In House Shipping:
Make: DWM
Model: 1900"American Eagle" Luger, Commercial Variant
Serial Number: 10542
Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1900-1902,
NFA Exempt With Stock"Firearms removed from the provisions of the National Firearms Act and classified as curios or relics, still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, the Gun Control Act of 1968...Luger, DWM Pistol, Model 1900, 1902, or 1906, cal.’s 7.65 Luger or 9mm Parabellum, having the American Eagle chamber crest, and barrel lengths of either 4" or 4-3/4", with original detachable Ideal shoulder stocks and Ideal frame grips."
Caliber: .30 Luger (7.65×21mm Parabellum)
Action Type: Toggle Type Striker-Fired Semi-Auto, Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 4 3/4”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to a base at the muzzle. The rear sight is a "V"-notch integral to the rear toggle link.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece smooth walnut with metal backing plates cut for the Ideal Stock/Holster mounting bracket. The wood panels have some scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The metal backing plates show wear and light oxidation. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blued & Strawed Small Parts
Finish Originality: Original. Serial marked parts are matching, there is no serial marking on the bolt-stop, takedown lever, firing pin, or toggle pin.
Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is scattered light erosion and some pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 70% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The balance is mostly handling wear in the grip areas and holster wear on the right frame-rail. There is some other scattered wear, mostly on raised features. There are grind marks on the bottom of the takedown lever where a serial marking was likely removed. There is scattered minor surface oxidation and minor erosion. There are some light nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The remaining markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one wood floorplate magazine which has a non-matching serial marking and an Ideal Stock/Holster.
Our Assessment: The iconic Luger pistol had its roots in the C93 Borchardt, the first commercially viable self-loading pistol. Hugo Borchardt refused to make changes to the design, leading its manufacturer and the owner of the patents, DWM, to task employee Georg Luger with making the necessary improvements. Luger kept the short recoil toggle action, but replaced the Borchardt's bizarre mainspring and the large housing it necessitated with a leaf spring in the now angled grip. Soon after the Luger was developed, a small batch of 1,000 was made for testing by the US Army as the Model 1900 “American Eagle”, chambered in .30 Luger with a 4 3/4” barrel. Another 5,000-7,000 “American Eagles” were made for commercial sale in the US.
This Model 1900 “American Eagle” Luger Pistol was made between 1900-1902 and is in Very Good Condition. It’s one of those commercial pistols, chambered in .30 Luger, and features a 4 3/4” barrel, 70% of its original blued finish, a gray bore with well defined rifling (there’s scattered light erosion and some pitting), and all of the correct markings for a Model 1900 “American Eagle”. All of the serial numbers on the pistol match, though the takedown lever's serial marking has been removed and the included magazine is non-matching. The Model 1900 “American Eagle” has some distinctive features which will jump out to those familiar with the more prevalent P.08 Luger. The flat-top bolt, grip safety, and scalloped, clip-secured cocking knobs are the most obvious. With the grips removed, you can also see that the recoil spring is a leaf spring rather than the later coil spring. This gives the pistol a distinctive appearance even among other Lugers. This example also comes with a particularly scarce Ideal Stock/Holster. Developed around 1901 by Ross Phillips in Los Angeles, the Ideal Holster is a fascinating design that pre-dates the addition of a stock lug to the Luger. The two-piece smooth walnut grips have metal backing plates cut for the stock mounting hooks. When the stock is extended, the bottom hooks rotate down slightly to lock into the grip cuts. The belt mount is similar to modern paddle-type holsters, but can be quickly removed and placed on either side of the holster. Phillips applied for a patent in 1901, granted in 1904, but observed examples are all marked "PATENTS / PENDING", indicating that production ceased prior to the patent being issued. The Ideal Holster is rare, and luckily has been determined NFA exempt when used with original Ideal grips, so it is still legal to use this as a stock! Any Model 1900 “American Eagle” Luger remains scarce today, and this one, with its Ideal Stock/Holster, is an incredibly rare and desirable piece that will add to even advanced Luger collections.