Mauser Extractor Color...
 

After mid- '37 the extractor was no longer strawed on Mauser guns. I have noticed that many/ most extractors appear "different" in finish post-'37. My '40 and '41 Mausers have a slightly different hue as do many of the Simpson LTD Mausers. So that is my baseline of information but then I bought this S/42 1938 that has a consistent tone as the receiver and frame. I assume this gun is orig and right and the extractor color is just variable??

S/42 1938 below

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/lug38.04.jpg

Bob,

The ejector (which is what you picture here--I make the same mis-type all the time) is a different quality and hardness of steel from the receiver extension. It is almost a spring-steel. Thus, it 'takes' salt-blue differently from the other parts of the gun, and by example is much more sensitive to the slight chemical and temperature differences which cause coloration ("plum", for example) other than the desired blue.

--Dwight

Thanks Dwight... it just seemed a bit odd that this ejector is so close to the receiver in color while the others I have seen were more plum in color. While I don't have alot of "data points" at looking at Lugers, this pistol looked right-as-rain... (but then the cynic in me kept creeping in)... Bob

Bob,

Here is something else to think about. I did a survey awhile back on the parts of a Luger which break in use http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...n+parts+survey . The ejector, made of relatively brittle steel, is by far the most often broken part.

It is not a serial-numbered part. Under the circumstances, for my own part, if the ejector is the proper style (blued or strawed depending on the variation, inspector stamped if it is an Erfurt) I'm not really concerned about whether or not it is the original-assembly part 60-100 years-of-use later.

--Dwight