could be wrong.

I guess Luger's "L" shape trigger connector is not there. So the trigger must be put on the side to align with the sear??

.... what's could sit bebind that screwed cover.....

01-20-2008, 07:43 PM	#3
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	Thanks Alvin, a few more pics. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-20-2008, 07:51 PM	#4
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	ahhh, a dream gun, very nice. If I can pick one up or a reblue as an example, I will get one, but otherwise, there are others out there i want. ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

01-20-2008, 09:52 PM	#6
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 6,986 Thanks: 1,065 Thanked 5,088 Times in 1,674 Posts	You continue to trot out the goodies and this one is very special! It is a bit lower number than my #897. I have been tracking Borchardt serial numbers for years and yours is one that I had not previously recorded. So now it has been added to the list and becomes a recorded part of history...thank you! __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

01-21-2008, 10:59 AM	#7
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	Thank you, Ed, Heinz, Ron, very nice of you to post. I know there are some Borchardt owners on the board, but there are also possibly many that have not seen detail shots of one of these rare old birds. I primarily posted to let the newer folks have a closer look at this beast, and for comparisons with other people's Borchardts. I did a search through some of the older posts, and had not seen one of these examined closely. And yeah, maybe a bit of Show and Brag. Thanks again. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-21-2008, 11:42 AM	#9
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	How kind of you to ask, but no, sorry. A Parisian "lady killer", so to speak? __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-20-2008, 07:34 PM	#1
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	1893 Loewe Borchardt 1893 Loewe Borchardt Serial #814, mag unmatched, #120. No stock or holster. Serial is on the side of the trigger, and on the bottom of the frame, next to the mag well. This is amongst the first thousand Borchardts made, by the earliest maker, Waffenfabrik Loewe, Berlin. BUG proofs on barrel, BU on receiver, breech block also marked, but I did not open the action to get pics. D.R.P. 75837 is the Patent number. Gun shows a bit of honest wear, I would rate it at 90% finish. Straw parts look good, but the fire blued parts are a strikingly beautiful shade. Back of the mag release button, extractor, and all screws are in brilliant fire blue. I am not brave enough to field strip this one, sorry, and I even cringe at jacking it open. A beautiful and rare species, Borchardts are the first semi-auto, mag fed handguns to go into production in the world. Georg Luger "borrowed" and refined the toggle action from the Borchardt to design the Luger. Borchardt had "borrowed" the toggle joint from the Maxim machine gun, although the toggle is internal on the Maxim. As unwieldy as this gun appears, it actually balances pretty well in your hand. This surprised me. I understand that this is the Holy Grail of Luger collections, and I am suitably impressed enough by this 115 year old bit of workmanship to see why. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-20-2008, 07:42 PM	#2
alvin User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: US Posts: 3,843 Thanks: 132 Thanked 729 Times in 438 Posts	Anna -- I'm very impressed. You have my dream gun! So beautiful.

01-20-2008, 08:28 PM	#5
Heinz User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Greenville SC Posts: 1,004 Thanks: 377 Thanked 410 Times in 180 Posts	Great gun! Great pictures!

01-21-2008, 11:28 AM	#8
laoshi75 User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand/France Posts: 490 Thanks: 288 Thanked 96 Times in 41 Posts	...shall we see you again, reflected in the bluing or in the mirror finish of this astonishing beauty ?

01-21-2008, 11:50 AM	#10
laoshi75 User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand/France Posts: 490 Thanks: 288 Thanked 96 Times in 41 Posts	right, he is Parisian, the lady is lover to death

01-21-2008, 12:03 PM	#11
Wilhelm User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 340 Thanks: 43 Thanked 107 Times in 51 Posts	Shoot it! That's what it was made for. __________________ I promise to be nice and play well with others

01-21-2008, 12:12 PM	#12
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Shoot it! That's what it was made for. Easy to say when you are not risking your own money..However, if it were mine I would have to shoot just one round. Regardless of that..It is a gorgeous piece of history. I would dearly love to have one someday too. This one Anna shows is a very nice example! Thanks for showing it off! Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

01-21-2008, 12:12 PM	#13
Pete Ebbink User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The USA Posts: 5,919 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Anna, Classic example of honest patina on a gun finish of over 110 years old. Beautiful gun...thanks for sharing it with us all ! Some sellers of late hope to convince us guns such as these are original finish... http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp...erms=borchardt http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp...erms=borchardt

01-21-2008, 01:03 PM	#14
Imperial Arms Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Malta, EU Posts: 579 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Watch it, Anna, Christian is trying flirt with you!! If you need to defend yourself against his charm, I would recommend a DWM 480C (9 mm) cartridge!!! I have some French blood in me, and I can see French charm coming in at 100 yds!! Albert

01-21-2008, 02:05 PM	#15
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,889 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,281 Times in 423 Posts	Anna, Thanks very much for the closeup pictures, they are very enlightening. You might consider taking one more, turn the gun upside down and show us one of the strangest features of these, guns, the radically offset trigger. --Dwight

01-21-2008, 02:51 PM	#16
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	Yes, that is a weird design indeed, Dwight. Hope this shows the asymmetrical offset well enough. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-21-2008, 03:19 PM	#17
A.Mifsin User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Malta Posts: 570 Thanks: 74 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	Again I thank you for sharing this very beautiful borchardt, and the pics are great. The only Borchardt I handled was 2 years ago at a fair in Kassel, I nearly made a deal, but I took too long to decide, and lost it. Alf. __________________ I prefer a Luger

01-22-2008, 08:47 PM	#18
alvin User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: US Posts: 3,843 Thanks: 132 Thanked 729 Times in 438 Posts	What's the technical reason bebind the offset trigger? There must be a reason......

01-22-2008, 08:59 PM	#19
StarOfTheWest User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Texas, CSA Posts: 208 Thanks: 81 Thanked 15 Times in 12 Posts	Because it just didn't look Rube Goldberg enough without it? Seriously, with the huge wound up leaf spring in the hump at the back and the general oddity of the whole thing, it really looks like it goes "cuckoo!" before it goes bang. I am only surprised it doesn't have little people spin out of it and dance on the hour too. __________________ Sorry, I take that back. I have no problem with the horse you rode in on.

01-22-2008, 09:14 PM	#20
alvin User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: US Posts: 3,843 Thanks: 132 Thanked 729 Times in 438 Posts	Let me make a guess.... could be wrong. I guess Luger's "L" shape trigger connector is not there. So the trigger must be put on the side to align with the sear?? .... what's could sit bebind that screwed cover.....