Commercial Luger
Hi Robert,
In my opinion, you have what is called Commercial Luger 1923 or, according author Jan Still, "Alphabet Luger". Looking the fine pictures you post it is possible to see clearly the 1920-era German Commercial proof (crowned N) on the left side of the receiver. It is called "Alphabet" because the letter suffix added around 1921/22, replacing the five digit serial numbers.
Also, as happens with those Lugers, the barrel must not be bigger than 4 inc. because the Versailles Treaty. The same law also said that 9mm guns were forbidden to civilians, so I think yours it is chambered to .30 Luger (7,65mm Parabellum).
Usually, Commercial Lugers didn´t bring any date over the chamber and many has the "Germany" word stamped on its right side or behind the barrel, since a lot were sold in US at that time. Also many were made using left-over parts form the WWI as well other were completely new guns.
Two things call my attention: the front sight (a different type that I don´t recall to have seen before) and the finish. It seems that your gun was replued sometime in the past. Please, note thet its finish is the same all over the gun. However, small parts as trigger, take-down lever and the safety lever had strawed finish - but not blue. Another clue is the serial number stamped behind the barrel, that looks too thin.
But it is nice looking gun anyway, and it can be a great shooter if you find the ammo. Let´s see what the others tell.
All the best,
Douglas.
Hi Robert,
In my opinion, you have what is called Commercial Luger 1923 or, according author Jan Still, "Alphabet Luger". Looking the fine pictures you post it is possible to see clearly the 1920-era German Commercial proof (crowned N) on the left side of the receiver. It is called "Alphabet" because the letter suffix added around 1921/22, replacing the five digit serial numbers.
Also, as happens with those Lugers, the barrel must not be bigger than 4 inc. because the Versailles Treaty. The same law also said that 9mm guns were forbidden to civilians, so I think yours it is chambered to .30 Luger (7,65mm Parabellum).
Usually, Commercial Lugers didn´t bring any date over the chamber and many has the "Germany" word stamped on its right side or behind the barrel, since a lot were sold in US at that time. Also many were made using left-over parts form the WWI as well other were completely new guns.
Two things call my attention: the front sight (a different type that I don´t recall to have seen before) and the finish. It seems that your gun was replued sometime in the past. Please, note thet its finish is the same all over the gun. However, small parts as trigger, take-down lever and the safety lever had strawed finish - but not blue. Another clue is the serial number stamped behind the barrel, that looks too thin.
But it is nice looking gun anyway, and it can be a great shooter if you find the ammo. Let´s see what the others tell.
All the best,
Douglas.
- but they decided to use the same serial system used by the German Armed Forces, which was, batches of 10000 guns (running from 0001 to 9999), added by a letter suffix everytime that they had to restart the numbering (0001a - 9999a, 0001b - 9999b, and so on).
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