1918 dwm

[JSF01]

Well it was probably a mistake to do, but I happened to see a Luger at a gun show that was priced just with in my range and bought it. Why was it a mistake, because while it was cheaper than any other Luger I have seen, with my luck it still means I probably paid too much for it. I am not here to complain about that because while I might be an idiot for buying it, I had always wanted one, and now I have one so I am happy. Thats all that really matters in the end.

Because I like the historical aspect of firearms I have been looking up information about my new firearm. Thanks to the information on these forums most of my questions have already been answered. I do have two questions that I have not been able to find the answer to yet, and they may fall into the unknowable mystery category but here goes.

First



The letters "YKN" are stamped on top and the side of the pistol. I have asked on another forum what it means and the best guess they had is it was some former owners initials. While that is definitely a possibility it just sems odd to me that some one would put thier initials on it twice like that. There is also the fact that it would be some one who's name would begin with the letter "Y" which is very rare. I can not even think of a first name that starts with "Y" of the top of my head. Since I figure these forums would be filled with people that are experts on these pistols here would be the best place to ask. So are there any other likely possibilities on what those markings indicate.

Second


The barrel of this Luger. When I bought it I was told some previous owner had swaped out the barrel which is why it was cheaper then other Lugers i have seen. Now when I bought it I had assumed simply that the previous owner who did this found a longer Luger barrel and just swaped it. Now That I have been looking at all sorts of pictures of Lugers, I discovered that I can not find any other Luger with a similar barrel. That begs the question what type of barrel is on my Luger? Is there a set of Lugers with barrels like mine that I have just been unable to find; Does the barrel belong to a completely different firearm; or Did that previous owner have a custom barrel made for it(which would seem to be a lot of effort into something that would greatly devalue the firearm. I guess if it was done a real long time ago the lugar might not have had any real value to it.)

Another minor interesting thing is the barrel seems to have two thin witness markings that just happed to line up to bracket the larger single witness marking on the reciever.

[DavidJayUden]

Attachments do not open for me.
dju

[alanint]

David is right. Without photos placed directly here on the site it is difficult to help you.

BTW, although I seriously doubt the "YKN" are someone's initials, Internationally, first names beginning with a "Y" are not that unusual. Many cultures use the "Y" the way we use the "J".

"Yosef" would be our "Joseph".

[JSF01]

Originally Posted by alanint

David is right. Without photos placed directly here on the site it is difficult to help you.

BTW, although I seriously doubt the "YKN" are someone's initials, Internationally, first names beginning with a "Y" are not that unusual. Many cultures use the "Y" the way we use the "J".

"Yosef" would be our "Joseph".

There I think I got the images fixed now(amd some spelling mistakes)

I did not know about the "Y" being like a "J".

I have some more information if it help. It is an 8" barrel chambered in 7.65. At least I believe it is 7.65 but I never asked the dealer, as I thought "all" lugers were 9mm. (kind of like most people would not think to ask what a specific M1903 is champered in since they are "all" .30-06 except for the few in which an owner converted them.)

And yes I know I am just looking like a bigger idiot now.

[lugerholsterrepair]

I believe your barrel is made from a rifle barrel? The sight band makes me think this and where the barrel is screwed in it is not the normal angle..I would guess it is a homemade affair made from another firearm. Will a .30 Luger cartridge chamber and extract?

[wlyon]

Agree with Jerry. Barrel is definately not original to rest of luger. Can you give us a closeup of the front sight? It is different. Almost looks like pictures I have seen of Swiss target sights. Unless you paid a lot of money this should make you a nice shooter. Or if you want just a regular luger have the barrel changed to 4". Then you could go to 9mm,which is a lot cheaper to shoot. The mags and guns all work with 7.65 and 9mm. The difference is the barrel. The parts I can see look like they match. Is this true? If you want the barrel changed contact Lugerdoc on this forum. He's good and honest. Even if you paid to much ,remember we all did when we started this crazy luger collecting. Bill

[JSF01]

Originally Posted by lugerholsterrepair

I believe your barrel is made from a rifle barrel? The sight band makes me think this and where the barrel is screwed in it is not the normal angle..I would guess it is a homemade affair made from another firearm. Will a .30 Luger cartridge chamber and extract?

I do not know if .30 Luger will chamber or extract. I have not bought any .30 Luger snap caps yet (I hope they them for .30 Luger) to test it, because I refuse to test it with live ammo.

Originally Posted by wlyon

Agree with Jerry. Barrel is definately not original to rest of luger. Can you give us a closeup of the front sight? It is different. Almost looks like pictures I have seen of Swiss target sights. Unless you paid a lot of money this should make you a nice shooter. Or if you want just a regular luger have the barrel changed to 4". Then you could go to 9mm,which is a lot cheaper to shoot. The mags and guns all work with 7.65 and 9mm. The difference is the barrel. The parts I can see look like they match. Is this true? If you want the barrel changed contact Lugerdoc on this forum. He's good and honest. Even if you paid to much ,remember we all did when we started this crazy luger collecting. Bill

Here are some close ups of the front site if it helps





I am really curious about it just because it does not match any other Luger I have seen.

It does appear that all parts are matching. I have not completly disasembled it yet but removing the reciver and looking at those parts also all match. I do plan on using it as a shooter, but I think I'll keep the barrel on it for now. As I don't plan on shooting it all the time paying a little bit more for ammo is fine with me for now.


Any one have any ideas on what the "YKN" would possibly indicate?

[jussi16]

Originally Posted by alanint

David is right. Without photos placed directly here on the site it is difficult to help you.

BTW, although I seriously doubt the "YKN" are someone's initials, Internationally, first names beginning with a "Y" are not that unusual. Many cultures use the "Y" the way we use the "J".

"Yosef" would be our "Joseph".

The "Y" could be also "Yrjö", which is a finnish first name. Used during the WWII and earlier quite a lot.

[alanint]

I believe this is a scratch-built barrel turned down from a barrel blank. The front ferrule/sight base does not really match any rifle I am aware of.

[JSF01]

Originally Posted by alanint

I believe this is a scratch-built barrel turned down from a barrel blank. The front ferrule/sight base does not really match any rifle I am aware of.

Since I seems that is the general consensus, I guess some one went through a quite a bit of effert to do this. I wonder why, and when? The answers to those questions will probably never be known, atleast to any one besides the person who did the swap.

So any one have any any Idea on the "YKN" stamps? If the gun had been used by some german police unit would they have stampd a firearm that way?