1918 DWM Luger question

[PaulChep]

My friend has a luger marked DWM and 1918. Additionally it has a s/n of 4084. Can it be determined when in 1918 it was manufactured? Also I was told that the inside of the grips should have a matching serial number, but I don't see anything there. Thanks for any help.

[Johnny Peppers]

Without a letter suffix under the serial number it was manufactured in early 1918.

Beginning in 1912 DWM started the serial numbers back over beginning with no letter suffix.

[phild]

My friend has a luger marked DWM and 1918. Additionally it has a s/n of 4084. Can it be determined when in 1918 it was manufactured? Also I was told that the inside of the grips should have a matching serial number, but I don't see anything there. Thanks for any help.

You need to make sure that the serial number on the frame (behind the underside of the barrel) does not have a script letter under the number or if does, you need to include that info as part of the serial number.

if there is no letter, I would think that it was made in Jan 1918 as I think that DWM was starting the alphabet over each year at that point, but I will need to verify that assumption or others can chime in.

[PaulChep]

Thank you. Any thought about the wooden grips having a serial number?

[frundsberg]

Grips with serial # are more common on WW2 luger ,I have a 1908 first issue military (with commercial serial # style and hold open added on) one without any marking or serial #, also you have to look at the grips see if they are original one that come from that period , modern repro won't have any ,and also be cautious that people will monkey around with the grips # .

[PaulChep]

You need to make sure that the serial number on the frame (behind the underside of the barrel) does not have a script letter under the number or if does, you need to include that info as part of the serial number.

if there is no letter, I would think that it was made in Jan 1918 as I think that DWM was starting the alphabet over each year at that point, but I will need to verify that assumption or others can chime in.

I check and it looks like 4084 and a lowercase script l as in larry.

[phild]

I check and it looks like 4084 and a lowercase script l as in larry.

Educated guess on my part knowing the estimated production of DWM 08's that year I would say the L block was late summer of 1918

[PaulChep]

Thank you all for the help.

[Johnny Peppers]

DWM produced approximately 120,000 P08's in 1918, and production halted in early November. That averages to about 12,000 pistols per month, and the suffix l (L) would be in to the 12th block.