Newbie Luger Owner

[kmartindale]

I recently inherited a P08 Luger which once belonged to my Dad's uncle who served in WW1. The family story is that he brought it home from the war but nothing is really known about it. I could use some expert help identifying it.
It is a DWM 7.65 3 3/4 inch barrel (as measured from the muzzle to the forward flat part of the chamber) and has various identifying marks: the DWM stamp on top; The underside of the barrel has the number 6971, above the number is a 'crown over N', below the number is a slanted oval with two curved 'ears' sticking out from it; The front of the chamber under the barrel has 6971 with GERMANY and the slanted oval symbol below it; The left-front side of the chamber has the 'crown over N'; The safety has GESICHERT under the lever; There appears to be a very small 'crown over N' on the left side of the jointed arm; The number 71 appears on various other parts including the magazine. The butt end of the magazine also has a GERMANY stamp. No other marks are seen. Photos are attached.

[Bill_in_VA]

Commercial, or "Alphabet" Luger, marked for import to the US. It's an O block gun which, IIRC, puts it made in the mid-1920s. (I also have an O block Alphabet Luger.)

[mrerick]

Hi, and Welcome to the forum.

You have a great looking Commercial DWM Luger made, as Bill mentions, in around 1923 or 1924.

It looks to be in original finish and (if all matching) would be considered collectible.

These are not valued as highly as military issued guns, but they are part of Luger history, produced during the Weimar era near Berlin. Since it was import marked, it was most likely sold to your father's uncle after he returned to the USA.

The letter "o" is part of the gun's serial number, and is a suffix: "6971o".

Marc

[kmartindale]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your expertise.

[rhuff]

I have never seen a commercial/alphabet Luger that has a numbered mag matched to the Luger. Would it be possible to see a photo of the mag base?? I own a couple of alphabet Lugers, and they are fine shooters.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by kmartindale

I recently inherited a P08 Luger which once belonged to my Dad's uncle who served in WW1. The family story is that he brought it home from the war...

This is a familiar story that has received many spirited (not to say angry) debates here. What usually happens (and I have been guilty of it myself) is that a pistol that was brought back or inherited or whatever is sold/given away/etc and the owner years later regrets it. A substitute is found/bought and to make a long story short/more believable/more sentimental, the new pistol is said to be the one with the familial attachment.

The lie/exaggeration sounds more endearing than saying you bought it at a gun show to replace dad's/grandpa's war souvenir that you sold/traded many years ago.

Another variation is that dad/grandpa took it off the dead body of a German he had killed, when he actually won it in a card game or traded a couple packs of smokes for it.

Not all stories are fabricated but some simply can't be explained any other way.

Like all war stories, they get better with time...Sometimes you have to fudge the truth a bit...

[Lugerdoc]

IMHO, All mag marked "Germany" were imported as a separate batch of mags, not with a pistol or they wouldn't have to been marked. The 73 serialization would have been added by a previous owner. If it had been done in Germany, the full 4 digits and suffix letter would have been applied, except the police would not have added the sufix, when they numbered mags to P08s in their inventor, as replacement mags were needed. TH