Bought a WWI veteran last week with L.K.S. 663. unit marking

[Winchester_73]

While browsing gunbroker about 2 weeks ago, I found this and won. Its a FL Selbstlader aka Langenhan pistol in 32 acp (there was a smaller model in 25 acp and another 32 acp model as well) SN 74089 and all matching. It has a unit marking as pictured, which no one has been able to identify. Many of these were made, about 50k with nearly all going to the Imperial German army but they are seldom seen today. Mine has Crown / N nitro proofs but unlike most others, no Imperial proof. It does have this odd unit / police marking "L.K.S. 663." that even Don Maus himself, author of "History Writ in Steel - German Police Markings 1900 to 1936", was unable to identify. I got this treasure for only $225, a good deal in my opinion.

My WWI collection is coming along, slowly but surely...Top is a real DWM 1917 Navy Luger w a later mag (many Navy lugers are fake) and below is a JP Sauer 1913 with Imperial proof

 

[PetahW]

My WAG is that "L.K.S." is the abbreviation for one of these German State Police forces/barracks:

Lander des Kaisertums Salzburg

Lander des Kaisertums Schlesien

Lander des Kaisertums Steiermark

.

 

[mapsjanhere]

Pretty sure the L and K are for Landes Kriminal (state plain cloth division), if the S is for Stelle (office) or for one of the states with S is unclear.

 

[gyvel]

What are the grips made of?

 

[mapsjanhere]

One more remark, I found a note claiming only about 50,000 FL pistols were made during the war, all for the German army. So the high serial number and lack of imperial markings indicate a post WWI Weimar Republic production (they continues making them throughout the 20s, supposedly assembling some from parts until 1936.
Edit. Promptly found another article stating all that is nonsense, the gun was only built until 1918, but about 10 - 15% of production where civilian and have no imperial markings. Also gives serial number ranges for the different sub-models of the FL.

 

[Winchester_73]

What are the grips made of?

They seem to be wood. They are replaced which is the only beef I have with the pistol. Maybe I should strip them and make them plain brown, they may look better that way.

Promptly found another article stating all that is nonsense, the gun was only built until 1918, but about 10 - 15% of production where civilian and have no imperial markings. Also gives serial number ranges for the different sub-models of the FL.

My research said that they were made almost exclusively for the Imperial German army and that they were not made after WWI, which supports the info you have that I quoted. I could see a few being made after WWI from left over parts, but not unil 1936 !?!?

 

[mapsjanhere]

From what I gathered 1936 was the last time they appeared in catalogs as "new weapons", probably someone had a large stock they were selling slowly (not surprising as they were obsolete compared to the PP).