Hello folks. While trying to glean some information on wartime production Lugers by Mauser (BYF), I read that during the last of the production runs, (circa late '41 into '42), they began using up pretty much everything on hand pending the switch over to P38 production...Is this true, and would it have pretty much encompassed ANY spare or "older" parts on hand (to include even parts mfg'd during the Imperial / Weimar years)? If this is the case, would these earlier parts (non-sequential?) also have been numbered / renumbered to the specific pistols, (in order to "match"), or would logic dictate that they remain in their original configuration(s)? Thanks for any feedback.
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I dont know anything about these and dont collect them but I do have a BYF 41 luger I picked from a local vet eons ago and all the numbers match everywhere on the gun (4 digits on large parts, last 2 digits only on smaller parts) with no mismatched #s or traces of renumbered parts. However, the 2 mags are not numbered or if they shoud be
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Mauser had a contract to build the pistols, and I have a feeling that they had to honor the terms of that contract in the pistols they delivered. This was in 1942 and times had not gotten as hard as they would later become in getting weapons manufactured.Comment
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In “Third Reich Lugers” Still states “In mid-1942 Mauser tooled up to start P.38 manufacture. In November formal production of the P.08 ceased in favor of the P.38. Assembly of parts into Lugers likely continued on a very small scale until 1944”. Hope this helps.
Regards,
MikeComment
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Mauser continued to produce commercial pistols after 1942.Comment
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From my experience 42 production seems to be pretty standard, so no it’s not an excuse for “anything goes”Comment
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Thanks for the feedback gents, appreciate the input. The crux of my question is, however, whether there's any truth to what I've read regarding BYF using up pretty much whatever was on hand in the factory to manufacture the end run of P08's prior to the switch over to P38 production...ie, left over spare parts, both T.R. and Imperial period, etc...It would make sense from a business perspective, if nothing else, that they would've utilized whatever remaining stockpiles of P08 parts were on hand prior to the cessation of their manufacture, if that was indeed the case. Thanks again for the feedback.Comment
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There were directives put out by both the Army and Police on just exactly how the pistols were to be built as well as marked. Mauser did not get to ignore these directives to use what they wanted to use.
Where does the information come from that Mauser built "parts pistols" at the end of production?Comment
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Hello Johnny. My query doesn't imply that they were building hap-hazard "parts" pistols, but simply seeks to qualify what I've read as regards them using up whatever parts were on hand to manufacture the remaining quantities of P08's. I would imagine, they would have been installed / utilized w/ the same attention to fit and finish as any other parts being manufactured at the same time. I can not quote the exact source, as it was simply something I read while doing some research. It does make sense, as regards utilizing the bulk of on-hand inventory to manufacture a final run of firearms that were no longer to be manufactured, apart from stores of spare parts in and of themselves.Comment
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As noted in an earlier post Mauser continued to produce Luger pistols, just not for the Army. Mauser had to use Waffenamt accepted parts, and when these were exhausted production probably ended.
It is thought by some that the parts that did not pass WaA inspection were transferred somewhere else and the Ku Lugers were built using these.
That would pretty well rule out Mauser using WWI and Weimar era parts on new byf/42 LugersComment
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Post war production
I have seen post war production lugers with mixture of parts. But they would either be numbered correctly or unnumbered. So called px lugersComment
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Thanks gents. From what I’ve been able to find out so far, it seems that BYF production of the P08 for the home (German) forces ended w/ the “M” block sometime in late ’42. Apparently, they provided some for Portugal and perhaps another eastern European ally for a short time longer...at least that’s what I’ve come to understand....(please correct me if I’m wrong). I would assume that any extant part(s) that were utilized in new production pieces would have to follow the same protocol as any newly mfg’d parts. Thx again for the feedback.Comment
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On page 92 in Third Reich Lugers and on page 261 in The Mauser Parabellum there are pictures of "out of sequence" Lugers. These are made up of Mauser spare parts. I own Sn 7225 1940 byf on page 261. All parts are correctly numbered 25.
<a href="http://s433.photobucket.com/user/tharpo33/media/1940%20byf/IMG_4185_ediMe.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/tharpo33/1940%20byf/IMG_4185_ediMe.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_4185_ediMe.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s433.photobucket.com/user/tharpo33/media/1940%20byf/IMG_4182_ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/tharpo33/1940%20byf/IMG_4182_ed.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_4182_ed.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s433.photobucket.com/user/tharpo33/media/1940%20byf/IMG_4166_ed%20M.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/tharpo33/1940%20byf/IMG_4166_ed%20M.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_4166_ed M.jpg"/></a>Last edited by tharpo; 04-21-2018, 07:57 PM.Comment
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The out of sequence Mausers seem to be made up from Mauser frames not used previously, and possibly sent back through for correction and later used, normally resulting in an out of sequence serial number.
If there had been a Revisions Commission in WWII they would probably have been stamped as such.
Photobucket pictures not working.Comment
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