Auction description:SN 21561. 4¾-inch 7.65 mm Cal bbl with full serial number on bottom. Cartouche above chamber with “MANUFACTURE FRANÇAISE / ARMES ET CYCLES / SAINT ETIENNE” within concentric circles. DWM scroll on center toggle link. Dished toggles with toggle latch. “BUG” proofs on left receiver. All numbered parts on gun are matching. Checkered walnut grips. PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess.
The absence of a Germany export stamp suggest this (M1900 sn 21561) gun never left Europe, being purchased as a plain chamber BUG proofed commercial in approximately the 1903 – 1904 time-frame. Based on the serial number, this gun went to France by Manufrance (Manufacture Française d'Armes & Cycles et St Etienne) who, based on the low quality roll-die engraving used, more than likely, applied this one-of-a-kind chamber crest for the domestic French market before the French import company decided on the less expensive method of a single-line company name barrel stamping. Interestingly, only seen on later production, rather high serial numbers of New Model BUG proofed and lazy C/N nitro proofed commercial Lugers with one Old Model exception. It is interesting to note the different spelling or order of words in the barrel stampings vs. the subject chamber crest and the company logo.
Before delving into the Manufacture Francaise d’Armes & Cycles de Saint-Etienne barrel marked Lugers, it has been determined that there are two variations of the stampings on Luger barrels, 4-inch and 4¾-inch lengths. The Variation 1 designation is somewhat crudely applied with the letters or characters varying in letter size and depth from example to example, with the “y” in “Cycles” being consistently, partially stamped with the lower portion missing or lightly stamped. Also, the dash in Saint-Etienne is more of a dot. If this typically encountered Variation 1 stamping is the result of a poorly made engraving is indeterminate.
The Variations
As stated above there are two variations of the Manufacture Franciase d’Armes & Cycles de Saint-Etienne Luger barrel marking, Variation 1 and Variation 2, both seem
credible. There is no basis or evidence to say one is fake and the other is real. There is also no basis or evidence to say that both are roll-die applications, done by either Manufrance or DWM or that either or both roll-die applications are correct, under-the-blue or through-the-blue. Pictured are both variations for comparison with individual views of variation 1 stamped under the blue and variation 2 stamped through the blue.
Manufrance accessories and especially French Luger associated accessories are scarce and difficult to come by. Pictured are a couple of accessories:
The Variation 2 single-line barrel applied variation is the most frequently encountered and is consistently, professionally applied on most observed Luger examples, purportedly by Manufrance after receipt, as evident, being stamped over or through the rust blue barrel finish, resulting in some cases with some metal displacement and frosting appearance. All characters and words in the phrase are perfectly aligned and evenly stamped with the Variation 2 longer inscription length of 46mm.
Apparently, Manufrance as a retailer and manufacture of guns was quite capable of making roll-die engravings and applying them to weapons of their manufacture
before and during 1900 – 1913 pre-WW1 Luger production. This includes holsters with the circular logo and pistols, revolvers and rifles with one and two-lineManufacture Franciase d’Armes & Cycles de Saint Etienne engravings on flat, curved and circular surfaces i.e., chamber surfaces (crests).
This mostly single-line Luger barrel inscription has been identified on other Manufrance
items including some revolvers, knives and
rifles. The above comments are supported in a descriptive and pictoral inventory or compilation of French Arms Manufacture of Saint Étienne.
As a matter of note the Luger barrel is the easiest part to apply an under-the-blue or aftermarket, through-the-blue stampings as the metal is not tempered, but relatively soft, deliberately made so as to allow for the slight expansion and contraction of the barrel resulting from the heat build-up encountered over repeated firings.
Auction description:SN 63848. 30 Cal 4″ bbl with “Manufacture Francaise d’Armes & Cycles de Saint-Etienne” roll die impressed on top, and full SN
below Crown/N proof on bottom of barrel. DWM scroll on center toggle link. Horizontal Crown/N proofs on left receiver and toggle assembly. Grip safety. Numbered parts are matching, including the checkered walnut grips. Proper plain wood bottom magazine. This gun is featured on page 274 of The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols by †Joachim Görtz & Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess. PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Geoffrey CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 95% blue with some pitting on frame above right grip. 50% straw with scattered corrosion. Grips are oil soaked dark and lightly worn. Bore is bright and sharp. Magazine body is corroded and there is a little wear on the wood bottom. Mechanics are fine.
Based on the detailed †Kenyon description, one assumes he personally examined the pistol, which clearly has a Variation 2 barrel, 46mm length inscription, to come to the conclusion that the barrel was stamped under-the-blue by DWM with the inscription of the French firm, prior to finishing,[2] strongly suggesting that DWM had made a Variation 2 roll-die engraving specifically for this effort. Whereas, Sturgess in both the Pistole Parabellum and The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistol book publications states that: Manufrance marked the barrel with their full name, seemingly themselves, as their roll-die stamped name is impressed through-the-bluing…
Assuming that DWM did indeed make a Variation 2 roll-die engraving, a relatively expensive effort for a one-time application, as it appears it is, seems implausible, therefore one would expect to encounter other New Model Luger Variation 2, under-the-blue 4¾-inch barrel roll-die Manufrance examples. Since the subject †Kenyon example is a New Model, serial number 51544 and that some New Model 4¾-inch 30 Cal barrel Lugers with lower serial numbers than 51554 have been observed with Manufrance through-the-blue barrel inscriptions being 35495[3].
It is curious that while 21561 was part of the Sturgess collection as indicated in the auction description, yet no pictures or mention is given to the subject Old
Model Parabellum with its very rare and unique chamber crest, despite his acknowledgement of the French company and marketing relationship to DWM and the Parabellum and its well-recognized Luger barrel stamping in his two publications, Pistole Parabellum or The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols. It is possible, but unlikely, that 21561 was acquired by Sturgess too late for inclusion in the later 2010 – 2011 publication.
TBLAP V1, Chapter 3, page 274. The Parabellum was imported to France by Manufrance (Manufacture Française d'Armes & Cycles de St Étienne), but was expensive and a slow seller. Manufrance marked the barrels with their full name, seemingly themselves, as their roll die stamped name is impressed through the blueing of their Parabellums, which bore standard German crown/BUG or crown/N proof marks. However, the New Model pistols they sold retained the standard German GELADEN marking of the extractor.
Luger Forum member comment: Any commercial Luger marked Manufacture Francaise d'Armes & Cycles de St Etienne, not between approx. sn 36700 and sn 58400, should be considered suspicious (any within this range without a toe number should be considered inauthentic).
Some collectors feel that both barrel variation inscriptions shouldn’t exist simply because: 1) it is not listed or described in the Manufrance company catalogs or those that do believe that the variation(s) does exist, 2) insist that to be authentic it has to be in a specific serial number range (36xxx to 58xxx) and in that range to be valid, 3) should have a toe number.
---------------- page 5 ---------------
Featured above is an interesting Rock Island Auction video of the history of Manufacture Française d'Armes l& Cycles de St. Étienne barrel inscribed pre-WW1 Lugers. Per the video narrated by Ian McCollum of the Forgotten Weapons
video series, features a M1906 commercial 9mm Luger serial number 47492 with a Variation 1 barrel inscription. In the video McCullum states per Manufrance personal sales records made available to him, that the French barrel inscribed Lugers were introduced in 1909 with the firsts sales in 1910, being sold up to and into the first years of WW1. The serial number range cited was from the high 40,000 serial number range to the low 50,000 serial number range with a total of about 263 Lugers total, approximately 50% 30 Cal, 50% 9mm. The number total seems about right, but the range is too narrow with many Manufrance New Model Lugers identified below and above the cited 28594 – 63848 serial number range.
There were other period French weapons manufacturers who offered the Parabellum pistol in their catalogs. Pictured is the 1909 catalog cover page of one such company, MANUFACTURE D’ARMES VERNEY-CARRON FRÈRES S.t ÉTÍENNE < LOIRE > and the page 80 Parabellum ad, possibly with a Verney-Carron Freres St. Etienne barrel stamping. Interestingly, page 80 also offers as item No 5987. – CARABINE “PARABELLUM”, cal. 7,65, arme des trés grande précision, (weapon of great precision) avec crosse démontable, poids 1700 grammes…230 fr. with the tantalizing possibility of a Verney-Carron Freres St. Etienne Luger Carbine barrel stamping.
Shown are several Manufrance catalog cover subjects:
TBLAP, V3, pp Rules of Proof 1911/12
DWM Commercial Proofing 1912 - 16
The German proof law was revised and updated finally properly to acknowledge the existence of nitro powders by the introduction of new Rules of Proof, initially implemented at the Zella-Mehlis proof-house on September 1, 1911 and by the Suhl house and its branches in April, 1912. This brought into use a simple crown/N mark for nitro proof, which had been completely neglected in the 1893 Rules of Proof to the 1891 Law. This mark was applied within DWM's facility to the same components and in the same locations as the BUG proof generally from about serial number 53,000, but overlapping with crown/BUG proofed guns from the 49, xxx range, which corresponds to 1911/12. This indicates non-chronological serial numbering or non-sequential assembly and proof, since it is impossible to imagine that crown/BUG proof marks would have been applied by the proof house after the adoption of the new Rules of Proof and the crown/N mark. At the same time the practice of marking the barrel with the calibre according to the 1891gauge tables was dropped on commercial pistols…
---------------- page 6 ---------------
The simplified nitro proof crown/N was placed initially on DWM guns horizontally, crown to muzzle, on the left receiver, underneath and along the axis of the barrel and horizontally, crown to muzzle, on the left sides of the bolt and front link of the action. This continued until the end of commercial production in WWI, as evidenced by pistols so proofed with the horizontal crown/N on the receiver, but with original modified sear bars, introduced in production only in 1916. It was very probably when commercial production recommenced at DWM after WWI in 1919 that the orientation of the receiver proof was changed to the vertical whilst the other marks were unchanged, though application to the breech block and link became erratic. Return to text above.
Model 1906 Commercial "Fleur de Lis" Luger
FRANCE - This unusual variation was produced in 1906 at the very beginning of the “New Model” production. The unique marking – A Fleur de Lis with St. Etienne banner – was likely a marketing tool targeted at the French retailer, “Manufacture Francaise d’ Armes & Cycles de Saint Etienne,” whose name is inscribed on the barrel of the weapon. The “American Eagle” Lugers had proven successful in the United States market and this weapon may have been an attempt by DWM to encourage this large French arms dealer to tap into French nationalism in a similar way.
This pistol also bears the word “CHARGE/” on the New Model extractor, further indicating that the alterations were made at the factory level.
While other pistols have been noted to carry the retailer’s name on their barrels, this is the only specimen examined by the author to date which is endowed with the Fleur de Lis monogram over the chamber area.
This is truly a unique example from the golden age of DWM Commercial production.
