1900 miss-match what do I have?

[MichaelH]

Greetings! I've away from the forum for too long! I recently purchased a 1900 Luger that is quite miss-matched for a shooter. The frame is 13XXC, the only part that matches that is the magazine, and the only magazine I have that will fit in the gun is the one that came with it. The frame has the early long low checkered safety. None of the other parts that are numbered match each other or the frame. The barrel is not numbered. I'm not familiar with 1900s, is it normal for other Luger mags to not fit? The grips show some machining on the inside, but also some obvious hand fitting. The right grip has a palm swell, not too large, but there. There are no proof marks anywhere. I've been shooting Lugers since the 1970s and I always look for miss-matched ones for shooters. I've not had one before quite as miss-matched as this. I've shot it with PPU ammo, other that the extractor having lost its temper it works fine.

[Ron Wood]

Need some photos badly! The only 1900 Lugers with non-interchangeable magazines are the very early unrelieved frame guns that required the "flat button" magazines. A frame with a 13XXC serial number is way too high to be an unrelieved frame and a flat button magazine would not be numbered. Is the "C" really a suffix of the serial number or located below the serial number?
Ron

[MichaelH]

Thank you for your reply. The magazine that works has a slightly smaller button than the magazine from my Artillery Luger. That magazine will not go in because the button sticks up too high. On the magazine with the 1900 in C is below the rest of the serial number. Most of the other mags (including the one for my post war Mauser 29/70) will go part way in and then jam as the mag well is too narrow or short. Some mags jam at the top rounded part of the mag well as the radius of the mag well at that point does not match the shape of the front of the magazine. I'll try to get some pictures.

[Ron Wood]

Thank you! Please include the frame serial number photo and a photo of the bottom of the grip where the magazine is inserted.
Ron

[MichaelH]

These should be pictures of my 1900. Also a 1920 Finnish 9mm.

[MichaelH]

Still learning how this works.

[MichaelH]

Sill learning!

[Mac Cat]

This appears to be a very early 1900 model
The barrel is a 7.65mm (120mm ??) - is it unmarked ?
The serial number is 13x2 (no suffix).

What makes you think it's a mismatched luger ?
I think it is a 1900 Commercial.
Does it have commercial stamps (B, U, or G)?

It is called "unrelieved" luger because the magazine channel was not cut deep
in the earliest lugers. The early magazines had a very flat loading button.
Only the very early magazines will fit in it.

It seems right to me:
It's a long frame.
It has the safety in the up position to fire and no hold-open.
There is no lanyard loop and it has the wide trigger.
It has the checkered safety lever.
I think the Swiss model would have a wider grip safety (not sure).

The small parts are strawed, too.

Please provide more photos of the chamber, top, right receiver area, rear toggle and the barrel.

The inscription on the left ear is unusual - someone used an electro pencil to inscribe it with the word "Gesichert" (for secured or safe position).

[MichaelH]

Thanks for all the information! I took some measurements of my various Lugers. The 1900 at the round part of the magwell at the top is 0.446" wide. All my other Lugers are about 0.475" wide at the same point. The feedway to clear the magazine button total width of the magwell on the 1900 is 0.630" The other Lugers is about 0.668". The font on the "C" at the end of the serial number is not a font I've seen on other Lugers. I wonder when this gun was re-built if it was "force matched" to the magazine as it would actually fit in the gun. The magazine with it has the later staked in follower button. OK, the frame and magazine are # 1396C with a capital roman "C". The barrel is unnumbered. Barrel extension/upper receiver 78. Breechblock 83. Center toggle link 40. Rear toggle 18, Sideplate 54. Trigger (narrow trigger) 72. Grip Safety 10. If I break any parts on this gun the replacement may actually make the gun more matching.

[MichaelH]

I got my extractor so I took out the 1900 Luger today. The new manufactured Lugerman extractor fit perfectly,

worked perfectly, and looked perfect.

I had two different brands of ammo, PPU and Fiocchi "Heritage". The Fiocchi has a shorter overall length

than the PPU, but worked perfectly in both the magazine that came with the pistol and the Triple K magazine

I was able to modify to fit in the very early 1900 frame. The PPU ammo worked fine in the original magazine,

but the breach did not close completely on the fourth round with the Triple K magazine. A slight push with my

left thumb was enough to close the breach.

Ejection was to the right slightly and back about 7 feet. The Fiocchi brass was grouped close together, the PPU

more spread out.

The groups with both types of ammo were about 4 inches high at 25 yards. Group size was not that great, I will

blame it on not being used to the trigger pull yet.

All in all, a 123 year old pistol made up from totally miss-matched parts worked almost perfectly after the

replacement of one part.

I'm pleased. Now to get used to that trigger.

[Mac Cat]

Thanks for the range report !
I'm glad it works well, too.

It's certainly an interesting luger.