Jump to content

Langenhan "Army" Pistol


SARGE
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guys,

I would like to ask a couple of questions.

I just acquired a circa 1918 Langenhan "F. L. Selbstlader" pistol that is property marked "L.K.S. 663". Of course that now raises the following questions:

Do all of these "LKS" property marked pistols have the patent number "D.R.G.M. 625263"?

Do all of these "LKS" marked pistols have no visible trigger bar on the left side of the trigger?

What approximate manufacturing date do these "LKS" marked pistol serial numbers indicate?

I would make the observation that some of the magazines in these pistols are unmarked while some have matching "LKS" numbers on them as well as the number "1" or "2" in typical German military/law enforcement agency style. I believe the unmarked magazine in this particular pistol is original and of the period but the grips have seemingly been replaced but not recently. There are no German military inspection stamps indicating this is also a commercial pistol with only Nitro Proof stamps visible which supports the law enforcement agency hypothesis.

 

Most sources indicate the entire production of these 7,65mm pistols was procured by the German Army during WWI and that production of them ceased in 1918. While Langenhan continued to make smaller .25 Cal. semi-auto pistols after the war there is no date certain for ending production. This pistol would be near the end of the serial number range and is the largest property number LKS marked pistol known. What agency is indicated by the "L.K.S." property marking?

Thanks for looking and if I can answer any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Langenhan & holster.JPG

Langenhan left.JPG

Langenhan sn.JPG

Langenhan nitro proofs.JPG

Langenhan patent.JPG

Langenhan LKS markings.JPG

Langenhan mag left.JPG

Langenhan mag right.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

DRGM is an abbreviation meaning Deutches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz, which means the same “registered” or “patent number.” “Selbstlader” translates to “self loading” so “F.L. Seldstlader” is the way the Friedrich Langeham self loading pistols were marked... kind of like “Colt’s automatic.” L.K.S. 663 is a unit property mark. I need to see what Jeff Noll’s or Don Maus’ books say. L.K. could be a police barracks from a city starting with “S”; the 663 is that unit’s weapon/rack number.

 

Carry your pictures over to Jan Still’s Luger forum and see what they say. (Don posts there pretty regularly.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DRGM is an abbreviation meaning Deutches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz, which means the same “registered” or “patent number.” “Selbstlader” translates to “self loading” so “F.L. Seldstlader” is the way the Friedrich Langeham self loading pistols were marked... kind of like “Colt’s automatic.” L.K.S. 663 is a unit property mark. I need to see what Jeff Noll’s or Don Maus’ books say. L.K. could be a police barracks from a city starting with “S”; the 663 is that unit’s weapon/rack number.

 

Carry your pictures over to Jan Still’s Luger forum and see what they say. (Don posts there pretty regularly.)

 

Thanks Bill. This particular pistol is discussed in the Still website data base for "L.K.S." property marked pistols and I ask on their site as well but no answer as I guess there is no new information. The military (read that as Army) "Crown/Letter" inspection marked pistols seem to have a visible trigger bar on the left side of the trigger and a different ejection port while these with only commercial Nitro Proof markings do not. There are also two different DRGM patent numbers seen on these 7,65mm pistols. Many people confuse this DRGM marking on the slide as a serial number but it is not. The s/n can be found in various places and it is inside the magazine well on mine indicating manufacture near the end of the known run in probably 1918. This assumes manufacture ceased in 1918 but that is not certain as Langenhan continued to make this style of pistol as the smaller "Type III" in .25 caliber under yet another patent number for several years after the end of the war. If the "Army" style is considered a Type I and the civil "Police" style is considered a Type II then it makes sense for the smaller .25 cal pistol to be marked "III" on the slide.

 

It is very annoying that the "LKS" property markings are unknown since this was such a big organization. My best WAG is that these are interim Bavarian Police markings of some sort, most probably being for a motorized transport unit (?KS). This would include all wheeled and tracked state vehicles including motorcycles, motor patrol, tanks, etc. Maybe a large state run motor pool including drivers, mechanics, etc.?

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...