Commercial Database commentary v5

[Dwight Gruber]

What follows are the thoughts and sporadic research investigations inspired by consideration of the DWMCommercialdatabase I have been assembling. They are strictly my own. As this is a research work-in-progress what I write here may be subject to change with the addition or discovery of new information, and is in fact a revision of the text I wrote eight years ago. I have avoided speculation as much as possible. Inevitably some creeps in; on re-reading the text before submitting it, rather more than I originally intended. DG


NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE COMMERCIALDATABASE

© 2007-2014 Dwight Gruber

One day a few years ago I was curious to know where in the 1906 serial number series the proof marks changed from c/BUG proofs to c/N proofs. As I couldn't find the information in my library, I decided to take an online survey of Luger collectors to see if I could find out.

When I attended a Reno gun show shortly thereafter, a collector friend pointed out two Old Model short frame Lugers on a dealers table and asked me what I thought of them. As I examined them I noticed that one had a wide grip safety and the other had a narrow safety. I also noticed that I did not know which was proper for the type, and I realized that if I wanted to seriously engage myself in this hobby I'd better learn these things. As this is the kind of detailed information which is not commonly presented in the literature, I realized I would have to find it out for myself.

As I was already collecting data for the proof characteristics, it seemed straightforward enough to simply extend the quest for the short frame data. However, as I examined more guns and more data, I found that I had questions about many more characteristics which the literature didn't answer, or presented in only the most general way and without concrete examples. I wanted to know the details, by the numbers, and the only way to do that was to track them down.

Originally I decided, arbitrarily, to end the survey at the end of the 5-digit Commercial series. Since then I have had other questions, gathered data on more characteristics, and extended the range of the survey into the early v suffix pistols of the Alphabet Commercial variation: the very end of Luger production at DWM.


PRODUCTION DATES

Inevitably the questions arise: where does the data actually begin? from the data, how does one establish dates for the production of a variation, or a particular pistol?

Establishing these dates is a hit-or-miss proposition. In the absence of records of DWM production, one must look to external or historical circumstances to pin down the dates of a particular serial number range, and extrapolate from there.

The actual beginning date of Old Model production is not found in any source which has been available to me. However, production cannot have begun before May 4, 1900. This is the date that the Swiss Parliament accepted the final design for the Swiss Military Ordinanzepistole 1900, and thus finally established the pattern for the type.

By the second week of October, 1901, the thousand guns ordered for testing by the U.S. Army had been crated and shipped to Government Island in New York. Correlation with the serial numbers indicates that, by this time, at least 7,147 Old Model Parabellums had been manufactured. This is an example of one kind of number benchmark which can be applied to the question of dating a particular pistol.

The beginning of production also illustrates another principle which has guided me when considering the serial number sequence. That is, between 1900 and 1916 the evolution of the Parabellum Pistol occurred in response to military considerations and requirements. Commercial characteristics and production follow their corresponding military acceptance. Since the date establishing a particular military requirement is usually documented, this provides a convenient method for dating corresponding commercial production.

When attempting to establish production figures it is tempting to determine two dates, take the range of serial numbers between them, and divide by the numbers of weeks or months. I have resisted the temptation to do so. The industrial practices of the nineteenth and early twentieth century in Germany suggest that Lugers may not have been produced on a production line as we understand the concept, but in batches which may preclude simply averaging production over time. There is no way to know if commercial production occurred continuously, or if the same assembly resources were at times used to fulfill DWM’s various foreign military contracts.

Some collecting authorities assert that “blocks” of serial numbers were reserved or assigned by DWM to a particular contract or run of guns; or for some other reason were skipped in production. Sometimes this is invoked to explain an incongruity in dates of test pistols and their associated serial numbers, and sometimes to simply explain long number ranges where there are no recorded pistols. Because some of the number incongruities have logical explanations, and because there is no documentary evidence or logical reason for DWM to have skipped serial number ranges in production, my interpretation of the data represented in the Commercialdatabase accepts as axiomatic that there was a Luger manufactured for every integer.

Digging into the details of the database one finds both confirmation and contradiction of published material, some of which is now decades old. Sometimes it is 'conventional wisdom' or declarations whose origins are lost in time which are confirmed, or more often supplanted, by new understanding.

OLD MODEL PARABELLUM

Production total

It is remarkable to note that from the beginning of commercial Parabellum production in 1900, to the delivery of the Bulgarian contract pistols sometime in 1902, DWM produced at least 21,000 Old Model Parabellum pistols.

Thumb safety Variations

Three different styles of thumb safety lever appeared on early 1900 pistols: a lever with a cross-checkered area level with its face and extending half its length (commonly referred to by collectors as Type-1); a lever with a cross-checkered area raised from its face and extending one-third of its length (Type-2); and a lever with a ribbed or fluted area raised from its face and extending one-quarter of its length (type-3).

Type-1 safeties are found from the beginning of production until at least sn 916. The Type-2 safety appears by sn 1062 and runs until at least sn 10192. The type-3 safety appears by sn 10199 and persists through the end of DWMLuger production.

There are exceptions found within these ranges. There are reports of some type-2 safeties on guns around sn 240. There is also a range from sn 3206 to sn 4680 (at most) in which Type-1 and Type-2 safeties are intermixed.

Grip safety changeover

From the beginning of production until at least sn 9855, grip safety levers are narrow, that is, extending across only half the width of the rear grip strap. Starting around sn 10010 grip safety levers extend across the full width of the grip strap, and remain that way through the rest of DWM grip safety Luger production. There are four sporadic examples of wide grip safeties earlier than sn 9855, which may be viewed with suspicion.

The grip safety data satisfies my curiosity about the changeover and demonstrates that, indeed, 1902 Fat Barrel grip safeties are properly wide.

Takedown lever numbers

One of the conventional wisdoms about Old Model Parabellums is that the takedown lever serial number was located on the right-round end until sometime after the U.S. Test Eagle series, at which time it moved to the bottom edge. The examples reporting this characteristic reveal that this is not the case at all. The serial number is indeed found on the end for the first approximately 3,000 guns, after which it is found on the bottom edge.

Sometime around sn 6000, however, the takedown number returns to the right end. Between sn 7094 and sn 7108 the number migrates to the left face of the takedown lever. Between sn 7775 and sn 7857 the number returns to the bottom edge. From sn 8348 to at least sn 8678 the number returns to the right end, with at least one reported on the bottom. From sn 8977 the number returns to the bottom edge, where it remains for the next 28 years of DWMCommercial production.

American Eagle Proofs

Commercial guns sold in Germany and elsewhere on the Continent were required to undergo proof firing by state proof houses. The proof house which serviced DWM in Berlin stamped these guns with the c/B, c/U, c/G suite of commercial proofs. The United States has no civil proof law, so proofing of guns destined for America was unnecessary.

Kenyon and others, in their descriptions of Old Model American Eagle markings, have said that these pistols are found with proofs or without. However, all data base reports of Old Model American Eagles from the beginning of recognized AE series production (sn 2002) are without proof marks. (Note, that there are two American Eagles reported in the 700 serial number range which are c/BUG proofed
Test Eagles

The U.S. Test Eagle Lugers are of particular interest in any study of Old Model Parabellums. In October 1901 the U.S. Army took delivery of 1,000 pistols for distribution to soldiers in the field, to test their suitability for service as a U.S. Army issue sidearm. By 1904 the experiment was deemed a failure; the guns were recalled from the field and the surviving pistols were sold at auction.

With the exception of five pistols mentioned in a field test report, and possibly four found in a repair report, the serial numbers of the U.S. Test Eagle pistols have not been documented in U.S.government records. Determining the identity of individual Old Model AE as U.S. Test guns is crucial to collectors of these pistols.

Collectors have historically based the identity of Test Eagles on two pieces of information which may be considered conventional wisdom:

The first is the 1,000-gun serial number range. Authors from Datig through Jones and Walter and Kenyon to Reese have speculated on its extent. None of them agree on the specific range. According to Reese, evidence received from the Bureau of Accounting (undocumented) sets the range from 6099-7098; Kenyon speculates the range at about 6100-7100; Walter (1995) says the range is conventionally attributed to be 6151-7150. Most collectors presume the range to be sn 6100 through sn 7100.

The second is the unique set of four characteristics ascribed to these pistols:
1. The guns have the American Eagle seal stamped atop the chamber;
2. The guns are not stamped GERMANY;
3. The guns have no proof stamps;
4. The takedown levers are numbered on the right, round end.

The data collected for the Commercialdatabase effectively demolishes both of these conventionally understood features. As noted above, Old Model AE series production lacks proofs, and the serial number on the takedown lever migrates from position to position. One migration from the right end to the face occurs near sn 7100 (more on this downscreen).

According to an import and revenue duties act passed by the U.S. Congress on Oct. 1, 1890, all foreign-made goods entering the U.S. after March 1, 1891 are required to have the country of origin marked on them. This is commonly referred to as the McKinley Tariff Act of 1891. All foreign-made goods entering the U.S. after this date are required to have the country of origin marked on them. This is the reason that GERMANY is found stamped on Luger pistols exported to the US. It has been long been presumed that, since the 1,000 Test Eagles were not a pistol for export but rather a military contract shipped directly to an Army weapons facility, they were not subject to this import requirement.

It is not known if this presumption is in fact true; this is a topic for further research. What the database shows, however, is that there is a range of almost 2,200 pistols, from at least sn 5778 to sn 7976, chamber stamped with the American Eagle, which do not have the GERMANY export stamp.

In 1906 the U.S. Test Parabellums were declared surplus and 780 of them were bought at auction by Francis Bannerman. These serial numbers were recorded in the course of the sale, and they are delineated in the database. They extend in a non-contiguous sequence from sn 6167 to sn 7147.

As noted above, one change from end-numbered to face-numbered takedown levers occurs between sn 7094 and sn 7108, within the Bannerman range, and 7108 is identified as having its number so placed. This is definitive evidence that the takedown serial number placement is not a determining Test Eagle characteristic.

Thus, there is no unique set of physical characteristics which exclusively identify the U.S. Test Eagles.

It is clear that the only way to identify a 1900 American Eagle Parabellum as U.S. Test gun is to find its number within the Bannerman number list. The Bannerman numbers are highlighted in the database, and these are the only guns identified in the database as Test Eagles. (The range of non-import-marked American Eagles is also highlighted.)

The Swiss Cross

Two ranges of 1900 AE, at least sn 2021-sn 2199 and at least sn 8914-sn 8977, have small Swiss crosses stamped on the left side of their barrels. These are the same crosses found on Swiss military contract guns. Collectors speculate that this is the result of DWM borrowing excess or not-yet-used barrels from Swiss-inspected stock to complete a commercial production run. (A similar circumstance occurs in 1906 production with circle-B marked barrels relating to Brazilian contract production.) There are also three Swiss commercial pistols, not in these ranges, which report these barrel crosses.

SHORT-FRAME VARIATION

The variant which collectors refer to as the 1902 Model is the most misunderstood Luger variation. Collectors identify this variation by a characteristic fat barrel; the new 9mm caliber; dished toggles with toggle lock; flat recoil spring; and a frame which is 1mm shorter than the standard Old Model Parabellum and with an altered profile.

The Misnamed Model 1902

The designation 1902 “fat barrel” goes back as far as 1955, referred to in Fred Datig’s The Luger Pistol. The reason for this designation is unknown. The end of the 1900 variation is commonly asserted to coincide with the end of the Bulgarian contract pistols at sn 21000. The date of the Old Model Parabellum sale to Bulgaria is not found in the English-language literature; Still (Imperial Lugers) comes closest when he says the delivery was made in approximately 1902.

The guns which follow are a range of Lugers from sn 21157 to at least sn 21992 which are predominately carbines. Although collectors universally referred to these as 1902 Carbines, this is a complete misidentification. They display none of the short-frame characteristics, being exclusively long-frame, .30 cal. guns in the standard Old Model configuration. In addition, there are reports of regular Old Model Parabellum pistols within this range.

The carbines are themselves found in two serial number ranges, split by a range of short-frame production. The second carbine range extends from sn 22463 to sn 24872. There are standard Parabellums, both log-frame and short-frame, reported within this range as well

The Short Frames

Although this variation is usually designated by 9mm fat profile barrels, it is much more useful to identify them by their short frames (Ron Wood Type II), the first major construction departure from the long-frame Parabellum. By the numbers, not more than 1,500 short frame Parabellums were made. From this production came two test series in .30 caliber (the German and Dutch test guns); the 50 guns modified for the Powell Cartridge Counter device; and the small numbers of commercial and American Eagle pistols made available for sale.

The only dates associated with these pistols are the 1904 delivery of the Cartridge Counter guns, and the 1904 orders for the German and Dutch test pistols. This information, in conjunction with the thousand long-frame carbines produced in 1902 after the Old Model Bulgarians, reinforces speculation that the 1,500-gun short frame production run was likely not made until sometime in 1903; and the parts were not completely used up until 1906.

A developmental role for short frame pistol production is suggested from the observation that later B series prototype pistols have short frames; and that within the first 250 guns of the series are found the German and Dutch test pistols which have unique barrels. Some collectors assert that blocks of serial numbers were reserved for these test purposes. This is effectively countered by the observation that commercial and American Eagle examples are reported within this range. The commercial and AE guns could be considered developmental in the sense of limited production testing the commercial viability of a 9mm Parabellum pistol.

“1903 French” and the End of the Old Model

While developing the 9mm cartridge and selling the German Navy the original 1904 (flat spring) Navy model, DWM was also developing the coiled recoil spring. This first appears on a Prototype Dutch model delivered in 1904, and presages the future of the Parabellum Pistol.

Following production of the short-frame series, DWM produced more than 1,600 carbines and standard pistols based on the long frame. This production extends into 1906, almost to the beginning New Model Parabellum production.

The last Old Model variation, however, is the misnamed 1903 French (or commercial), appearing no more than 50 guns before New Model production. This is a combination of two models: a short Type-2 frame with toggle lock; and the flat-knob toggle assembly characteristic of the 1904 Navy. It is further characterized by CHARGE stamped on the extractor of the new-style breechblock. Some collectors speculate that these pistols were intended to test the commercial market in France.

It is tempting to think of this pistol as transitional between the Old and New Model Parabellums. Although the flat-style toggle grips are entirely cosmetic and contra-ergonomic, it is the first commercial model to incorporate the new-style breechblock and extractor. With its flat recoil spring and toggle lock, however, it is the last expression of the Old Model Parabellum.
NEW MODEL PARABELLUM

The New Model Parabellum is characterized primarily by its coil mainspring. This feature was in development as early as 1904-1905, when short Old-Model frames, modified with coil recoil springs, were delivered to the Dutch for testing. The first military delivery of this variation was to the German Navy in mid-1906. This provides the basis for dating the New Model Parabellum to 1906, and thus is the origin of the 1906 collector designation. It may be coincidence or the limits of the data that the first New Model Parabellum entry in the database is a Navy Commercial.

New Model Frames

New Model Parabellums are found as commercial, American Eagle, a few Swiss commercial, and Navy commercial variations. With the exception of the Navy Commercials (always long frames), long and short frames are found intermixed. As I started gathering frame-length data late in the process, most New Model entries do not include this information.

New Model Parabellums are all “on safe” with the thumb safety lever in its upward position, as was the practice in the initial 1906 Navy delivery. In 1912 the Navy required a change in manufacture, for the lever to be safe in the down position. Commercial production did not follow this alteration.

New Model Parabellums have a routed-out polished area as a safe indicator. However, much of the earliest commercial production was stamped GESICHERT in the safety well instead, following Navy contract practice. The question is raised whether these might be over-production of military frames or frames which failed military inspection. This is another feature which I started collecting late in the process, so there is currently not enough data to establish a pattern.

The Navy Commercial is the only New Model variation which has a stock lug. These pistols were originally sold as a complete rig with a holster/stock, following the Navy contract practice. The database includes the presence of these accessories where known.

New Model Parabellums are found in both .30 Luger and 9mm. This detail is pretty thoroughly reported, and there seems to be no particular pattern to the practice. There are long stretches of fairly complete number reports with a single caliber, however.

The American Eagles

New Model American Eagles are found both with and without proofs. Pre-1911 (c/BUG) proofs seem to be pretty random; post-1911 (c/N) most AE appear to be proofed, although the reporting sample for this detail is comparatively small. 1906 Commercial are found with proofs and without in the same pattern.

Many American Eagles are found with LOADED marked extractors. This is another feature which entered the survey very late, so there are not enough samples to come to any conclusion about their distribution.

More than 2,000 database entries are from Hans Tauscher sales lists as documented by Sam Costanzo in hisWorld of Lugers: Serial Numbers of Lugers Issued to German Agents in the United States 1913-1916. The serial numbers and calibers are listed, but other than New Model Navy commercials the variations were not specified. Entries verified from other sources with added information are mostly 1906 American Eagles, as might be expected; four reports are Commercials.

Crown/BUG to Crown/N

The wellspring question for the database is answered some 53,000 guns into Luger production. The reports suggests that the changeover from c/BUG to lazy c/N proofs was completed somewhere between sn 52828 and sn 53175. There is a handful of sporadic lazy c/N proofed guns between sn 49074 and sn 51431, but the guns reported in this range are overwhelmingly c/BUG proofed.

Martin Krause and Jim Cate have discovered documentation confirming that two of the German state proof houses devised the crown-over-N as the Nitro proof mark in 1910, and three of them implemented it in 1911. This establishes a firm date for production of this range of CommercialLuger production.

New Model Parabellum production appears to have concluded by the middle of 1913, around sn 69100.


1908 COMMERCIAL

The 1908 model Luger was developed for the German army in response to the army’s desire for reduced complexity and production cost by elimination of the grip safety and hold open of the New Model Parabellum. The Army accepted the result in 1908 as the Pistole 1908, and signed a production contract with DWM in December of that year.

The first P-08 Commercial recorded in the database is sn 39142. It is unlikely that any 1908 commercial Lugers were made before 1909.


P08 COMMERCIALS WITH STOCK LUG

In August of 1913 the German army issued an instruction that the P08 would henceforth be manufactured with a holdopen and a stock lug. All commercial P08s made after this date, beginning at approximately sn 71170, share these characteristics. Collectors commonly mis-designate these as a 1914 commercial variation.

DWM modified the frame of the standard P08 by eliminating a spur in the recoil spring well, giving the front of the well a flat profile. This change occurred in 1914, in a military serial number range probably representing the 3rd quarter of the year. DWMCommercial production followed suit sometime between sn 70362 and sn 72353. The change dates this range approximately to the beginning of WWI in August, 1914.

The Great War

The serial number range from 69000 to 76000 is one of the more interesting stretches of Luger production. As the European political situation rapidly evolved toward the inevitable conflict, the nature of DWMcommercial production changed as well.

As noted previously, New Model commercial production gave way completely to commercial production of the P-08. By the end of the sn 69000 serial range most of the guns reported show evidence of diversion to military delivery. These are the P08 Commercial Army variation, having 5-digit commercial serial numbers, but without the commercial lazy c/N proofs. These guns are all c/X, c/X, c/X army inspector stamped and army power proofed.

At this time commercial P08s were also being issued to the Reichs Gendarmerie, the militarized police force which patrolled the Alsace-Lorraine region. These are the side-frame RG marked P08s, both with and without stock lug. Unlike the Commercial Army pistols, the RG Lugers are commercially lazy c/N proofed, suggesting non-military procurement and delivery.

At the beginning of the war, very approximately around sn 71000, serial number reporting shows that commercial production was drastically curtailed. At this time, however, a very small number of a unique commercial variation appears. Designated 1913 Commercial by Kenyon, these are standard P08s with stock lug, but also having a grip safety. The thumb safety operates in the standard P08 manner on-safe down, and is stamped GESICHERT.

Bill Reupke (Weimar Lugers and Auto Mag 11/05) has proposed the existent of a sub-variation, the 1916 Commercial, identified for the year the relieved sear bar was instituted. These appear at approximately sn 75400, and suggests a date for this part of the serial number range. This provides an interesting breakdown of the Commercial Lugers manufactured during WWI: less than 5,000 pistols between the beginning of the war in 1914 and the modified sear bar in 1916; and 550 pistols between 1916 and the end of the proof mark application characterizing the 1914 variation.

It seems unusual that DWM would continue to manufacture commercial Lugers during wartime, although it is true that officers were required to purchase their own pistols it might have been profitable for DWM to maintain commercial production to allow them to buy from the commercial market. It has long been asserted that DWM parts which did not pass military inspection were diverted to commercial production. The small number of Commercial pistols produced 1914-1918 certainly seems to beg the question of whether or not DWM WWI commercial production might have been entirely the result of military parts rejection.

The existence of a 1914 Commercial (post-1916 sear bar) with a Navy-style large-flange toggle pin tends to support the theory of diversion of military parts to Commercial production


POST-WAR P08 COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION

On Proof Marks

The collector identification of a particular Luger variation sometimes turns on the characteristic of a proof which has been applied to the gun. This is particularly the case with the commercial P08s produced before and after the Great War, identical guns whose sole difference is the orientation of the commercial proof mark--horizontal on the pre-war pistols, vertical on those made after the war.

As collectors we tend to act as though proof marks are applied as a willful factory designation to differentiate production. Because of this various correspondents have developed sometimes elaborate theories as to why some guns are transitional in nature; or appear to be numbered out of sequence in a production range.

As noted earlier, proofing of commercial firearms in Germany was done by state proof houses. This designation of the proof stamp and its application was entirely the responsibility of the proof house itself. Thus, identification and designation of particular variants on the basis of proof marks is entirely coincidental to their application, and literally has nothing whatever to do with manufacture (or rework) identification of the guns themselves.

So, at some time during the war the proof house which served DWM in Berlin changed its stamping procedure from a sideways, lazy c/N on the left receiver to an upright c/N. There is no documentation forthcoming as to why this was changed, or why the two stamping styles are intermixed between approximately sn 72000 and sn 76040. A simple explanation can be inferred, however, for the out of sequence production problem: these guns were simply not sent to be proofed in serial-number order.

Production of commercial Lugers was very small during the war, and it is a matter of speculation that they cannot have been much of a priority for DWM. It is easy to imagine that completed pistols sat for a long time before being sent to be proofed, perhaps waiting for a large enough batch to make it worthwhile. It is nonsensical to imagine that anyone cared if a strict serial number sequence was maintained once the guns themselves had been completed. Guns could have been stored out of sequence, or they could have been selected for a proof run simply because they were easy to reach—i.e., last in-first out. There is no knowing, and it really makes no difference. There is simply nothing more meaningful to be inferred from the range of changeover.

The question remains as to the actual date of the change from lazy c/N to upright c/N. Perhaps something is suggested by the numbers.

Less than 5,000 commercial pistols were made from the beginning of the war to 1916. It is important to note here that some upright c/N commercials are reported late in this production range. The changeover range from 1916 to the last lazy c/N pistol reported is 550 guns. Production from the last lazy c/N report to the next datable example a 1920 chamber date is 7,899 pistols.

These figures, and the pattern of reports in the database, suggest to me with high confidence that the proof changeover from lazy c/N to upright c/N occurred well before the end 1916.

The Basel Police Lugers

In the November 2005 issue of Auto Mag Bill Reupke presents an article about some Lugers shipped to the police forces of the Basel canton in Switzerland in 1921. The pistols he describes are proofed lazy c/N and are mostly near the end of the changeover range from lazy to upright c/N. He describes some physical characteristics which include defective slide guides at the rear of the frame.

Although mostly outside the scope of the database comments, two things related to the proof mark comments above occur to me. The first is the 1921 shipment of such old-production guns. In the years between 1916 and 1921 more than 10,000 commercial guns were manufactured. It cannot be guessed how many of these pistols remained in factory stock, or for how long. One has to wonder if one reason for the disparity in shipment date might be due simply to selling off shelf stock in reverse order to which it was manufactured (the newest guns being closest to the front of the shelve), and not getting to the 1916-produced pistols for five years?

I also wonder if the flaws in the frame are further evidence toward the supposition that commercial production was based on rejected military parts?

Dated Commercials

Many of the post-war P08 examples are reported in cal. 9mm. Most, but certainly not all of these, are police pistols.

The post-war P08 commercial range contains a number of 1920 and 1921 chamber dated examples, the primary benchmark for dating this range of guns. Although not all the chamber dated guns are reported with police characteristics, all the examples with caliber reported are 9mm.

During 1920 and 1921 DWM defied the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles by producing Lugers specifically for military and police use. These were a separate serial-numbered series of pistols chamber dated 1920 and 1921, inspected and accepted by the Heeres Waffenamt.
One wonders if the chamber dated post-war commercials are the result of taking parts out this other production line, as the case with the model 1900 Swiss Cross marked barrels, or if this is another example of reject parts going to commercial production?

Safe/Loaded and the end of the 5-digit serial numbers

The Safe/Loaded Commercial variation is a series of standard, .30 cal. P08s marked LOADED on their extractor and SAFE in the thumb safety well, with no mark over the chamber. Some confusion exists in the literature about this variation. Kenyon asserts that as many as 6,000 of these guns were produced and they are found in a range from sn 735000 to sn 96000. Other sources, or perhaps conventional wisdom, reputedly have these guns as the result of a contract made by A.F. Stoeger for 2,000 pieces

There are individual Safe/Loaded Lugers, some with American Eagles on the chamber, found scattered throughout the database. Kenyon is obviously including these in his numbers. The database itself confirms a consecutive run of nearly 2,000 pistols around sn 90000. The other sporadic Safe/Loaded examples scattered throughout the database should not be considered part of the contract variation.

There is a report of one gun within the Safe/Loaded contract range which may be marked GESICHERT/GELADEN.

Almost all published sources have the 5-digit serial numbering ending at sn 96000. Still (Weimar Lugers) maintains that the 5-digit serial numbering method ends just before sn 92000. The Commercialdatabase tends to confirm the lower number. Although there are a handful of entries numbered between sn 93595 and sn 96080, prolific entries end at sn 91989 and the higher numbers are unexplained anomalies.


ALPHABET COMMERCIALS

The Alphabet Commercial series begins with sn 2000 i, the 4-digit/suffix equivalent to sn 92000. The presence of 1921 chamber dated examples establishes their 1921 production year, and tends to confirm the numbering changeover scheme. As with the odd above-92000 guns, there are seemingly out-of-place i suffix Alphabet Commercials with lower i suffix numbers. As with the high 5-digit guns, there is no good explanation for the anomaly.

The serial number range of this variation accounts for nearly 90,000 guns. The literature and conventional wisdom dismiss these guns as the most common and mundane of all Lugers.

This cannot be farther from the truth. The Alphabet Commercial range encompasses the greatest variety of any of the recognized ranges, commercial or military. Included in this range are the Krieghoff back-frame stamped Lugers; Stoeger 2-line guns; Swiss-style conversions including Abercrombie and Fitch; Finnish Lugers; the Lugers intended for the Riff tribe in Morocco; and pistols repurposed by the Weimar police. A range of pistols after sn 8400s bear unit marks representing their shipment to the Kriegsmarine. In addition, many uncommon and unique examples are found here, particularly unexpected guns with SAFE marks, American Eagles, Navy or Artillery configurations or very long barrels, and Lugers modified after import by Pacific Arms and others.

The s, t, and u suffix commercial P08s have recently been assigned their own collector designation (Still, Weimar Lugers) as they were predominately acquired by the police. Due to the consistency of production characteristics however, they are considered here as a continuation of the Alphabet Commercial variation.
The handful of v suffix c/N proofed P08s represents the End of Days for Luger production at DWM. In 1930 DWM’s manufacturing inventory of was transferred from Berlin, to Mauser in Oberndorf am Neckar. DWMs 30-year history as the producer of the Pistole Parabellum ended, and the Commercialdatabase ends here as well.
READING THE DATABASE

The first thing to keep in mind while perusing this database is that it represents documentation and reporting. It is not, and cannot provide on its own, certification of authenticity of any particular Luger, especially those of rare or noteworthy variation.

Luger collecting as a serious endeavor began more than 60 years ago, and boosting, altering, and downright faking of Lugers followed almost immediately. As this database is assembled from information from 45 years ago to the present day, it is inevitable that some of the more exotic or unique variations associated with their serial numbers may not be authentic.

Occasional entries do include notation that a particular example is questionable, or in some cases an actual fake. These are the results of direct or photographic examinations which have identified bogus characteristics (pantographed application of markings which are properly found stamped, for example) or identification of rare examples which are clearly out-of-sequence or -date-range (such as model 1903 barrels stamped Manufacture Francais d'Armes et Cycles de St. Etienne).

This faking is a particular problem with rare variations which do not fall into a single documented serial number range, a charasteric all too common with commercial series Lugers. Particular care must be taken when considering all Stoeger-marked guns, all 1902 variations, all carbines, Russian-attributed Lugers, Abercrombie & Fitch marked guns, Reichsmarine unit marks, unusual or exotic chamber marks, and all French variations. These are not the only variations to look at critically, but they are commonly and easily faked. Particular care should be taken with three-line Stoeger marked Lugers outside the recognized v suffix range, and 1902 Cartridge Counter Lugers outside the established sn 22401-sn 22450 range.

1906 Lugers sold by Manufacture Francais d'Armes et Cycles de St. Etienne are also commonly faked. This retailer stamped an inventory number on the grip strap toe of these guns. If the number or its absence is reported, it is included as a comment. Most reports of these guns, however, have not included a report of this feature; the corresponding notation only indicates the lack of report, not necessarily absence of the number. These pistols were only marketed 1909-1914, so any listings outside this time frame should be cautiously considered.

A new addition to the database is a separate section for P08 carbines. The detail cells of this variation are pretty scanty, as the main sources of information (dealer sales lists) do not go into much detail. When considering P08 Carbines, it should be remembered that they are not consistent in their characteristics, and their parts are often mismatched. This makes it easy to fabricate a fake, and there is no way to know if any individual entry in the database is in fact bogus. The 1920 Carbine section represents the beginning of an area of research, and I hope to gather many more examples and much more data to help establish the patterns of physical characteristics of these guns.

Another area for study, in which the database has only so far scratched the surface, is Lugers from South America. Entries in the database support other evidence that this was a thriving Luger market. There have been more than 300 Lugers registered with the police in Rio de Janeiro alone.

Language probably plays a part in scant reporting. A much larger role is certainly played by reticence of gun owners who participate in this hobby surreptitiously due to harsh gun control measures in South American countries.

The Notes category includes, among other things, associated characteristics of the pistol whether it has Ideal grips or rig, a matching shoulder stock, an unrelieved frame, interesting or unusual markings, observed or reported mismatch, etc. These represent the conditions of the pistol at the time of report. As some of the reports can be very old this may not represent the condition of the pistol now.

Some database entries are noted as restored. This information comes from descriptions by owners or from sales list descriptions. Occasionally an example will be described as in poor condition. This comes from direct or photo observation, and will be useful in the future when a pistol whose condition is described as nearly new and original is compared to such a database entry.

The Swiss Military Lugers are numbered in their own serial number range, identical to the DWMCommercial number range. Many collectors and records of Swiss 1900 and 1906, particularly old sales lists, do not differentiate between Military or Commercial in their descriptions. With the exception of the Dave Soracco data list (which makes the distinction), I have not included Swiss Commercial numbers which are not positively identifed by the presence of c/BUG proofs. I am certain that I have passed up many Swiss Commercial numbers because of this.

Finland received a very large number of Lugers over a long period of time. A large order was delivered from Alphabet Commercial production, but Lugers of many descriptions, some being earlier commercial pistols, made their way there. The Finnish Army (Suomi Armejna) began stamping their SA mark in 1941. These guns are identified with a Finnish SA entry. Other guns identified as Finnish police guns, prison guard guns, guns reported from Finnish Army documents, or otherwise identified as Finnish but without report of the stamps are identified with a Finnish entry.

Finally, this database has resulted from the transcription of huge amounts of information, often from secondary or tertiary sources. Each time a number is transcribed from one source to another the possibility for error creeps in. Although I cannot account for errors in the source material, I have made every effort to accurately transfer information into the database itself. Ultimately any errors in this transcription are my responsibility, and I will make factual corrections in future releases of the database as the information becomes known.

--Dwight