Lack of white paint
 

Not one to throw a wrench in the works, but I also checked a BYF 42, and it also has the white paint, both of my BYFs are definitely(to the best of my knowledge) original finish. I do have a 41-42 that unfortunately has been refinished, not a great job, it doesn't have the white paint.
Thanks Marc and Dave for your inputs, I hate to be all alone in these discussions. I really am not saying that Quentin's pistol has been redone, for all I know some may have been blued and for whatever reason the white paint ran out or something.
I was just curious as to why some may have the paint and some not, I thought that most all of the lugers had the white paint, except for a few of the earliest ones.
barr

Any number of reasons why the paint is gone from an original pistol. Cleaning, wiping down with a thinner or other solvent. Excesive pressure when cleaning, etc.

All military Lugers came from the factory with the Gesichert marking filled with white enamel. It's likely that Quentin's gun was cleaned with a solvent (like Hoppe's #9) that removed the enamel. Regards, Norm

Missing paint.
 

Norme & alan, that sounds like a good possibility. I wasn't aware that Hoppes would take off paint. That's good info to know, I use Hoppes primarily for cleaning the bore, but it does tend to get on the gun itself at times.
Thanks for the tip.
barr

It is interesting that some have the white paint and mine doesn't. However, this Luger definitely has not been refinished and I've hardly cleaned it over the 12 years I've had it, just wiped it occasionally with an oily rag. And it didn't have the white paint when I bought it.

I can provide more pictures of areas in question if anyone is interested.

Ask yourself how many hands it has been through since leaving the factory. Any number of people could have cleaned that gun with whatever was handy, including any number of solvents. Some previous owner may have even decided he did not like the white paint in the lettering and removed it purposely.

Thanks For Posting. Great Looking P.08
Mike Z.

I have a "V" block 41 BYF - Mine also is missing the paint under the safety. Also would the correct magazine be the FXO Black plastic or an aluminum based mag? Serial #2829 v

Wayne

As you say, anyone could have done it and hopefully it has little impact on the value of this byf.

I've always wondered how many owners this Luger has passed through. Not many, I don't think.

The story told to me by the previous owner (a friend) was that it was brought into the USA in the early 1950s by a German doctor who kept it until his death in the '80s when it was sold to to a fellow who eventually sold it to my friend. I bought it in 1999, which of course is the only thing I can be sure of but I suspect the story is true as it doesn't add any glory or value to the gun.

Assuming that most Lugers were not brought into the US by Germans - I will say I'm curious if the German doctor may have kept his issue gun at the end of the war somehow then brought it to the US later. No way to know of course. Anyway, the important thing to me, no one along the way actually fired this Luger much!

Wayne,
As I believe that Mauser stopped numbering magazines right around the serial number of your gun I would say that a black plastic fxo or an unnumbered aluminum bottom fxo magazine would be correct.

Tom

If they made unnumbered fxo aluminum bottom mags i imagine most were mysteriously matched to similarly correct guns long ago would you think?

Well when I purchased the pistol it had a mismatched aluminum bottom mag, I have since purchased a plastic FXO mag for it I just want to make sure I am accurate with what I have in it.

W

Sounds like you made a smart move for your V block, W, very likely what it originally had especially if it has black grips - while I think the wooden grips often came with the unnumbered aluminum bottom. No iron clad rule to that, though.

My W block pictured above came with one fxo with the black bottom and I later bought a second for it.

mine does have walnut grips.

Mags
 

My 41 "u" block has matching walnut grips and for whatever reason unmumbered "42" tiny letters mag. I understand these are armorers replacement.

5753u

Bob