Luger Question

[2152hq]

'm' block in the post ww1 commercial mfg seriers Lugers.
SStarted with the 'i' block. Each block was 10,000 pistols.
The idea was to avoid placing a 6 digit numerical serial number onto the pistol.

Commercial Lugers began in 1900 w/ser# '1'
Commercials did not use the Military style of ser numbering where guns were #'d in blocks of 10,000. Each bloc noted by an alphabet character .

Commercial production continued straight through following the ser#'s till 1923 when # 92000 was reached.
At that time it was decided that instead of very shortly coming up on the situation of stamping a 6 digit numerial ser# on the commercial Lugers, the ser#'g system for them would be changed to that style used on the Military production.
Guns would be noted in blocks of 10,000 guns by an alphabet character along with the ser#.

Since the ser# had reached the 9 2000 point..and 9 corresponding to the ninth letter of the alphabet letter 'i',,,
The new ser#'g system for commercial Lugers was then started anew at Ser# 2000i,,(or 2001i (?)

That 'i' bloc ran to a full 10,000 guns.
Then the 'j' bloc began and ran another 10,000 pistols and so on.

The most recent Collectors term for these pistols is Alphbet Lugers.
They were/are also called 1923 Commercial Lugers as they started the different ser#'g style in 1923.

The pistols are generally w/o any chamber date as a straight Commercial offering. There are a couple Military Contracts within the group (Finland) and these are ID'd with their SA marking. Still in 30cal.

IIRC , and I may be wrong,,the Finn contracts were in the 'j' and ''q' blocks (1925 and 1928(?).

I don't know if collectors have dug out the info to place yr of production on each alpha bloc indentifier or not.
That gets into those deep collectors things and where I got off the bus.!

 

[cruiserdan]

'm' block in the post ww1 commercial mfg seriers Lugers.
SStarted with the 'i' block. Each block was 10,000 pistols.
The idea was to avoid placing a 6 digit numerical serial number onto the pistol.

Commercial Lugers began in 1900 w/ser# '1'
Commercials did not use the Military style of ser numbering where guns were #'d in blocks of 10,000. Each bloc noted by an alphabet character .

Commercial production continued straight through following the ser#'s till 1923 when # 92000 was reached.
At that time it was decided that instead of very shortly coming up on the situation of stamping a 6 digit numerial ser# on the commercial Lugers, the ser#'g system for them would be changed to that style used on the Military production.
Guns would be noted in blocks of 10,000 guns by an alphabet character along with the ser#.

Since the ser# had reached the 9 2000 point..and 9 corresponding to the ninth letter of the alphabet letter 'i',,,
The new ser#'g system for commercial Lugers was then started anew at Ser# 2000i,,(or 2001i (?)

That 'i' bloc ran to a full 10,000 guns.
Then the 'j' bloc began and ran another 10,000 pistols and so on.

The most recent Collectors term for these pistols is Alphbet Lugers.
They were/are also called 1923 Commercial Lugers as they started the different ser#'g style in 1923.

The pistols are generally w/o any chamber date as a straight Commercial offering. There are a couple Military Contracts within the group (Finland) and these are ID'd with their SA marking. Still in 30cal.

IIRC , and I may be wrong,,the Finn contracts were in the 'j' and ''q' blocks (1925 and 1928(?).

I don't know if collectors have dug out the info to place yr of production on each alpha bloc indentifier or not.
That gets into those deep collectors things and where I got off the bus.!

One other interesting thing about boykinlp's specimen is that none of the other visible components are marked with the serial number suffix. Among them the side plate, takedown lever and safety bar. My 1920 DWM police gun has those marks on just about all the removable pieces.

Perhaps an attribute to commercial guns? Lugers are like Smiths. the ins and outs are huge.

 

[2152hq]

Commercial Lugers are marked with the matching ser#'s on the parts in some different locations from what is the norm on Military production Lugers. A bit more discrete if nothing else.

The Frame # on Commercial Lugers is still on the front nose of the frame as with the Military guns.

The Commercial SidePlate & TD Lever for example is ser#'d on the bottom edge by the trigger, not on the side face like the Military pistols.
Turn the gun upside-down when assembled to see those #'s

Some call it Commercial style serial numbering on a Luger.
I don't know if that's an accepted collectors term or not,,but it does make note of a differences betw the two .

The matching parts in either style of ser#'g usually are the last 2 numerical digits alone of the full ser# and w/o the alpha character. An exception will often be the bbl ser# on the bottom of the bbl at the breech.

As with Colts, Winchesters and S&W,,there are always the exceptions. So never say never cause someone will always seem to come up with one to prove a hard and fast rule not so hard and fast...then someone has to write a new book