Dropyourweapon, I had another look at my own Luger (9mm) and consulted some books (Gortz & Sturgess’ The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols, and Randall Gibson’s The Krieghoff Parabellum) and, based only on your 7 photos, I can amend and expand my earlier review of your Luger. Remember, I’m doing this for fun and as a hobby; I am in no way an expert. I believe you do have a DWM 120mm barrel with the early-style DWM front sight. These were available on old model commercial pistols from 1901, and the low serial number on the barrel supports this. It also seems (hard to see!) to have the old model extractor. The frame has a new model sideplate. Some of the strawed parts appear blue, namely the new model safety and the takedown lever. Strawing occurs at a certain tempering heat and DWM chose to leave those small parts unblued. Others, notably Mauser, blued the small parts, so these could be replacements from the 1930’s and 1940’s sourced from Mauser.
Put in a snap-cap and take a picture of the writing on the extractor; for an old model Luger with all the trials going on it might say”Geladen”, or “Loaded” or the same in Swiss, French, Dutch, or several other languages, which will give you a further clue about where to find further info. The frame ears are consistent with DWM production, so your gun is probably a genuine DWM Luger, although the frame serial number and the barrel serial number do not match. The frame and receiver also do not meet flush at the front, which is said to be a sure sign of a parts mismatch. Based on what I can see, I’m inclined toward your gun being a new model military P08 frame, made between 1907 and 1913 and intended for 9mm. It may have incorporated an old model toggle block, possibly with receiver, meant for the 7.65mm cartridge at a later time that included the old model barrel, or that barrel itself might have been added separately later.
Because the photo of the left-side frame and receiver is unclear to my eyes, it looks like the lazy Crown/N proof mark(s) typically found on Imperial-era commercial pistols on the receiver, the bolt, and/or the left frame rail is or are missing. That, together with the also clean right side (where military proof and acceptance marks are usually found), the lack of a chamber date, and the military suffix on the frame serial number strongly indicate your gun was originally a 9mm Imperial Reichswehr weapon that was scrubbed, factory reblued, and sold by DWM as a commercial pistol rebarreled in the then-legal 7.65mm, within Germany, most likely between 1919 and 1921. The toggle Crown/N proof in your photo argues against that interpretation, because a military gun would have an Imperial Eagle proof in that place instead. The number on the back of the toggle argues for a military gun, as commercials either hid it or didn’t have a toggle number. Not enough contextual info (pictures) available for me to be more sure one way or the other, but these are troubling loose ends, unless the toggle block/receiver and frame are simply from different guns, which is the Occam’s Razor solution.
It’s also hard to say for sure, from the angles of the profile images, but it’s possible you have a transitional frame between the earlier long frame and the later short frame. A true short frame has an absolutely parallel-with-the-frame-rails longer shelf in front of the trigger guard, then a vertical connection with the receiver, and yours appears to be a slightly upward-rising shelf, with more of an angle to the vertical in the connection to the receiver. However, my impression could be caused by an optical illusion from the photo angle. Long frames have a short shelf with a smooth, continuous arc connecting the front of the trigger guard and the receiver. Transitional frames, as one would expect, seem to be a mixture of the two types and are uncommon, even rare, but are new model frames. However, both long and short frames do appear on guns made throughout the time period of the new model (1904 onward), especially with 7.65mm, and after WW I using up old stock parts for commercial sale.
The back of the receiver seems to have a name inscribed, or maybe a unit marking, that has been partially scrubbed away. The back and front grip straps are the usual places for military or police unit markings but I can’t see from your pictures. Likewise I can’t tell if your gun has, or once did have the schiwy, or police safety, from your photos.
There are literally millions of similar guns; they are called collectively “Alphabet Commercials” because of the suffix on the serial number, and they are the run-of-the mill in Luger circles with the majority being chambered in 7.65. All Lugers do appreciate in value. Yours could have some additional collector value, mainly because of the lack of a stock lug on the grip frame, which is relatively rare, especially so without a grip safety which was very common at the time, so yours is the rarer for that; also if it is a rare transitional frame, and it would help if there are internal serial numbers in the toggle and receiver that match the barrel. Otherwise, rebarreled, reblued, and a parts gun (remember the front of the frame and receiver are not strictly flush), it is a shooter. For a 7.65mm, if the bore is “Very Good” grade, you paid a fair price in today’s market. Otherwise, you overpaid by maybe a couple hundred. That said, Lugers are well-known to be phenomenally accurate even with worn-out or corroded barrels, though.
More and better pictures, especially of any and all exterior and interior markings and numbers, and any “ghost markings” could prove me ‘way, ‘way wrong. Best of luck with your new weapon.
Cheers,
Popoff