1917 Luger identification

[Blu808]

Howdy guys. My friend just inherited this Luger. His great grandpa brought it back from ww1. Any help identifying it or a value would be great. It doesn’t have any import stamps I can see, and has this marking on the top. Also shows 1917 on the top of the gun.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

Assuming it is indeed a bring back, at some point it was refinished. The trigger, takedown lever, mag release and safety selector are not in the original "straw" color finish. Refinishing old guns like these often decreases the value more than if left alone with the original finish. Kind of a shame.

 

[Blu808]

Serial number is 531 and then a letter which I can’t make out.

They would number the guns to 9999 without a suffix and then start with a suffix of "a" for the next 10,000, "b" for the next 10,000, etc. I need to figure out which letter that is.

Also found the trigger doesn’t do anything with dummy rounds. And found this bag inside the case with a broken part.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

Serial number is 531 and then a letter which I can’t make out.

They would number the guns to 9999 without a suffix and then start with a suffix of "a" for the next 10,000, "b" for the next 10,000, etc. I need to figure out which letter that is.

Also found the trigger doesn’t do anything with dummy rounds. And found this bag inside the case with a broken part.

That part is the hold open latch: https://www.sarcoinc.com/luger-hold-open-latch-with-spring/
It is a common part that breaks and needs to be replaced.

 

[Blu808]

It still holds open when there’s no round in the mag. Any idea why it didn’t dry fire with snap caps in the chamber?

 

[Tere_Hanges]

It still holds open when there’s no round in the mag. Any idea why it didn’t dry fire with snap caps in the chamber?

not sure what the exact issue is but there could be an issue with the trigger lever and trigger lever pin. https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/exzpke5v/lugersm.jpg?width=1000&height=891

Try disassembling the trigger and reassembling it. Sometimes there is something that isn't installed correctly.

 

[NASAcollector]

No question the Luger was poorly polished and reblued in the 70's 80's, which seriously affects it's collector value. Assuming all of the parts are matching numbers and the condition of the bore & internal parts, it should be a nice shooter.

Unfortunately this gun will never be anything more than a shooter.

 

[Radman64]

I've dealt with many, if you want real answers go here.

The Luger Forum

The Luger Forum,A Luger Forum,P08 Luger, Parabellum

www.lugerforum.com

 

[Tere_Hanges]

By the way, the "marking on top" is DWM which stands for Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken. That is the maker. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luger_pistol