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1920/1911 ERFURT POLICE, SN 3970, RIG
Erfurt Lugers were manufactured from 1911 to 1918 by the Prussian Government owned Erfurt Arms Factory for the Imperial German Army. During 1911 Erfurt manufactured 10,000 Lugers in the no suffix serial range. These are reported in the 1 to 9548 serial range and were manufactured without hold open or stock lug.
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19201911ERFURT1.jpg
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Figure 1. 1920/1911 Erfurt, number 3970. All Erfurt’s bear military style serial number placement (exposed) and crown/gothic letter acceptance stamps on all parts (except springs).
A Police sear safety is located on the left side of the receiver. The remains of a magazine safety can be seen above the grip. It was installed under the 1933 orders for the Sear safety. Reportedly the magazine safety was not successful almost all were deactivated.
As with all Weimar/Nazi police reworked Imperial Lugers, the sear bar has been relieved.
This Luger served the German Army during World War I and the German Police during the Weimar and Nazi Eras.
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19201911ERFURT2a.jpg
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Figure 2. Details of sear safety. It is held by a rivet at one end and on the opposite end bears a small pin that blocks the sear and prevents the discharge of a partly dissembled Luger. The sear safety was a police requirement introduced by Prussian State Police orders dated August 30, 1933. It was not a military requirement.
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19201911ERFURT3a.jpg
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Figure 3. The 1920/1911 Erfurt, number 3970. The bottom of the sear safety rivet. The rivet hole is counter sunk on the bottom to accommodate the smashed lower end of the rivet. The rivet is of steel and in the white.
Note: the cut in the top of the side plate to accommodate the sear safety is also in the white (not shown).
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19201911ERFURT4a.jpg
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Figure 4. Top, 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. The 1920 stamp was added sometime between August 1920 and April 1921. It is a Reichswehr property stamp applied to identify the Luger as German Army property to prevent theft. Civilians were paid a bounty for turning in their unauthorized weapons to be destroyed. The Army feared the theft of its unmarked Lugers for the bounty.(Weimar Lugers page 20-23)
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19201911ERFURT5a.jpg
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Figure 5. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Right side.
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19201911ERFURT6a.jpg
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Figure 6. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Right receiver showing acceptance stamps and proof. According to a May 6,1913 directive all P08's in service without a hold open were to have the hold open retrofitted. This was accomplished by Erfurt. A small crown / P indicates a hold open was retrofitting to this Luger. The end of the pin placed to retain the hold open is properly in the white.
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19201911ERFURT7ab.jpg
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Figure 7. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Bottom of barrel and front of frame showing serail number and 8,82 barrel gauge.
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19201911ERFURT8a.jpg
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Figure 8. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. The grips each bear an acceptance stamp and the last two digits of the serial number 70.
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19201911ERFURT9a.jpg
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Figure 9. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Front. The periods indicate that a previous unit stamp was ground off the front strap. Magniflux(sp) tests indicated that this previous unit stamp was a Schutzpolizei stamp.
Erfurt Lugers were manufactured from 1911 to 1918 by the Prussian Government owned Erfurt Arms Factory for the Imperial German Army. During 1911 Erfurt manufactured 10,000 Lugers in the no suffix serial range. These are reported in the 1 to 9548 serial range and were manufactured without hold open or stock lug.
Download Attachment:

35.63 KB
Figure 1. 1920/1911 Erfurt, number 3970. All Erfurt’s bear military style serial number placement (exposed) and crown/gothic letter acceptance stamps on all parts (except springs).
A Police sear safety is located on the left side of the receiver. The remains of a magazine safety can be seen above the grip. It was installed under the 1933 orders for the Sear safety. Reportedly the magazine safety was not successful almost all were deactivated.
As with all Weimar/Nazi police reworked Imperial Lugers, the sear bar has been relieved.
This Luger served the German Army during World War I and the German Police during the Weimar and Nazi Eras.
Download Attachment:

27.18 KB
Figure 2. Details of sear safety. It is held by a rivet at one end and on the opposite end bears a small pin that blocks the sear and prevents the discharge of a partly dissembled Luger. The sear safety was a police requirement introduced by Prussian State Police orders dated August 30, 1933. It was not a military requirement.
Download Attachment:

26.99 KB
Figure 3. The 1920/1911 Erfurt, number 3970. The bottom of the sear safety rivet. The rivet hole is counter sunk on the bottom to accommodate the smashed lower end of the rivet. The rivet is of steel and in the white.
Note: the cut in the top of the side plate to accommodate the sear safety is also in the white (not shown).
Download Attachment:

17.65 KB
Figure 4. Top, 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. The 1920 stamp was added sometime between August 1920 and April 1921. It is a Reichswehr property stamp applied to identify the Luger as German Army property to prevent theft. Civilians were paid a bounty for turning in their unauthorized weapons to be destroyed. The Army feared the theft of its unmarked Lugers for the bounty.(Weimar Lugers page 20-23)
Download Attachment:

48.85KB
Figure 5. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Right side.
Download Attachment:

40.25KB
Figure 6. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Right receiver showing acceptance stamps and proof. According to a May 6,1913 directive all P08's in service without a hold open were to have the hold open retrofitted. This was accomplished by Erfurt. A small crown / P indicates a hold open was retrofitting to this Luger. The end of the pin placed to retain the hold open is properly in the white.
Download Attachment:

36.09 KB
Figure 7. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Bottom of barrel and front of frame showing serail number and 8,82 barrel gauge.
Download Attachment:

76.31 KB
Figure 8. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. The grips each bear an acceptance stamp and the last two digits of the serial number 70.
Download Attachment:

27.44 KB
Figure 9. 1920/1911 Erfurt, serial number 3970. Front. The periods indicate that a previous unit stamp was ground off the front strap. Magniflux(sp) tests indicated that this previous unit stamp was a Schutzpolizei stamp.