1914 Erfurt Artillery...

[Daniel76]

Recently acquired this 1914 dated Erfurt artillery luger. What made this particular example interesting to me were several modifications apparently done when overhauled (possibly more than once) at a police arsenal.

Pistol started as a 1914 LP08. A couple of features identify this. The notched barrel, as well as the 'stylized 'W' on the bottom of the triggerguard. To my understanding, the 'W' (if I'm referring to it correctly) was only seen on LP08s.

At some point in the early 1920s, it was acquired by the government and received the '1920' property stamp. The barrel was replaced and numbered to match. The sear and magazine safeties were added. It also likely received police magazines at this point. Interestingly, the police Haenel/Schmeisser magazine has a Navy wood bottom attached to it that is serial numbered to the pistol by SN and by the inventory number on the grip strap. Further evidence that the police used all available parts when reworking their firearms.

Then the grips strap markings. It appears to have started out in a Berlin unit, and was then transferred to Erfurt where it belonged to more than one unit there.

The finish (other than the replaced barrel) appears to be original to it's 1914 manufacture to me. The really faded white in the safety stamping is still there, and the bluing in no way appears to be redone.

Overall, an interesting pistol that survived the Great War and saw extensive service, likely through the end of WW2.

[Doubs]

An interesting piece to be sure. That fellow has been around the block... a few times, it seems.

[Daniel76]

C'mon Doubs...I see room for at least two more unit stamps on that grip strap!

You're right though. If it could talk, I'll bet it would say 'Hey! Quit hammerin' on me!'

[DonVoigt]

An Erfurt made Luger pistol returned to it's birthplace; after a war and serving the Schupo in Berlin.
I guess it was happy to return "home".

[Daniel76]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

An Erfurt made Luger pistol returned to it's birthplace; after a war and serving the Schupo in Berlin.
I guess it was happy to return "home".

Yes. This has so much oddity going for it. What's not to like? It's original form, it's eventual 'rework', the travels...that's without even knowing what happened to it between 1914 and 1918. The part I really like is the Navy magazine bottom.

[spangy]

quite an incredible history ... if only this gun could tell us it's whole story !!
Thanks for sharing Daniel76

[ithacaartist]

Daniel,

I also have a Luger that led a varied life indeed It began life as a 1917 DMW artillery. It has a 1920 property stamp, A couple of HZa stamps, and a Nazi era 100 mm barrel. It came in what was left of a holster that had been converted from police to military style. No sign of a sear or magazine safety...

Though millions were made, it strikes me that each Luger is a unique individual. The people and situations encountered are different for each one, thus there are over three million Luger "biographies." Some are as crisp as they left the factory a century ago. Others have been abused, misused, beaten, butchered, modified, cannibalized, and/or destroyed. (In my mind is an Arty someone posted about that didn't have a sharp corner or flat surface on it due to certainly the most severe buffing damage I think anybody on the forum has ever seen. Someone commented, "Great for concealed carry because it's snag-free." Knowing whatever is available/discernible about the history of your Luger(s) is just a bonus pleasure. on top of that of owning the gun. As the old saying goes, "Buy the gun, not the story," so in plenty of cases provenance isn't necessarily something you can cash in on in collectible value. The profit you take is of the heart.