Family Find

janders · 07-13-2003, 02:41 PM

I was recently given a family heirloom. This pistol was brought back from Germany after the second world war by a great uncle. He was not all that interested in shooting or collecting guns, so this souvenir of his "trip" sat locked away for roughly 60 years after his return, along with a few other "liberated" items. During this time it has rarely seen the light of day, and definitely has not been modified.

I've spent the morning researching what I can about the gun. I was hoping you could help tell me about his piece of history. About all I've figured out in the past few hours is that it is an Artillery Luger <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> .

Unfortunately the only good photos I got of this gun are side views... but I can describe the rest in detail (or attempt to take better pictures!) at your request.

Here are the details that cannot be seen:

The top of the gun is stamped with the DWM logo in script, and two dates just below the front adjustable site. The topmost date is deeper, and reads "1920." The lower date is not as deep, and reads "1917."

The right side of the gun has 4 proof marks, which I interpreted as a German military receiver proof, DWM, 1914-1918. That's proof number 15 on this site.

Underneath the barrel is a serial number (the same as the rest of the gun), and a lowercase, script "l" under that.

All of the serial numbers match, except for the magazine. On the metal part of the grip, underneath the trigger area, there is an engraving that reads "A. W. 36"

Some of the strawing is left, but no bluing. It looks almost as if it was never blued, in that most of the gun is shiny metal, with some dull grey areas (the barrel mainly).

Here are the pictures I took:
<a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleft.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleft.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a>
<a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaright.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaright.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a>
<a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleather.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleather.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a>
Thanks so much for your help! I'm having quite a bit of fun researching this pistol.
-Jon Anderson

07-13-2003, 02:41 PM	#1
janders New User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Family Find I was recently given a family heirloom. This pistol was brought back from Germany after the second world war by a great uncle. He was not all that interested in shooting or collecting guns, so this souvenir of his "trip" sat locked away for roughly 60 years after his return, along with a few other "liberated" items. During this time it has rarely seen the light of day, and definitely has not been modified. I've spent the morning researching what I can about the gun. I was hoping you could help tell me about his piece of history. About all I've figured out in the past few hours is that it is an Artillery Luger <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> . Unfortunately the only good photos I got of this gun are side views... but I can describe the rest in detail (or attempt to take better pictures!) at your request. Here are the details that cannot be seen: The top of the gun is stamped with the DWM logo in script, and two dates just below the front adjustable site. The topmost date is deeper, and reads "1920." The lower date is not as deep, and reads "1917." The right side of the gun has 4 proof marks, which I interpreted as a German military receiver proof, DWM, 1914-1918. That's proof number 15 on this site. Underneath the barrel is a serial number (the same as the rest of the gun), and a lowercase, script "l" under that. All of the serial numbers match, except for the magazine. On the metal part of the grip, underneath the trigger area, there is an engraving that reads "A. W. 36" Some of the strawing is left, but no bluing. It looks almost as if it was never blued, in that most of the gun is shiny metal, with some dull grey areas (the barrel mainly). Here are the pictures I took: <a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleft.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleft.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a> <a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaright.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaright.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a> <a href="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleather.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/jsaleather.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a> Thanks so much for your help! I'm having quite a bit of fun researching this pistol. -Jon Anderson