A Luger from the Great War

[CZU]

This DWM Luger is one of approximately 13K made in 1911. It is also part of the 15% or so Lugers that were unit marked between the years 1908-1914. After 1914 this practice was disontinued(there are exceptions though, some armourers continued doing this through the end of the war).

R.I.R.72¹.M.G.61 (Reserve Infantry Regiment 72, 1st Machine Gun Company, weapon # 61) was part of the 7th Reserve Division which fought in most all of the major battles in WW1. It's last one was the Meuse-Argonne in which the AEF over ran this Regiment resulting in German losses of over 3500 including some 2200 prisoners. Undoubtedly, it was a battlefield pick-up and came back to the states as a war trophy.

For collectors, unit marked weapons or anything else with a unit mark for that matter, can sometimes tell a story. This Luger was assigned to a Machine Gun Company and its job was to defend the Machine Gun.

 

[quietman123]

I have a 1911 Luger with unit markings which was issued to a railway ambulance unit.

 

[mauser9]

Nice to see. Fit and finish look great from back then. Another collector great this day and age.

 

[ameridaddy]

Deja vu. That looks like the Luger I found amongst my late grandfather's kit while rummaging in his foot locker when I was about 10 years old. He spent 18 months in France and Germany during WWI, and although he was in an artillery battery, firing almost continuously from February to November 1918, he and his battery mates also spent time guarding German POWs. They apparently collected lots of souvenirs; I saw a pic of one of the artillerymen wearing about a dozen Iron Crosses. Among Granddaddy's stuff were a pickelhaube, a Gott Mit Uns belt buckle, a potato masher grenade, an Iron Cross, a German unit flag, and the aforesaid Luger.
I took it upstairs and showed my grandmother. She was horrified, called the police, and they took the Luger away "for my safety."
Nice find you have there, and thanks for the memory.

 

[Dave Haynes]

My father was an experimental mechanic for Lockheed before the war and when WW2 started, he went down and joined the Marine Corps. Lockheed would have none of that and forced him to keep working for the duration. Not being able to go get himself killed was his big letdown. Both of his brothers were in the USAAF and were in the UK, France and Belgium. They brought home three 98Ks from huge piles of them in Nuremberg and a Luger for my dad. Halfway home aboard the Queen Mary they both decided that my father had too bad a temper to own a pistol and after getting a Luger for Pop they threw it overboard. We got a Kreigsmodell byf 44, which I still have. They kept a VZ 24 which was a beauty, and a dot 44 98K. My father was never a hothead but just a Depression kid like thousands of people.

 

[DWalt]

Around 25-30 years ago, I found a unit-marked .30 Luger in an antique/junk shop about two blocks from my house. They wanted $800 for it, and wouldn't budge on the price, so I left.

 

[Heinz]

CZU, good pictures of a nice honest Luger. Thanks for posting

 

[Walter Rego]

Nice P08 CZU. Regarding the finish worn area above the left grip panel, there are photos in Jan Still's Central Powers Pistols book that show unit markings on that spot. Perhaps the gun had been assigned to some different unit during its period of use and those markings were removed and then new ones stamped on the grip frame ? I have also seen unit markings X'd out and new ones added. It's another one of those guns that we wish could talk.

 

[mauser9]

So many of these items were just war trophies brought back 45. Now treasured collector items worth a pretty penny. Matching 98ks can bring $3000 or more along with Lugers bringing the same. Noticed Arisakas or Type 99s bringing respectable prices with the "mum" intact.

 

[diyj98]

Regarding the finish worn area above the left grip panel, there are photos in Jan Still's Central Powers Pistols book that show unit markings on that spot. Perhaps the gun had been assigned to some different unit during its period of use and those markings were removed and then new ones stamped on the grip frame ?

I thought that finish wear on the left side was a bit strange. Perhaps something was removed.

 

[CZU]

Nice P08 CZU. Regarding the finish worn area above the left grip panel, there are photos in Jan Still's Central Powers Pistols book that show unit markings on that spot. Perhaps the gun had been assigned to some different unit during its period of use and those markings were removed and then new ones stamped on the grip frame ? I have also seen unit markings X'd out and new ones added. It's another one of those guns that we wish could talk.

I thought that finish wear on the left side was a bit strange. Perhaps something was removed.

In the 35 years that I have owned this Luger, what was done to the left panel has always confounded me. I don't think there were any unit markings applied in this location, either stamped or pantographed. To much metal would have to be removed to totally obscure anything that was there. If there were unit marks at this location I think the armourers would have simply X'd them out. I magnified that area and have added it to the thread.

 

[Heinz]

Amatuers putting stupid ornaments, swasticas, eagles, etc, in that area with soft solder did happen in the 50,s and 60s. Someone may have removed something like that. Also brass plates with owner's names sometimes show up. Nice filing job but they could have stoned off the file marks Just part of its history now. I do not think it affects its overall condition and value much

 

[Jack Flash]

Deja vu. That looks like the Luger I found amongst my late grandfather's kit while rummaging in his foot locker when I was about 10 years old. He spent 18 months in France and Germany during WWI, and although he was in an artillery battery, firing almost continuously from February to November 1918, he and his battery mates also spent time guarding German POWs. They apparently collected lots of souvenirs; I saw a pic of one of the artillerymen wearing about a dozen Iron Crosses. Among Granddaddy's stuff were a pickelhaube, a Gott Mit Uns belt buckle, a potato masher grenade, an Iron Cross, a German unit flag, and the aforesaid Luger.
I took it upstairs and showed my grandmother. She was horrified, called the police, and they took the Luger away "for my safety."
Nice find you have there, and thanks for the memory.

Don't tell me they took the Luger and left the grenade!

 

[robertrwalsh]

Grenade ????

 

[fredcoyote]

Another Regiment Marked Machine Gun Luger

Pick this up a few years back off the local trading pages. It was cheap and interesting! It's marked 67th regiment machine gun pistol number 39. I was not the one to do the barrel carnage and always thought to either blue the barrel or find a Luger barrel. All matches minus the barrel in the magazine. Lots of projects so it just ended up getting shot a few times! It's actually more fun to shoot than my pencil barrel tiny site Lugers.

Fight the Good Fight!

Fred

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

There are all kinds of more efficient ways to put a 9mm round down range, but Lugers are so cool. I came close a few times in my acquisition period, but they always were just a little too expensive for the time. Nice example you have. Anything that I want (A WWI or WWII 9mm shooter in good condition) would be too much these days. For now, I will enjoy my Luger books and dream. Thank you for posting.

 

[CZU]

Amatuers putting stupid ornaments, swasticas, eagles, etc, in that area with soft solder did happen in the 50,s and 60s. Someone may have removed something like that. Also brass plates with owner's names sometimes show up. Nice filing job but they could have stoned off the file marks Just part of its history now. I do not think it affects its overall condition and value much

I always leaned toward a brass plate of some kind. Something similar to what the Dutch put on their Lugers.

 

[BC38]

Nice Luger.
I should have taken a picture of the one I saw at the gunshow yesterday.
It was an all numbers matching tanker with the loooong barrel, an original stock, the numbered magazine and a "snail" drum magazine, all in really good condition.
It wasn't for sale, just put on display. I talked to the guy who owned it about market value and he said if it were for sale the magazine came with a loading tool (?) and would probably fetch $5k all by itself because they are so rare. I didn't see the tool he was talking about but I gather they are really rare?
The whole package was probably worth at least 10-12 grand.

 

[desi2358]

Pick this up a few years back off the local trading pages. It was cheap and interesting! It's marked 67th regiment machine gun pistol number 39. I was not the one to do the barrel carnage and always thought to either blue the barrel or find a Luger barrel. All matches minus the barrel in the magazine. Lots of projects so it just ended up getting shot a few times! It's actually more fun to shoot than my pencil barrel tiny site Lugers.

Fight the Good Fight!

Fred

I like that one! I always appreciate a shooter Luger, they are just fascinating and fun to shoot. I have owned a number of collector grade ones in the past but they simply got to be to high priced to actually get out to the range with. Sold off the more collectible ones and just kept a couple shooters. I enjoy being able to get out and actually put them to use!

 

[Golddollar]

I like that one! I always appreciate a shooter Luger, they are just fascinating and fun to shoot. I have owned a number of collector grade ones in the past but they simply got to be to high priced to actually get out to the range with. Sold off the more collectible ones and just kept a couple shooters. I enjoy being able to get out and actually put them to use!

I had a collector grade Luger that unfortunately I sold when I lost my job. When things got better I started looking around for something I could shoot without worry. This chromed piece came up at the auction house in Gettysburg and I figured it was perfect for what I wanted. It came with a Mec-Gar magazine and it seems to shoot pretty well and reliably.