I am no expert, but I am assuming that you are utilizing the reported serial number range which was printed in Imperial Lugers, by Jan Still. The data which was collected for that publication is over 30 years old, and from pre-internet days.

Perhaps earlier LP08 numbers have been reported since. The fact that it has no suffix is a good sign.

 

Thanks Martin, I appreciate the input, this gun is in very nice ( its honestly 97%+) its been in a collection since the 1950s, I can pick it up for around 35 for the gun and a non matching but equally nice holster and stock rig which I think is a fair deal but, I don't want to have that much in a fake . I honestly wasn't sure where the serial range had originated from, if it's just been reported numbers I feel a little better about it.

 

Serial numbers in 1915 would have restarted at "1", so no problem with the number- if all else is good.

 

Thank you 03man

 

I am not aware of any military Lugers with a 00X serial number. The only guns I can think of off-hand with a leading zero serial number are the first Swiss military Lugers that started with 01.
Ron

 

Ron do you feel like theres a good chance it's fake in your opinion? I wish I could post pics but it will be Monday before I can, I'm pretty familiar with artillery and weimar era lugers and everything looks good except the serial being such a low number if it wasn't, I wouldn't have gave it a second thought

 

On page 99 of Still's Imperial Lugers, there is a 1914 DWM LP08 with serial 533, no letter suffix. It does not have a placeholder 0 on the left front receiver.

There are no picture of the front frame or barrel serials. But the caption identifies it as 533, and not 0533.

 

Thanks again Martin, from the research I've been doing it looks like the only way it's legit is if it's a prototype or toolroom gun. I will go over it with a fine tooth comb Monday and see if I can find any other problems. If not I may roll the dice, under normal scrutiny ( full disassembly) it looked legit . I've handled and owned several and if not for the odd serial number, I'm positive it would pass as legit gun.

 

There is no reason for DWM to have had a "prototype or toolroom pistol" dated 1915; more likely it is missing an initial digit. JMHO.
Without a picture, all this is pure speculation though.

 

Hi Don,
I think the OP's pistol does have four digits, he states that it is marked oo1x no suffix. Paranoia rears it's ugly head again!
Norm