Engraved WWI German DWM P.08 P08 P-08 9mm Luger Semi-Auto Pistol, 1917 C&R
SOLD FOR: $3025.99
LSB#: 211003BB70
Make: DWM, we do not know who engraved the pistol.
Model: P.08 Luger
Serial Number: 6454j
Year of Manufacture: 1917
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Action Type: Toggle Action Striker-Fired Semi-Auto, Removable Magazine.
Markings: The left side of the trigger, sear, bar safety, takedown lever, the top of the front toggle link, left of the breech-block, and the left of the striker are each marked “54”. The bolt-stop is marked “22”. The sideplate and rear toggle do not have serial markings, likely due to the engraving. The rear toggle is marked with a script “DWM”. The front of the frame under the barrel is marked “6454 / j”. The bottom of the barrel is marked with a crowned “N” commercial proof over “8,8 m/m”. The top of the barrel extension at the chamber is marked “???7” and has been stamped with a totenkopf (death’s head) with what appears to be a snake above the skull, the left is marked “6454”. The right side of the barrel extension is marked with crowned script characters and a crowned “N”. The left of the bolt has an Imperial eagle, the right of the bolt and front toggle each have a crowned “N”. The left side of the frame at the safety is marked “GESICHERT”. The left of the extractor is marked “GELADEN”. The pistol has extensive foliate relief engraving with punch-dot fills of the negative space.
Barrel Length: 4”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated blade dovetailed to a serrated base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch in the top of the rear toggle link.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut. The grips have light-moderate handling wear, more notable on the left panel, with some scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The right panel has odd wear in the cut-out for the magazine catch. There is a chip-loss at the top-rear of the left panel under the safety lever. The checkering is worn smooth at the bottom of the left panel, but is generally well defined. There are no cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good-plus condition.
Type of Finish: Blued, Small Parts Strawed
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright. The rifling is sharp. There is some light erosion in the bore, mostly in the grooves.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 45% of its metal finish. The engraving appears to have been cut through the current finish, so most of the balance is in the areas where the engraving has been cut. There is a loss on the left of the extractor, best seen when viewing the bolt from the top. The grip areas show handling wear and there is some other scattered minor wear which blends well with the engraving. There are some scattered minor nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is infrequent minor oxidation and surface erosion, most notable in the frontstrap. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with serviceable slots. The remaining markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. Overall, this pistol is in Good-Very Good condition as refinished and would easily rate Very Good but for the loss on the extractor.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly, but there is a small loss on the left of the extractor. The barrel extension has barely perceptible play to the frame. We did not fire 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 black leather flap-holster and a total of two 8-round magazines. The tin-plated magazine has a wooden floorplate marked “2520” and “+”. This magazine is sticky in the magazine well, causing some difficulty to remove. The magazine shows operational wear and verdigris, the spring is kinked inside the body and feels a little weak when the follower is near the top of the magazine, its feed lips are intact. The other magazine is blued with a black plastic floorplate, the magazine is marked “fxo”, eagle over “37” and “P.08” on the left. The left knob of the floorplate is mostly broken off. Otherwise, the magazine shows minor operational wear with intact feed lips and a strong spring. The holster is marked “JW?” and “P.38” on the back, showing moderate wear with some fraying and surface cracking, though the stitching is intact.
Our Assessment: The Luger (Pistole Parabellum or P-08) is perhaps the most aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing of all autoloading centerfire pistols. Georg Luger developed his famous pistol in 1898-1899 (starting with the Borchardt/Luger transitional pistol). The Luger is, essentially, 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 Maxim shot its way to bloody fame in World War One, which also became the combat proving ground for the Luger Pistol. 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. This DWM Luger was made in 1917, toward the end of Germany’s wartime production and has been commercially proofed after WWI. It has since had extensive engraving cut in it, deep foliate relief engraving which must have taken some time. The pistol is in Good-Very Good condition with a fairly nice bore and strong mechanics apart from a small loss on its extractor. This is an interesting pistol that will make a nice addition to a WWI or German military arms collection as well as a collection of custom-engraved guns. Please see our photos and good luck!