Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have another Luger Pistol. If you are patient you will get the full story in today’s Curious Relics where this specific model is touched on. This is the Swiss Luger Model 1900. This was the very first Luger pistol to be accepted by a military which was a big deal. Most countries were very cautious about getting into autoloading handguns because, well, they did not really work well at the turn of the century. The Swiss took it upon themselves to adopt an autoloading handgun but if they did it needed to be at the forefront of pistol technology which the Luger certainly was at the time. It was deemed the Model 1900 and sported a grip safety and scooped toggle grips.
“Manufactured early in DWM’s first contract run for Switzerland, this Model 1900 Swiss Luger shows a number of early features. Blade front and notch rear sights, with the fast taper profile barrel, “cross in sunburst” on the chamber, and “DWM” marked front toggle link. The barrel is marked with a conjoined “BP” and “172,23” internal diameter markings, with a set of “crown/letter” proofs (B, U, and G) on the barrel, extension and toggle assembly. Early features include a recessed breechblock, long and thin checkered safety lever, thin trigger and grip safety, and a frame interior that hasn’t been relieved for the later style thicker button on the magazine. Originally configured for use with the earliest pattern leaf mainspring, this pistol has been arsenal converted to use the more robust coil mainspring. The timing of this upgrade is uncertain, but likely would have been very early to not have also received the relief cutting on the interior for the later pattern magazines Matching numbers are present on multiple components, including the grips, with the interior cleanly altered to accommodate the block added to the frame for the coil spring conversion. Two magazines are included, both with unnumbered hardwood bases, nickel finished bodies, and checkered flat follower buttons.”
Lot 505: Early Dwm Model 1900 Swiss Contract Luger Semi-Automatic Pistol – Desirable Extremely Early Three Digit Serial Number Dwm Model 1900 Swiss Contract Luger Semi-Automatic Pistol with Rare Unrelieved Frame, Accessories and Publications. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/85/505/early-dwm-model-1900-swiss-contract-luger-semiautomatic-pistol.
