Welcome to the forum. It appears that you have a nice Luger.
On the front of the frame, under the barrel, is the serial number and a suffix letter under the number; the letter is part of the serial number. There may also appear the word "GERMANY", indicating the country of origin.
What you have is a Commercial Alphabet Luger made in the mid-1920's. No chamber date, an upright Crown/N on the left side of the receiver and the last two digits of the serial number is stamped on the rear toggle and also under the side plate and locking bolt. Caliber is likely 7.65mm also known as .30 Luger. The maker is DWM.
The Crown/N on the barrel is a proof mark and the "N" is not part of the serial number.
Alphabet Lugers are the most commonly encountered model of all Lugers. The majority are .30 caliber. They are nicely made and good shooters.
It would be nice if you could post sharp, clear pictures of the front of the frame, under the locking bolt and under the side plate.
The frame does indeed show the serial number to begin with the letter N. Highly unusual and I suspect that the frame is not original to the upper but has been re-numbered to match.
The old serial number on the frame has been removed(see the file marks), and a new number with the N prefix re-stamped.
Not factory work; I have no idea who would have given it such a number.
No matter, you have what could be a good shooter luger.
You'll find our Luger reference FAQ document useful. Just search on "FAQ PDF" and look to the bottom of the search hits.
It is a Federal ATF issue when a firearm's legal serial number has been removed or changed. It may also be an issue with state law in your state. The presence of filing marks and the appearance of the font makes it clear that the serial number on your Luger's frame (the legal one) has been changed.
Depending on how you came into possession of this handgun, you may encounter legal issues. I can't give you advice on this, but you should be aware of it. In any case, if this was transferred through a dealer, make sure you keep the paperwork showing the serial number on the pistol at the time you acquired it. The reason for renumbering a frame is often innocent (gunsmith replacement of a frame, for example) but you're on the hook if you don't have the paperwork that proves you're not the one that made the change.
Thank you for the additional info. This was inherited and has been in the family and was brought over, if the stories are correct from Germany. I will did a little deeper and see what I can find out. No papers on the gun just stories of it's history.
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Jan C. Still Lugerforums
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