Just wondering if all 1917’s had numbered grips...mine aren’t but they look like what I’ve seen from other collectors and they seem to have age ...just wondering if all grips were numbered to their corresponding pistol ...thanks !
Interesting ....are walnut period correct or do you think they were a more recent addition ? They appear to have age which is why I’m a little baffled unless the originals were damaged somehow but overall the pistol seems to have little wear...I think it must be a WW1 bring back as it matches aside from the mag, has no import marks and it’s just the grips that are throwing me ....thoughts !
They are either replacements or you simply overlooked the numbers. WWI numbered grips generally have very small number fonts that are usually found centered on the back.
Tim H.
Both. Early grips were walnut. By mid-1916 you start to see beech and occasional walnut. I see mostly beech on late WWI DWM's and a mix on late war Erfurts. The use of beech grips continued well into the 1920's on DWM commercials.
Tim H.
I’ve heArd as well that not original grips were numbered when produced but I wasn’t sure if that was true or just wishful thinking by those of us without numbered grips ...to
my eye the grips appear to be as old as the pistol but the fact that they don’t have a ser# madee suspicious ....would love to know more ...thanks !
The 3 1917 DWM's I've owned over the years all had numbered walnut grips .
The 2 LP08's did not have matching mags but the 4" had it's + matching mag and it was walnut bottom .
The only 1918 DWM was a 4" and had beech grips and mag bottom all numbered to the gun .
On a different note used to have 3 42 byf's , one with black plastic grips , one with walnut that were not numbered and one with beech not numbered ??
Is there a possibility that the grips are DWM grips from around the time but cannibalized off of a commercial pistol? My 1920 (5-digit) commercial has unnumbered, Beech grips.
Wood grips break, and they get replaced. Anyone could have replaced them over the last 100 years. They could have been replaced in 1919. They could have been replaced recently with old period correct grips. Everything on these Lugers was hand fitted. How well do they fit? If loose they are probably replacements from a different gun. However the grip in the one picture you showed appears to fit quite well.
You have a very nice 1917 Luger, with at least one nice grip panel. If the other one is that nice, I wouldn't worry about it.
I have a LP08 1917 DWM with matching walnut grips. Each grip also has a "W" stamped on the lower inside. The matching mag has a beech wood bottom. The pistol and mag are both script b block marked.
Sturgess & Goetz show 15 July, 1918, as the date that the use of red beech for Luger grips was officially authorized. However, they also point out that the practice had likely been in use for weeks or even months prior to official sanctioning. In addition, they cite examples of red beech grips on earlier Lugers but think they may have been replacements for damaged walnut panels. Toward the end of 1918, white beech was authorized for use.
I haven't been able to find a reference WRT serializing military grips and if the practice extended to the end of the war.
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