DWM 45 Caliber Luger

[Cyrano]

One of these pistos from the 1907 trials is known and it is serial number 2. It has been well illustrated and described, and it has changed hands a few tims at near a million dollars. I've heard rumors of another of these DWM Lugers, serial number 6 in a museum somewhere in Louisiana. Can anyone give me more definite information on this? I'd really like to track it down.

 

[CZU]

Norton Museum in Shreveport

Inside Shreveport's Norton Art Gallery - SB Magazine

 

[jlrhiner]

Very interesting. The picture posted on LugerForums of the .45 in the Norton Gallery and the one posted on the Norton Gallery's own website are not the same gun. Conspiracy???

 

[KEN L]

Because the one posted on their website is not a .45 cal Luger. The .45 Luger is a pretty massive gun compared to the one pictured. Also, it was my understanding, and Rudy knows I "might" be wrong, but I thought there were only (2) guns made up for the trials.

 

[CZU]

There is a letter in response to a LugerForum members question about the .45 in the Norton museum. It is serial number 3 and was sold to Harry Jones in 1960 then sold to Norton that same year. As to where it was before Jones I don't think anyone knows.

 

[jlrhiner]

I was under the impression that there were 3 guns made, 1 was shot to destruction, 2 was the always known example, and 3 was retained by DWM as a control sample in Germany. Gun 3 was rumored to have been a WW2 bring back and was the Harry Jones example.

Bear in mind please that I'm going off memory here.

Having said all that, I noticed also that a Carbine has surfaced with an unknown provenance. I do know there was a company building them in the 80's on a custom basis and they cost more than a new car.

 

[Cyrano]

A 45 Luger Carbine, wow!?!? I know that someone, in the '90s I think, but my mind is a little fuzzy on the subject (and others besides), had access to SN 2 and took measurements. He made something like 100 reproductions, and they cost about $11,000. A friend, a real Luger collector has one, and I've examined it; a great job. I didn't know he made carbines though.

I've head both SN 3 and SN 6 for this pistol. SN 3 sounds more likely. From the pictures it differes from SN 2 in the trigger. SN 2 has an almost straight trigger with a hook at the bottom, while this is semicircular like other Luger triggers; odd. Wonder what other differences there are, and wonder how the Norton museum reacts to requests to examine the pistol. Also wonder if it is marked with Georg Luger's initials?

 

[CZU]

Krausewerk was making repros of the .45 Test and .32 Baby.

The Carbine that was mentioned was in the hands of Ralph Shattuck for a while, IIRC he was trying to sell it for a family up in the Pacific NW. There is a lot of information on the .45's on both the Lugerforum and on Jan Stills site. I would go there to get everything you ever wanted to know about these pistols.