The guns were in large part a work program, creating export goods which could bring desperately needed hard currency into Germany to counteract the economic devastation of the Versailles treaty. In less than 5 full years (1919-1923), close to a half million of these guns were made, primarily by an industrial subsidiary of the German government. The Ortgies is a pistol whose interested aspects are often overlooked on the assumption that it is just another identical. However, the most interesting part of the Ortgies story (in my opinion) is its production. 380 versions differ only in the easily-interchanged barrel – even the magazines are marked for both calibers. The extractor retains very good fire blue. The metal surfaces of this pistol retain about 95 original blue with the backstrap toning to a blue-gray patina, high edge wear and a couple light freckles.

Mechanically, the Ortgies has a rather unusual grip safety mechanism that is quite different from what we expect to see today. serial 36003, 380 ACP, 3 1/2' barrel with a bright near excellent bore showing a hint of minor frosting and strong rifling throughout. The Ortgies is a pistol whose interested aspects are often overlooked on the assumption that it is just another identical.

Deutsche Werke Ortgies Serial Numbers