Luger markings

[JohnD]

Can anyone please answer or comment about a P08 bfy Luger 41 based on the following questions:

1] Its serial number does not have any letter prefix.

2] the three eagles before the barrel are stamped with numerials.

3] There is what looks like a gothtic U marked under the pistol before the barrel

4] the magazine is aluminium with a wooden "puller." There is no corresponding serial number on the puller except for the number '40'

5] The number '02' is stamped in various parts of the pistol.

Any help you could provide, particularly explanations as to these stamps would be most appreciated.

[Heinz Steinkopf]

1) If the gun is from the first 10000 of the production year on Mauser-Werke it should not have a letter in th SN.
2) The "eagles" are WaffenAmt acceptance marks. Each manufacturer had its own figures under the eagle. Actally these marks are intended to indicate the inspector who in his turn was usually assigned to the exact factory.
3) 4) Pictures needed
5) I guess th 02 are the last two diits of the serial number

[Johnny Peppers]

In WWII the serial numbers did not start over at no suffix at the beginning of the year. The serial number continued on from where it left off at the end of the previous year, and only the chamber date was changed.
The first Mausers produced in 1941 were 42 code, but the 42 code was changed to byf early in production. The first pistols produced were in the n letter suffix block. The no suffix 1941 Mausers were among the last pistols produced in 1941, with production ending in the a suffix block.
There were no aluminum body magazines.
As mentioned, pictures would sure help answering your questions.

[Heinz Steinkopf]

In WWII the serial numbers did not start over at no suffix at the beginning of the year. The serial number continued on from where it left off at the end of the previous year, and only the chamber date was changed.

How do you imagine that in case of about a million P08 produced by Mauser? Or about 400.000 Steyr manufactured MP40? There should have been huge suffixes but we still encounter 1942 or 1943 made MP40 without letters in SN.

[Johnny Peppers]

I am not sure I follow your question, but in no year did Mauser go completely through the alphabet. In K98k production there were years where production went completely through the alphabet and the letter suffix was started over with a double letter suffix.

The highest production year for the Mauser P.08 was 1940 at almost 136,000, and the letter suffix started at z, followed by no suffix, and went to letter suffix n. 1941 production started with letter suffix n where 1940 production ended, and went to letter suffix a, with the no suffix pistols being right at the end of the year. While the serial numbers repeated themselves several times in 9 years of production, the chamber date stamp differentiated one serial number from another.

From 1908 thru 1911 P.08 production, the serial numbers started each year where last years left off, but beginning in 1912 going through 1918 the serial numbers did start over at the beginning of the year with the no suffix block.

I don't know about the Steyr MP.40 serial numbers, but the discussion was on the P.08.