MY NEW S/42 1937

[RockinWR]

Josef,
* What a very nice, complete example. Congratulations & thanks for sharing your latest find.
* This piece is not only extrodinary in its condition and proximity to the original Vet; but, it is an interesting example due to its position within the transitions going on in 1937 @ Mauser.
* As you may be aware, 126,000 P.08's are thought to have been made in 1937, About one letter block a month starting around 4500p. This make your pistol an early March, 1937 production piece.
* What may be less evident is within about a 4 month (overlapping) period following, Mauser and the Army instituted 7 changes which distinctly separate the later Mauser P.08's from all produced before. These changes, in no particular chronological order, are:
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• <font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">(1) Rust to Salt Blue Finish
  (2) Straw Small Parts to All Blue Small Parts.
  (3) Weimar Style Droop Winged Eagle/63 to Nazi Stick Eagle/63 Inspector Acceptance Stamps on the P.08 itself.
  (4) dE/63 to sE/63 Acceptance mark change on the Mag bottom.
  (5) Polished Interior to non-polished (Blued)interior.
  (6) Rear Frame Hump re-appears.
  (7) The Inside of the Side Plate began to be numbered with a derivation of the Gun's S/N.</font></li>

<font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Certainly, a wide variety of legitimate Sub Variations exist within this transitional period.
* Rest assured, all I see in your pictures suggest a righteous, quality piece. I conclude Rust blued, strawed small parts, no hump, double dE63 gun acceptance marks next to the mid Eagle proof, and sE63 Matching Mag acceptance. Is that correct so far??
* Be advised, the sE/63 mag acceptance is correct as it appears in a block of gun bearing the same mag sE/63 mark surrounded by a number of guns with the dE63 marked mags. The "r" block appears to be the transition block for the introduction of the mag acceptance change.
* For those who keep track, would you report the number stamped on the inside of your sideplate and whether the inside of the frame is polished(white) or blued. This will provide an additional substantiating example to establish/confirm the transition cutover points for these changes.
* BTW, your blue tube "m" block spare mag, marked sE63, probably was made for a 1938 chamber dated P.08. It likely was made about the same time as the Holster. While non matching to 8556r, it is period correct in style and contemporary as is the PT.08.
Respectfully,
Bob