1938 byf po8 with some extras
 

picked up a fairly nice 1938 byf p08 , serial number 154 , side plate and toggle train mismatched , but it is in real good shape and will make a good shooter , has some medals and decorations with it , those I know very little about . the bore is real nice and shiny , paid 700.00 for it , I figured that was an ok deal .been awhile since I have bought another luger , is this what is reffered to as a black widow ? have fired it and it shoots fine with not issues . shows very little wear . any info anyone can tell me on the pistol or the medals and extras with it would be apreaciated , much respect

If it is all there and shoots, sounds like a good deal for sure.

shoots fine , no issues at all

Sweet...
dju

the medal s and ribbons I got with it , any information on those would be greatly appreaciated

Dan
Looks like a great shooter at a nice price. I know as much about medals as you. Sorry. Regards. Bill

how have you been mr bill? I think of you fondly every time I take the Erfurt out of my safe that you sold me years ago . this one will replace it as my shooter ,as it is a 1938 and a bit newer/lol. took it all apart and cleaned it and everything looks good with little wear and the bore is excellent . all the mismatched numbers have been lightly stipled over , not that it matters on a luger of this type.

Padredan:
Nice to hear from you once again.
No one has touched the question of Black Widow - It is black but not not a BW; not as a 1938.
Jack

byf code on a 1938? Should it not be S/42?

Balder

You have an Iron Cross, second class from World War One and a "Russian Front" service medal from World War Two. German soldiers called this the "frozen meat" medal. It is missing its red ribbon with narrow white, black, white strip down the middle. The ribbon was usually worn through the third button hole of the tunic, rather than on a bar.Authentic examples will have a tiny acceptance stamp on the metal ring.
.The third medal is not military, but looks like something struck to conmemorate the twenty fifth anniversity of a veteran's association or something similar. Probably given out at a reunion or convention.

On a sour note; the black grips look like reproductions.

to my thinking it should be a s/42 but it is a byf , like I said the toggle train is a mismatch . what surprised be was how well all the mismatched parts fit . this pistol shoots and functions perfertly .

Sadly I can no longer recall when the transition was made from the S/42 code to byf...

and I agree with Alanint, the grips are not original German grips. Reproductions. Coarse checkering (which is great while shooting since you are not risking original grips), but I have always found that checkering pattern to be pretty ugly... but that is just my $0.02

thanks for you help , what value would you place on these items?

In between S/42 and BYF codes there is the 42 code used in part of 1939; 1940 and early 1941 (with chamber date 41)

I was rather sure the grips were repo's as the magazine . since it is a shooter which I am well pleased with , since most of the times the mismatched pistols do not function well. looks like I got a good one . thanks for you help

Your 1938 shooter is worth at least the $700 that you paid for the lot, but no idea on the value of the metals. Tom

I am totally out in left field with regard to current values. I would show the images to the guys over at :

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/

And see what they think.

The back of the commemorative medal reads something like "Prussian War Veterans" 25 year reunion.

Good luck

Almost forgot.
Even though "black widow" is a marketing stunt. A true "black widow" would be a 41 or 42 BYF with the bakelite grip panels.

There I have it for not reading the initial post properly - sorry about that. Good looking gun, regardless.

Balder

ty tom, I have fired about 100 rounds of the Winchester white box through it now without one issue . I am well pleased with it , the medals are just something extra . have had local look at them and he made an offer of 250.00 for them , which I am considering . but a lot of ammo with that or maybe replace the grips . overall very pleased .

100 rounds without a single issue is quite an enviable score. Sounds like a keeper. I have 3 regular shooters, a 1936 4" 9mm, a Navy and an Artillery, and while I've never sat down and shot 100 rounds of factory ammo thru any of them at one time, I doubt that they could pass that test.
dju

GREAT buy, but see if the Iron Cross has iron in it with a magnet. I bought a Nazis 1939/1813 one, supposedly dug from the battlefield, at an arms auction and it is all aluminum. My understanding is that all real Iron Crosses have some iron in them.

I believe it is , it's easy for me to shoot as I have my own range in my back yard and I am surround by neighbors that know gunfire from my property is pretty much normal, I just had my first stove pipe and that I believe to be a magazine issue . this one will be a true keeper . really surprised since all of the mismatched parts but you never know .

must have a magnet does stick to it

Happiness to me is to purchase a reasonably priced Luger that is all there and reliable at the range. They are not all that common. I think you hit a home run, and it will never be worth less if cared for. Congrats!!

ty, have yet to ever loose money on one . this one really shoots nice . I ahd forgotten what it was like to not get brass in your face .

I might as well gloat while I have a chance... I used my 06 AE with 6" bbl in .30 Luger in the last 2 IDPA matches I attended. It ran like a watch!

Great to be getting reports of your adventures, Dan. Your contributions have been missed.

thanks, took finding what I tought was going to be just another mismatched luger to bring me back . turns out this shooter really is a great shooter .

sold off the medals and decorations , so if I was with the pistol it isn't now . could see no providence to it . I bought this pistol as a shooter and it has proved to be just that , now over 150 rds fired with only one ftf . it's a keeper

Just want to add my appreciation for your return to the forum to the other members that have commented above. From time to time I have wondered about your absence and had hoped that all is well with you. I have always enjoyed reading your posts and comments, so just want to say, welcome back. :cheers:

Lon

ty,got busy with life and being a chaplain and didn't seem to be any lugers around . then this one popped up. I guess I have fired it more in a week than I have all the others in the last few years . glad to be back I hope to do more posting as time prevails . be safe and be blessed .

Do Padres carry pistols?

Ha Ha

Jack
It is coming up on Halloween isn't it>

Do Padres carry pistols?

Ha Ha

Jack
It is coming up on Halloween isn't it?

this one does. funny story or sorta . I guess thirty years ago or so a priest and chaplain at one of the medical centers brought me a luger to clean and check out . do not remember a lot about it , except it had a holster an extra magazines ,anyway cleaned it an gave it back to him . showed him how it functioned , somehow he managed to shoot himself in the foot , while in his office . at least he did not have to go far to get help . have not run into him in a long time , but he walked funny after that . be safe .

I don't consider the P-08 to be one of the safer designs, just a little pressure on the side if loaded and off GESICHERT... It can even fire with the slide off, which is not the ATF controlled part. Then we all saw the sad scene in Band of Brothers during the Battle of the Bulge... wanted one all the way from Normandy... then an accident.

Uh, just where can you press it to fire when assembled?:confused:
i mean other than the trigger.

I don't think so.

Disassembled, for sure- that is why the police insisted on the sear safety addition.