WWI German DWM Long P.08 Artillery Luger 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol 1917/1920 C&R
SOLD FOR: $3501
LSB#: 230411JM003
Make: DWM
Model: 1914 Two-Date Artillery Luger
Serial Number: 5295b
Year of Manufacture: 1917
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Markings: The rear sight base at the top-left-front, the rear face of the rear sight notch, the right side of the slider, the top-rear of the rear sight arm, the left side of the locking bolt, sear bar, sear bar safety, the top of the bolt stop, the left of the breech-bolt, the top of the front toggle and the back of the rear toggle, the top of the extractor, the left side of the trigger, and the left sideplate are marked “95”. The top of the ejector is also marked “95”. The top of the front toggle is also marked with “DWM” in script. The chamber is marked “1920 / 1917” (The 1920 is a Reichswehr Property Stamp) at the top and “5295” on the left side. The underside of the round part of the barrel is marked “5295 / b / 8,82” and the front face of the frame just behind it is marked “5295 / b”. The right side of the chamber is marked with crown script letter and Imperial eagle inspection marks. There is another Eagle on the left side of the breechblock and the right of the barrel. The front strap is marked with the unit mark “.142.R.10.9.” (142 Infantry Regiment, Company 10, Pistol No. 9) The left side of the frame under the safety is marked “Gesichert”. The inside surfaces of both grips are marked “95” and “W”.
Barrel Length: 8”
Sights / Optics: This pistol is mounted with a “Fine Tuning” front sight that has a blade dovetailed into a serrated and ramped base, with a fine-tuning adjustment for windage on the right side of the sight blade. The “Fine Tuning” tangent artillery rear sight is flat topped with a “V” notch and the elevator has graduated markings from 1-8. The rear sight has a fine adjustment for elevation.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut, and are tight on the frame. The checkering shows light to moderate wear with a few tiny mars. There are no chips or cracks. The grips rate in about Fine overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Strawed
Finish Originality: The finish is original.
Bore Condition: The bore is bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion, mostly at the muzzle-end. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 8 out of 10.
Many military and C&R-eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 93% of its finish. There is finish loss on the edges of the front barrel band, the edges of the sideplate and the front edges of the frame. There is thinning on the top rear of the receiver and on the remaining edges of the frame and receiver. There are a several light handling marks scattered over the surfaces, with a small ding in the underside rear of the barrel and tiny marks in the sides of the receiver behind the toggle knobs. There is a light drag line in the left rear of the frame from the safety. The serrations and knurling on the toggle knobs show light wear, and the knurling on the magazine release and locking bolt is sharp. The right grip screw shows light erosion and marks from a screwdriver. The markings are clear. Overall, this gun rates in about Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The barrel and receiver are tight to the frame. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a total of one 8-round magazine, a dark reddish-brown leather top flap holster, Luger tool, and a cleaning rod.
Our Assessment: This Artillery version of the Luger pistol is also known as the “Long Barrel P.08”. It was the first Luger to use the 32-shot snail magazine. Many of the Artillery Models were equipped with “Fine Tuning” front and rear sights, which were auto-calibrating for windage drift due to bullet spin, making them second to none in long range accuracy. When the Treaty of Versailles was being enforced, it restricted the German military to just 100,000 men, and strictly limited the number and types of arms they were allowed to have. At the same time, strict civilian gun control was enforced in an attempt to remove the leftover military arms from the war from Germany. In total, nearly 5 million firearms were collected and destroyed between roughly 1919 and 1921. The 1920 stamp on guns indicated formal (and legal) German military ownership of a particular weapon.
This pistol is a Model 1914 DWM Artillery Luger made in 1917, with both a Reichswehr Property Stamp on the chamber and an Army Unit Number marked on the front strap. It has matching serial numbers on the pistol itself and its grips, but the magazine is from a different pistol. The proof and acceptance markings are correct. This pistol has the fine-tuning front and rear sights, which makes it all the rarer, as not all artillery models were so equipped. This pistol is in about Fine condition with 93% of its original finish remaining. The bore is partially bright, tending to gray in the front half, with sharp rifling and very light erosion sprinkled about. The artillery models are always collectable, but with the Property Stamp, matching numbers, original finish and fine-tuning front and rear sights, this pistol is destined for a high-end collection. It even comes with a period holster, cleaning rod and tool to complete the collection for the discerning collector.
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
