Basic Properties of Lugers in Mauser 'V' Series

[Joop van de Kant]

Update of the report posted
Banner 3294v has been reported to me from Spain. Apart from the regular proof stamps it has a 'X' next to the SN on the receiver. It also has black plastic grips. I added it to the text of section 18 in the survey above.

[donmaus]

Joop,

Regarding your update of section 10 - Do you think that the Lugers with H.P. markings and serial numbers between 6650u and 9999u may have been among the 672 Lugers invoiced by Mauser in 1930? I estimate a total of about 500-600 Lugers were delivered to the Hessische Polizei in this time period.

[Joop van de Kant]

Don,

The new element in the research is that we have proof now that Mauser invoiced 682 Luger pistols between January 01 and September 30 in 1930.

The earlier reported 4000 Lugers that came assembled from Berlin to Oberndorf (the Weiss dairies)are now also more detailed:
On the 1st of October 1930 there are 4.131 assembled pistols which consisted of:
3.099 model 1914 pistols having a 7.65 calibre,
217 model 1906 pistols having a 7.65 caliber and also a grip safety,
815 model 1914 pistols having a 9mm calibre.
In Mauser’s end of 1931 inventory it is stated that the parts that came from DWM allowed them to assemble around 8,000 Luger pistols more. This figure is not specified into calibres or models.

We must realize that the sales of 682 pistols between January and October include the 10 Stoegers - the remaining 672 pistols are not known. I have been studying the sales- and inventory records of 1930 - 1946; results of which are now in the manuscript for the Mauser book I am working on.

As to your question about Mauser sales to the German Police:

First nine months of 1930: 682 pistols produced and proofed in Berlin, including the 400 pistols that were delivered in January to the Dutch Navy, and most probably commercials in the 'v' series (1v-349v). As a few of these have a sear safety (and the H.P.marking) it might be possible that these were also delivered by DWM and invoiced by Mauser.

October 1930 - Septemeber 1931: Sales of 611 Luger pistols, including the 302 + 100 for the Dutch Navy, 19 Swiss and 35 Stoegers. Sales in Germany: only 90 7.65mm pistols (see also next year).

October 1931 - September 1932: Sales of 3,661 pistols.
- 193 Dutch Navy, 2 Swiss, 30 Stoegers and 229 so called 1934 Oberndorf commercials.
- 2,476 7,65mm pistols sold in Germany at 58,70 Reichsmarks (a typical low price for a government contract). I think that these got 9mm barrels, but that could also have been done in the Police TV in Berlin. These had certainly not SN's in the 'v'series; most probably in the 'u' series.
Attention - I suspect, but have no evidence - that these pistols had been proofed in Berlin with C/N. There are no reports about 'u' suffixed Police lugers having 9mm barrels without a C/N proof...
The period of this sale is also rather late for the H.P. contract.

October 1932 - September 1933
Sales of only 731 Luger pistols of which 139 were exported. In Germany 140 7.65mm pistols are sold, the remaining are 1934 Oberndorf 9mm commercials.

Well you see Don; having now reliable statistics does not mean that all answers are easily found. During the three excersises between October 1930 and September 1933 I found sales for 90 + 2476 + 140 = 2706 7.65mm pistols that are not reported in the 'v' series. The good thing: it is the only lot
on which I cannot yet attach a label.

[donmaus]

Joop, my head is swimming with these statistics and I will have to think more about what they mean. What I understand so far is that it is possible that the bulk of the H.P. pistols with "u" suffixes may not have been delivered by Mauser until 1932?

There is no other evidence that I know of that indicates when these were delivered.

[Joop van de Kant]

Update of the report posted
Some minor changes:
2 new SN's found in the misty Latvian range (3001v-3450v,
Persian Cutaways had SN's 1 - 50 within the procurement of 3000 short pistols
Within the frames of the 1936 'Swiss' models (3600v-3900v) a few DWM made frames are found.

[Joop van de Kant]

Update of the report posted
Some minor changes:
2 new SN's found in the misty Latvian range (3001v-3450v,
Persian Cutaways had SN's 1 - 50 within the procurement of 3000 short pistols
Within the frames of the 1936 'Swiss' models (3600v-3900v) a few DWM made frames are found.

[jps-s]

Hi Joop! Regarding Banner 3294v has been reported to me from Spain. Apart from the regular proof stamps it has a 'X' next to the SN on the receiver I would just think this particular Banner is one of the 'X' marked Russian pistols that were exported to different countries. Most of their exported pistols have the 'X.' As I recall 3233v is a known pistol (9mm) that was made by Mauser. Do you have it in the database? Keep on, my friend. You are carrying the old ball very well....JIM

[Joop van de Kant]

Hello Jim,

Thanks for your contribution to the ever lasting research of the Mauser commercial -v- block. Luger pistol Banner 3294v was reported to me by a Spanish collector, who told me that this pistol came from a colonel of the 'Guardia Civil' - and that it was obtained around 1938-1939.
In view of the Russian -X- mark this is not easy to believe; as the Soviets marked the confiscated German Luger pistols with an 'X' after the end of WWII. So it might have arrived in Spain much later; or the -X- marking is in this case not struck in Russia...
Thanks also for giving me serial number 3233v, a 9mm caliber. Do you have also the barrel length, and does it have a Banner?

[jps-s]

Yes, 3233v is a Banner and has a 100mm barrel as I recall...
Yes, the Russian X was placed on the captured, and reworked, P.08s after WWII. The Spanish Civil Guard probably had an arsenal also that reworked pistols, rifles, etc. Perhaps they also used an X to show that weapons had been repaired. I know nothing about the Spanish military or Civil Guard, so I cannot say how they marked repaired guns. JIM