DWM is the result of the merging of two
complementary firms : the Ludwig Loewe and Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik. At the beginning
of the 20th century this concern was dealing with all the aspects of the firearms and
ammunition business. It owned many and sometimes majoritary share interests in the most
important firearm firms throughout Europe such as the Belgian Fabrique Nationale or
Vickers. Mauser itself was propriety of the DWM. Among its technical staff were well known
people like Hugo Borchardt and Georg Luger. The Borchardt pistol commercial failure
brought Georg Luger forward on the scene. He spectacularly succeeded in improving the
awkward Borchardt pistol to such a level that he definitely overshadowed the Borchardt's
genius. The model pictured hereafter, dating from 1898, represents the final result of a
long and laborious improving process. The 1898 Luger pistol evolved gradually throughout
the years but its fundamentals remained practically unchanged. The DWM was the owner of
all the relating patents. In 1930, its Luger production machinery was transferred to
Mauser. To get more information, refer to our book.
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