Make: DWM

Model: 1923 Stoeger Luger

Serial Number: 8731

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1923-1930

Caliber: 9mm Luger

Action Type: Striker-Fired Toggle-Action Semi-Automatic Pistol fed by Detachable Magazine

Barrel Length: 6"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated blade dovetailed to a ramped base integral to a boss at the muzzle. The rear sight is a "V"-notch integral to the rear toggle.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered wood. The grips have light handling wear. There are some light nicks, scuffs and small scratches. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue & Strawed

Finish Originality: Post-WWI Lugers display inconsistent marking conventions and were frequently assembled with re-worked or surplus parts. It is difficult to determined if this is the case with this example or if it has been restored or customized after coming to America. Numbered parts match.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with sharp rifling. There is light erosion and stubborn fouling scattered through the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 7/10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is light handling wear in the grip areas and some scattered light finish wear on the barrel. There is infrequent minor surface oxidation. There are some light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: A single unmarked 8-round magazine is included with wood floorplate

Our Assessment: Our Assessment: The Luger is one of the most recognizable service pistols ever made. Georg Luger developed his famous pistol essentially as a much improved Borchardt type pistol, which was itself based on the toggle action concept used by Sir Hiram Maxim in the world’s first practical machine gun. The Luger was so well liked and reliable that it was still being made and issued to German troops well after the P38 was adopted by the army. It was also popular on the commercial market, with many being sold to the United States before WWI, in the inter-war years, and as surplus after WWII.

This appears to be an inter-war commercial Luger made by DWM between the world wars. This period of production saw a number of idiosyncrasies, not made any easier by the restrictions imposed under the Treaty of Versailles. Production of military arms was severely curtailed, with handguns having restrictions on their caliber as well as barrel length. There was some effort to utilize existing parts to avoid the necessity for new production, and many existing arms were refurbished rather than being replaced. For this reason, there was significant inconsistency in the production, assembly and finishing of these inter-war Lugers due to the mix of refurbished, re-marked or new-manufacture parts.

The original commercial serial range was continued until approximately 92000, when an alpha-numeric serial scheme was adopted to avoid the need to go to a six-digit number, but this example has a four-digit serial number with no letter suffix. It is export-marked, so it is not impossible that its lack of commercial proof marks is simply because it was not to be sold in Germany. It is also not impossible that it was customized after export, though the barrel is serial-matching and Stoeger was known for selling 6" Luger pistols in this period and the "SAFE" marking is typical of Stoeger-sold commercial Lugers. In any case, it is an intriguing piece that has a decent bore, strong mechanics, and matching serialized parts. This will make a nice addition to a Luger collection, especially in its uncommon configuration. Please see our photos and good luck!