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DWM 1900/06 Swiss E-Prefix

3.9K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Pete E.  
#1 ·
Hello,

At a recent gun show, I have come across a DWM Swiss 1900/06 model with s/n E795. All numbers are matching and also has the Swiss army logistics tag. Apparently this luger was used for testing of ammunition. Apparently it was sold to a buyer in the US.

I was interested in this model as I believe it is a rare trial unit. In the book by Vittorio Bobba "Parabellum - A technical history of Swiss Lugers", on p. 90, he refers to s/n "E771" that is conserved in the collection of the W+F museum in Bern as being a model 1900/06. In Borchardt & Luger Pistols Vol 1 p. 552, approx 20 pces are referred to as being an extra-serie which were used for testing. Based on this info, and the armory tag, these would then confirm it as a trial model of the 1900/06.

Anybody with other information is welcome to chime in!

 
#3 ·
Lots more photos are needed to evaluate this pistol. Especially photos of the E795 stampings...as those have been faked here in the USA.

From the one low-rez photo, posted, it looks like the polished area under the thumb safety shows that the gun has been refinished.

The wooden grips are not appropriate for this pistol. Those are from the Bern-made M1906 W+F Luger made in Switzerland between 1918 and 1933.

A metal-disk insert type of wooden magazine would be appropriate for a military-version pistol. Not a plain wooden magazine as is presently with this offered gun.

What was the seller's asking price ?

What makes the green hang-tag an "armory" or arsenal tag ? Unless stamped/marked with more official ID info.; could it not just be some past owner's old inventory tag from years gone by ?
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the input Pete.

I managed to grab some more pictures while at the show (sorry but quality not great from the phone). It was held in Switzerland in December.

The tag is labeled with KMV which would be Kriegsmaterialverwaltung (KMV), which is the swiss army inventory management department. From what I saw, I don't believe it was refinished. The seller was asking about 17'000 swiss francs, which is roughly the same price in $.

Hope the pictures help a little.
 

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#5 ·
Hi William,

Unfortunately, the resolution of these other photos are not great and enlargement does not yield the details one would like to see, etc.

I still think the gun was refinished :

1. Polished area at the thumb safety looks "fuzzy" and not crisp like the factory milling.

2. The points of the metal dicing on the flat surfaces of the toggle knobs seem to be flattened-out which can occur with metal prep during refinish work.

3. The color of the ejector on the right side appears to be blued in color. This would be strawed-color on original finish guns.


The grips and the magazine are definitely from the later Bern-made M1906 W+F Luger. The raised wooden- ridge running along the bottom of the wooden magazine is a classic Bern-trait you see on their wooded magazines.
 
#6 ·
For me, it looks like a real 1900/06 E-number pistol that saw some use (the highest E-Number I know from) . It has replaced grips and magazine. Perhaps the gun was refinished by the Waffenfabrik Bern (like Pete suppose). The KMV tag has no extra value - it may have been originally used for a military soup pot…:)

And 17'000 is far too expensive in my opinion.

Alexander
 
#7 ·
17,000 is definitely too expensive for that particular pistol. However, I must disagree with Pete as to the finish. The area under the safety looks to me like it is supposed to look. Nice pistol, just not $17,000 nice...Bill
 
#9 ·
Refinished or not - take in consideration that the W+F has assembled and blued some of the pistols originally delievered by the DWM as part sets in white - sometimes it‘s very hard to identify refinishing done by W+F.
 
#10 ·
Hi Alexander,

I am not sure if I bring good news or bad news... :rolleyes: but a SN-E873 has previously appeared here in the USA...part of Ralph Shattuck inventory after his death in 2010.

Photos, below...

Not sure if the "873" may have been "673" in past times.
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