Reference / Paper · 2019
A collectors' compilation of answers on Luger makers, markings, variants, production and books, last updated 1 August 2019 and distributed free by the Luger Forum. The Luger P08 dive uses it as an attributed secondary for makers, dates and markings.
Luger FAQs Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Created with contributions from forum members worldwide; distributed without charge. ©2008-2019 lugerforum.com and Jan Still Forum, All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents What are the best books for a new collector?.............................................................................................................................................................................4 What companies manufactured Lugers?.....................................................................................................................................................................................6 Where was the manufacturer’s brand placed on Lugers?...........................................................................................................................................................7 How many Lugers were produced through the end of WW-II?..................................................................................................................................................8 What is the background on the tooling and gauges that were created for manufacturing Lugers at the various manufacturing companies?...........................8 When did the Swiss begin manufacturing?.................................................................................................................................................................................9 Did the French make Lugers?.....................................................................................................................................................................................................9 How many original .45 ACP caliber Lugers are there?.............................................................................................................................................................10 How many 1900 American Eagle, 1902 American Eagle, & 1906 American Eagle Lugers were made..................................................................................10 What are British Import Markings?...........................................................................................................................................................................................11 What Does a modern United Kingdom deactivation stamp look like?.....................................................................................................................................12 Share some examples of US Importer Markings......................................................................................................................................................................12 What are machine markings?....................................................................................................................................................................................................13 What is Artillery Notching?......................................................................................................................................................................................................14 How can you tell if cold bluing is on a gun?.............................................................................................................................................................................14 What are bring-back (or “Capture”) papers?............................................................................................................................................................................14 What does the Crown over RC stamp mean?............................................................................................................................................................................15 What does “42” stamped above the receiver mean? What does “42” stamped on the middle toggle mean?...........................................................................15 What does 2/1001 mean when stamped on magazines and parts?............................................................................................................................................15 What are the proper Grips on a BYF 41 Mauser Luger?..........................................................................................................................................................16 What are the proper Grips on a BYF 42?..................................................................................................................................................................................17 What is the specification for grip screws used on a Luger?......................................................................................................................................................18 What does Parabellum mean?...................................................................................................................................................................................................18 Ways to remove the highlighting color from markings and numbers?.....................................................................................................................................18 What is a Simichrome test?.......................................................................................................................................................................................................18 What are some of the signs of a refinished Luger?...................................................................................................................................................................19 How does a poorly refinished Luger look?...............................................................................................................................................................................20 Write up of things to look for when deciding if you want that gun..........................................................................................................................................21 What are “halos”? How does it compare to bluing loss and what causes it?............................................................................................................................23 What parts must be numbered on a Luger?...............................................................................................................................................................................23 Some differences in telling fake or real Black Widow grips:...................................................................................................................................................24 When did Black Bakelite grips first start being used?..............................................................................................................................................................25 What is a witness mark?............................................................................................................................................................................................................25 Describe DWM and Mauser Trigger Side plate Numbering & Information including Further detail on 1937 Mauser Side plates:.......................................26 What is a “Banner” Luger?.......................................................................................................................................................................................................27 Luger FAQs Last Updated: August 1, 2019 How can you tell the Difference in real or fake loading tools?.................................................................................................................................................28 Were there Krieghoff marked Luger loading tools?..................................................................................................................................................................28 What is a Mauser Hump?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................29 Has anyone ever seen a G-date with a "hump"?.......................................................................................................................................................................29 Is the sear safety on a Luger the same thing as the safety on the upper left hand side of the frame that is activated by the lever?.........................................30 What is a Magazine Safety?......................................................................................................................................................................................................31 When were magazines transitioned from code 655 to 122?.....................................................................................................................................................32 What are American Test Lugers................................................................................................................................................................................................32 What are the variations of a 1937 Mauser?...............................................................................................................................................................................33 The “n” and “p” suffix letters look very similar on “41” dated “42” toggle marked Lugers. Which is which?.......................................................................33 I don't understand what you mean by different sizes of acceptance or proof marks?...............................................................................................................34 What is the Take-down Lever (or Locking Lever) spring?.......................................................................................................................................................34 What is the Million-Dollar Chip?.............................................................................................................................................................................................35 What is a “VoPo”, “Russian Capture” or “RC” Luger?............................................................................................................................................................35 What is an unrelieved sear and a relieved sear bar?..................................................................................................................................................................36 Are two numbers you see on a DWM or Erfurt receiver chamber (known as “Double-Date Lugers”) both dates?................................................................37 What is “1923 Commercial” and “DWM Alphabet Commercial” Lugers?..............................................................................................................................37 What parts tend to break on a Luger? (Broken Parts Survey)...................................................................................................................................................37 What is the RC marking seen on Imperial Erfurt and Weimar era Simson Lugers?.................................................................................................................38 What is the “WR” or “RW” symbol found on later Mauser made Lugers?..............................................................................................................................39 How can you find the magazines that match your Luger?........................................................................................................................................................39 What are the characteristics of magazines that go with Mauser Luger variations?..................................................................................................................40 Some guns have an action Hold Open and Some do not? Why? And what does it look like?.................................................................................................41 What was the relationship between the Mauser and DWM companies?..................................................................................................................................41 Is it OK to dry-fire a Luger?.....................................................................................................................................................................................................41 How do you de-cock a Luger properly?....................................................................................................................................................................................42 BUG markings – what do they mean?......................................................................................................................................................................................42 What does the 118,35 or 172,28 mean when found on the underside of the barrel?................................................................................................................43 What does the 8,81, 8,82, 8,83, 8,84, 8,85 found stamped on some Luger barrels refer to?....................................................................................................43 What is a “Deaths Head” Luger?..............................................................................................................................................................................................44 Are Russian Lugers real?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................44 When were Firing Pins required to be fluted?..........................................................................................................................................................................44 What Luger Parts Should Be Strawed?.....................................................................................................................................................................................44 What do DWM Imperial German acceptance and proof stamps look like?..............................................................................................................................45 What is special about the “Triple X” accepted Lugers?............................................................................................................................................................47 Do different Lugers make use of different recoil springs?........................................................................................................................................................48 Why is it important to establish the provenance of a Luger?....................................................................................................................................................49 What are all the symbols, numbers and letters found inside Luger receivers and frames and on frames where grips cover the area?....................................49 What is a “Lazy Crown/N” proof?............................................................................................................................................................................................49 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Is it true that Lugers were shipped with “Rust” on them from the factory when they were new?...........................................................................................50 What is Rust Bluing? What is Salt Bluing?..............................................................................................................................................................................50 What technique can be used to remove surface rust (red iron oxide)?.....................................................................................................................................51 How do you clean and lubricate a collector Luger for best preservation?................................................................................................................................51 What's the best way to store a collector Luger? In a case, open air? Any storage pitfalls to avoid?........................................................................................52 What’s the best way to clean a Luger holster?..........................................................................................................................................................................52 Can a Luger be fired disassembled?..........................................................................................................................................................................................53 What is a “Toggle Lock”?.........................................................................................................................................................................................................54 What are Finnish Luger “Square Sights”?................................................................................................................................................................................54 How is the point of aim set on a Luger?...................................................................................................................................................................................54 How should a trigger side plate be re-assembled into the Luger frame?..................................................................................................................................55 What is the range of serial numbers in the military and alphabet commercial style of numbering?........................................................................................55 What is the Bö mark stamped on some 1913-14 Luger barrels and what does the number represent?....................................................................................56 Is my Luger chambered for 9mm Luger or .30 Luger (7.65 Luger) ammunition?...................................................................................................................56 What is a “stepped chamber” also known as the obturation ring?............................................................................................................................................58 Describe an approach to sear plunger pin removal?.................................................................................................................................................................59 Describe an approach to S-link pin removal?...........................................................................................................................................................................60 What are the “relieved” and “unrelieved” frame?.....................................................................................................................................................................60 How were Haenel-Schmeisser magazines manufactured?........................................................................................................................................................61 What are some of the special characteristics observed in Haenel-Schmeisser magazines?......................................................................................................61 How well prepared/fitted were the German divisional armorers and gunsmiths during WWII?.............................................................................................61 How can you electrically remove heavy rust from a firearm?..................................................................................................................................................63 German – English Glossary......................................................................................................................................................................................................65 Luger Parts Diagrams and Nomenclature – M1900 “Old Model”Guns Digest Exploded Firearms Drawings has such illustrations, names included, on single pages, for the two main Parabellum models...................................................................................................................................................................67 Luger Parts Diagrams and Nomenclature – M1908 “New Model”..........................................................................................................................................68 Luger Parts Diagrams and Nomenclature – ERMA .22 Conversion........................................................................................................................................69 Photographic Mauser Magazine Study.....................................................................................................................................................................................70 Page 3 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question What are the best books for a new collector? Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail In some ways, think of the specialized Luger collecting books as “Luger University”. This can be “attended” in a series of ways, first focused on an overview of Lugers and then later on specific eras and variations that interest you. Books specializing on specific eras, manufacturers, variations or models: Jan C. Still (a sponsor of online Luger oriented discussion forums) is the author of series of Luger collecting books that are focused on the major eras during which Lugers were made. They include: There have been several series of books on Lugers by a number of authors over many years. • “Third Reich Lugers” published in 1988 • “Axis Pistols” published in 1989 • “Weimar Lugers” published in 1993 • “Imperial Lugers” published in 1994 • “Central Powers Pistols” published in 2007 Overviews of the Luger (NOTE- there are a several thoughts on this, but below is an answer that moderators also agree on) In our opinion, the very best basic reference for a new collector trying to identify models and determine what era(s) of Luger production are of most interest is Charles Kenyon's 1969 publication "Lugers at Random". As with the other older publications, some of the specific information in this book is out dated and incorrect and the photos in black and white are not of the quality found in today's references. However it is large format, usually not expensive and offers a very comprehensive pictorial overview of most of the model variations spanning the entire duration of Luger production. It is a good start. One of the earliest books dates from 1952 (revised in 1956, 1958, and 1962): “The Luger Pistol (Pistole Parabellum) – It's History and Development” by Fred A. Datig. It answered the demand the large number of WW-II captured Lugers created as veteran US soldiers and others became interested in their history. Out of print for years, it's often available for a very low price from used booksellers like AbeBooks online. It's contents are dated, but can be interesting to new collectors. Jan's books catalog variations of pistols within the specific era covered through photographs and descriptions. “Simson Lugers” by Edward B. Tinker and Graham K. Johnson was published in 2007. It is the most complete study of the extremely rare Lugers manufactured between WW-I and WW-II by Simson & Co., Suhl. It includes a historical perspective on Simson's operations and documents Simson variations and markings. “The Mauser Parabellum 1930-1946, Analysis of a Million Luger Pistols ” by Don R. Hallock and Joop van de Kant published in 2010. It is a detailed reference exhaustively covering all variations of Mauser manufactured Lugers made during the period including military (army and navy), commercial, Page 4 Notes The most comprehensive and deeply researched book on Lugers was published recently by Simpson, Ltd., Galesburg, Illinois in 2013. Written by Joachim Goetz and Dr. Geoff Sturgess. Priced at $300, “The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols: A Technical History for Collectors from C93 to P.08,” is an expensive 3 volume 1,992 page book (with included PDF copy and DVD documentary video), but it's also one the most deeply researched books on any subject. As of this FAQ writing it is still in print and available from the publisher. The Simpson, Ltd edition has a red cover and represents a revised and reorganized edition of the book. The earlier edition was called “Pistole Parabellum: History of the Luger System, 3 Volume Set” and was distributed by a different publisher in 2010. It has a green cover. Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail Another book that can help provide an overview of Lugers is “The Luger Story: The Standard History of the World's Most Famous Handgun” published by Walter, John in 1995. As with Datig's book, it is now considered dated and has inaccuracies. export and police models. It's an invaluable reference if you collect these. “The Parabellum is Back! 1945-2000” by Mauro Baudino and Gerben van Vlimmeren was also published in 2010. It includes documentation of the post Also long out of print, “World of Lugers Proof war commercial Lugers made by Mauser Marks: Complete Listing of Different Variations and imported into the United States by of Proof Marks on the Luger” by Sam Interarms. It thoroughly documents the Constanzo was published in 1977 numerous variations and provides a documenting many (but not all) known proof deep reference for collectors. marks that appear on variations of Luger “La Luger Artiglieria” (The Artillery pistols. Luger) was also published by Mauro Baudino in 2003 in Italian with English photograph captions. The Krieghoff Parabellum was published by Randall Gibson in 1980 and has been revised in subsequent printings in 1988 and 2006. It is a comprehensive study of variations and markings of Krieghoff Lugers. It is particularly valuable when evaluating the originality and correctness of a Krieghoff. “Parabellum Luger: A Technical History of Swiss Lugers“ was also published in 2003 by Vitorio Bobba. It is written in Italian and has full English translation. It's the most complete book on the Luger pistols used and made by the Swiss Military arsenal at Bern as well as those sold commercially. Fred A. Datig also published a short monograph on the Swiss Luger called “The Luger Pistol Its History and Development From 1893-1947 Monograph IV: The Swiss Variations 1897-1947“ “Navy Luger: The 9mm Pistole 1904 and the Imperial German Navy” was published in 1988 by Joachim Gortz and John Walter. Page 5 Notes Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question What companies manufactured Lugers? Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer • • Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM, Charlottenburg then Wittenau, Berlin, Germany) 1898-1930 Mauser-Werke A.G. (Oberndorf a. Necker, Wurttemberg, Germany). (using the tooling and gauges from Mauser) 1930 - 1942 ◦ • • • • • • Detail During WW-II the concealment codes “42”, “S/42”, and “byf” were used on Lugers. “byf” and “svw” were subsequently used on P.38 Pistols. Notes Note 1: Note 2: Taken from The Luger Story, by John Walter, in it he states Manufacture of the Luger was so complicated that only four sets of machinery were ever made. Post war Interarms / Mauser activities (which originated from the plans and tooling provided by the Swiss, but which involved re-engineering and creation of a new production line - the fourth)' The oldest was owned by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken; originally installed in the Charlottenburg factory, it was moved to new facilities in the Wittenau district of Berlin in 1916. This complete production line eventually went to the Mauser-Werke factory in Oberndorf in 1930. Another the recent manufacturing effort that has taken place at the modern incarnation of Krieghoff in Germany. Sometime in the early 2000's, Krieghoff manufactured approximately 200 new Lugers priced at €12.000. Imperial German Arsenal at Erfurt (Erfurt, Prussia, Germany) 1911 - 1918 The second production line was installed Note 3: in the Prussian rifle factory in Erfurt in In another manufacturing effort at Aimco 1909-10 Sold to Simson and Company Simson and Co., (Suhl, Thuringa, in 1920, it was acquired by Krieghoff in / Mitchell / Orimar in Houston, Texas, Germany) 1925 – 1934 USA, Lugers were made using Stainless the mid 1930s to guide retooling. Steel and to manufacturing and ◦ About 12,000 Lugers The only other large scale military metallurgy standards that are diverge Manufactured production line was installed in the from those found in German and Swiss VEB Ernst Thalmann (Suhl, East Swiss federal arms factory in Bern in made Lugers. Germany) 1917 after delivery of DWM German made Lugers had been stopped by ◦ Mainly parts, magazines and a World War I. Note 4: small number of complete pistols for the East German VolkesPolizei. After WW-II, several firearms firms were combined by the Communist Heinrich Krieghoff, Suhl, Thuringa, government into VEB Ernst Thalmann in Germany) 1933 – 1945 Suhl, Thuringa, East Germany. This firm Heinrich Krieghoff, (Ulm, Badenmanufactured parts, magazines and Nuremberg Germany) Modern about 100 complete Luger pistols. They incarnation circa 2003 used concealment code 2/1001 on their products. ◦ 200 Lugers Manufactured Waffenfabrik Arsenal, also “W+F Bern” (Bern, Switzerland) 1918 – 1947 ◦ In two models, the M1906 W+F Bern and the M1929 W+F Bern pistols. ◦ Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft S.I.G. Neuhausen am Page 6 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail Notes Rheinfall, Switzerland (Luger Frames and other parts) • Mauser / Interarms, (Oberndorf a. Necker, Wurttemberg, Germany) ◦ • Where was the manufacturer’s brand placed on Lugers? Post WW-II Lugers based upon Swiss plans - 1972 to 1993 Aimco – Mitchell Arms – Stoeger Industries and Orimar Firearms Manufacturing (Houston, Texas, USA) Post war through 2003 Generally, the manufacturer of a Luger placed their brand (like the intertwined DWM or the Mauser “Banner” barrel symbol) on the middle toggle of the Luger’s toggle train. This also was where the military concealment codes were generally placed. There were some special orders fulfilled by DWM that required a government’s heraldic mark was placed on the middle toggle. Specifically, see this 1908 Bulgarian Luger with DWM placed on the area above the chamber. Bulgarian 1908 DWM Luger contract (above). Most other foreign orders placed their national symbol over the chamber. This Finnish Triangle “T” symbol on barrel included the Portuguese “M2” symbol (below): and the Swiss Cross on Starburst and Cross on Shield symbols. Some military organizations placed their mark on the barrel like the Finnish Triangle “T” symbol. Page 7 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question How many Lugers were produced through the end of WW-II? What is the background on the tooling and gauges that were created for manufacturing Lugers at the various manufacturing companies? Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail Production figures for all New Manufactured Lugers (Military as well as commercial; but not including reworks) Additional information on Swiss manufacturing • DWM-made Lugers for the Swiss: • DWM- approx. 818,000 (Jan Still-743,000 military; 74,955 commercial) ◦ M1900 - Military Issue 5,000 Lugers • Erfurt- approx. 519,000 (Jan Still-- no commercial made; just P.08's and LP.08's) ◦ M1900 - "A" suffix - ~ 100 Lugers • Simson- approx. 11,900 (Authors-- all military and police; no commercial made) ◦ M1906 Cross/Sunburst Military Issue - 4,049 Lugers ◦ • Krieghoff- approx. 13,825 (Randall Gibson-- 12,200 Luftwaffe; 1,625 commercial) M1906 Cross/Shield Military Issue - 6,164 Lugers • • Mauser- approx. 943,500 (Jan Still900,000 military; 43,000 Commercial Banner) • Swiss- 47,701 (Datig- from 1918 to 1947; 45,784 military and 1,917 commercial) The Imperial Erfurt Arsenal licensed the DWM blueprints and designs and made the second set of tooling and gauges. These were shipped to Simson & Co. in Suhl ◦ • DWM, (Charlottenberg and Wittenau, Berlin) used the original tooling and gauges until manufacturing responsibility was transferred by the Ludwig Loewe owned conglomerate to their other subsidiary Mauser A.G. (Oberndorf Am Neckar, Wurttemberg) in 1930 (Documented by August Weiss) Mauser-made Lugers for the Swiss: M1906 - Commercial Issue (with v suffix) approximately 100 Lugers Bern made Swiss Lugers: ◦ M1906 W+F ('24 Bern) 17,873 Lugers ◦ M1929 W+F Bern - Military Issue - 27,940 Lugers ◦ M1929 W+F Bern Commercial Issue - 1,917 Lugers Post-war, Mauser (pistols imported to the US and sold by Interarms) acquired the Swiss Bern tooling and gauge designs, then patterned their tooling and gauges with modifications after the Swiss. The Bern tooling was acquired by the post-war Mauser reincarnation in 1970. Notes Additionally the following are sometimes (incorrectly) listed as manufacturers: • Spandau Armory- There are about a dozen guns known; some apparently genuine, but not made from scratch at Spandau, as there was no tooling or inspection gauges there. Purpose of manufacture is unknown at this time and those examples of known guns are dated 1917 or 1918. • Vickers- 6,000 guns assembled from parts made by DWM with the parts shipped to Vickers in England for the Dutch East Indies; in the years 1919 – 1922, (additional guns were made for the Dutch, but were not “Vickers” marked on the toggle). There were also about 35 guns assembled from surplus parts for promotional purposes. Concerning the relationship between DWM and Mauser: Mauser didn't absorb DWM. In fact, Mauser was a 100% subsidiary of DWM. Pistol production was transferred from DWM Berlin to Mauser at Oberndorf in 1930, with the task managed by August Weiss. Tools and jigs proved to be unusable, due to differences in standards between DWM still exists today, although under a Germany and Switzerland. Page 8 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail after WW-I and used to make approximately 12,000 pistols under terms of the Versaille Treaty. This set of tooling and gauges went to Krieghoff in 1934 when the Jewish owned Simpson & Co. Firm was disbanded by the Nazis. Mauser set up their own production lines, based partially on Swiss tooling and partially on original information provided by August Weiss. Krieghoff made their own tooling after using the Simson set as a guide. Most think Krieghoff only used the old Simson tooling as a template to make their tooling and gauges. Post-war Mauser-Interarms Lugers were made with German tooling based upon the Swiss tooling and gauges. Aimco (also Mitchell) in Texas in the USA appears to have reverse engineered their tools and gauges from extant Luger samples. According to Fred Datig in "The Swiss Variation 1897-1947" on page 49, after installing their production line in 1917 the first delivery of wholly Swiss made Lugers to the Swiss army was in Nov 1918 beginning at serial 15216. Did the French make Lugers? April the 20th 1945, the first French soldier occupied the Oberndorf city. The Mauser firm started to produce Parabellum under French control. different name 'IWK'. The Berlin branch of DWM existed until 1971, specializing in railroad equipment, slot machines for the food branch (gumball machines, etc...) and the rather wacky 'Amphicar', a commercially available 'schwimmwagen' concept. Names that may be encountered when researching DWM: -Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken. -Deutsche Waggon und Maschinenfabriken (Berlin Branch, 19521971). -Vereinigte Werkstatten Wittenau (Berlin Branch, 1945-1952). -Berlin-Karlsruher Industriewerke. -Industriewerke Karlsruhe. -Industriewerke Karlsruhe-Augsburg. The Swiss Arsenal at Bern (Waffenbabrik Bern or “W+F Bern”) made their own tooling for both their locally manufactured M1906 W+F Bern and M1929 W+F Bern pattern pistols. When did the Swiss begin manufacturing? Notes Also: According to August Weiss, who was responsible for Mauser gun and pistol production through 1945, in this period the following guns were produced: Page 9 • 47,696 K98 carbines • 6,375 .22 long rifle carbines • 3,500 P38 • 20,000 HSC pistols • 2,560 Parabellum • A small number of LP08 Artillery Lugers were made and given as Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail Notes a gift to important army officers. How many original .45 ACP caliber Lugers are there? Compiled from many comments on the Internet, one writer stated that there are an unknown number of .45ACP caliber Lugers with and without known serial numbers. Another forum participant indicated that he had handled both known .45 ACP Lugers including the gun in the Norton Gallery (which has NO serial number). There is a .45 ACP caliber Luger on display at the Norton Gallery in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was purchased out of Canada in 1960 and was fired 150 times (empty brass retained by the author / contributor). This pistol may not be serial numbered. It's possible that the #3 is on the magazine. How many 1900 American Eagle, 1902 American Eagle, & 1906 American Eagle Lugers were made. .45 ACP Luger serial #2 is privately owned according to the information heard a few years ago, and (with magazine #21) is still in the U.S. In Jan Still's IMPERIAL LUGERS (1991) on page 11, the production of DWM Lugers in the commercial serial number range made before 1918 is estimated: The A.E. estimates are: Model 1900 American Eagle Number Estimat Reported ed Produc tion 335 11,600 1900 American 161 Eagle Test Pistol 1,000 1902 American Eagle 84 860 1902 American Eagle Cartridge Counter 9mm 30 50 1906 American Eagle .30 Luger (7.65mm) 261 13,900 1906 American 191 9,400 Page 10 Lugerforum FAQs ©1998 – 2018 Lugerforum.com and Jan Still Luger Forum FAQ Question Last Updated: August 1, 2019 Answer Detail Model Notes Number Estimat Reported ed Produc tion Luger 9mm What are British Import Markings? British law at the time required each gun The NOT ENGLISH MAKE requirement The proof “15 tons per square inch” is a imported be subject to British proofing laws, was dropped with the Proof Act of 1955. very high proof for this type of pistol. hence the markings. If you examine the piece Civilian weapons, that is, weapons sold carefully, you may also find "Not British Make" British proof laws have been constantly through dealers to the public, and NOT stamped somewhere on the piece, normally on changing in regard to details on exactly military sales, are usually proofed at 9.5 what markings were and were not right side of the receiver. tons. stamped. These changes, when known, The proofs are British commercial proofs. They can also be used to time bracket the Service military weapons, including our indicate that the pistol was sold commercially date of proofing. Browning SLP, were proofed at 13.5 tpsi. at some time in England. It cou