[Guest]

Admittedly, I know very little about Lugers, but this one to me seems unusual. Most of the markings I've not seen before. The gun is a Finnish M23 with the 9mm Tikka replacement barrel. most of the receiver grup matches itself, and most of the barrel extension and toggle group matches each other, but both halves of the pistol are toatlly mis-matched to each other, which I guess is common on these Finns. I know this Luger came straight from Finland to me through a Canadian Dealer and it was still in heavy Finnish storage oil when I got it last week.

So please, someone help me decypher this one's past!

Download Attachment: luger left.JPG
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Download Attachment: luger right.JPG
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Here you can see that the receiver ring doesn't seem to be out of round - yet there is no barrel extension date stamp...?
Download Attachment: bblslide.JPG
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And this is odd... notice that there seems to be an old detent in the middle of the Gesichert marking - ???
Download Attachment: gesichert.JPG
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The mis-matched wood mag it came with - it's stamped with a "+", so I assume it was once a spare mag.
Download Attachment: magbott.JPG
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Here are some faint proof marks that are partially buffed off, but they don't look like Imperial Army to me, next pic I blew them up and increased the contrast.
Download Attachment: proofs.JPG
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Download Attachment: proofs2.JPG
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Here are the bbl extension markings - anyone seen this before?
Download Attachment: slidemark2.JPG
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Another pic:
Download Attachment: slidemark.JPG
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The toggle appears to be a DWM commercial because the serials are all hidden instead of out in the open.
Download Attachment: toggle.JPG
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Lastly, another shot of the top of the bbl extension:
Download Attachment: top.JPG
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If anyone would like additional pics, let me know.

Also, I forgot to take a pic of it, but the frame serial number is "1870 L" with the L in small-case cursive.

 

[pipeman45]

Looks like it may have started life as an Arty.

 

[Olefogey]

Ron,
David is probably right. Either the barrel extension is from a post 1914 Erfurt or it started life as an Artillery.


Dave

 

[Guest]

I know the notch in the receiver is an Arty feature, but does the Artillery theory explain the weird safety detent on the frame? And what about the odd markings over the take-down lever on the bbl extension? I looked up the proofs on the right side of the extension, and I now think they are 1914-1918 Imperial Military proofs that have been buffed off - maybe a post-war parts recycling for the Finn contract Lugers? Any ideas?

 

[Dwight Gruber]

What I can tell you:

Old-style--1900--Lugers had round, concentric receiver tops. If you look closely, all Lugers from 1906 have a non-concentric, slightly oval profiles.

The remains of the rightmost stamp on the right receiver is an Erfurt proof eagle. All Erfurt receivers after 1914 were notched for an Artillery receiver sight, so the notch on your Luger is not diagnostic.

There is a possibility that the dot stamped in the middle of the Gesichert stamp is a hardness test.

This is a fascinating Luger, and I will be very interested to see what some knowledgable correspondent has to say about the left-receiver marks.

--Dwight

 

[Guest]

DWM proof:
Download Attachment: DWM eagle.jpg
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Erfurt Proof:
Download Attachment: erfurt proof.jpg
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Mine doesn't look particularly like either - so how can you tell which it is? Not trying to be snooty - I just really want to know (and learn).

 

[Edward Tinker]

In what way doesn't yours look like these? If partially buffed off, plus dies changed in how they looked as they got worn and possibly chipped/broken, then yours would / could look different?

Also, it could be different letters than those shown.

Have you looked through previous posts of imperial guns and checked out the right side of them?

Ed

 

[Alsky]

The model is M/08 with correct Finnish replacement grips.

 

[Olefogey]

Ron,
If you go to: Third Reich Lugers 1933-1945 Mauser etc. etc...on this board, you will see a posting by LugerLou. His Mauser has the same mark, only punched in the G of gesichert!!

Dave