1939 s/42 1179n
 

I read in shotgun news article on lugers byPeter Kokalis that in 1939 the s/42 started with sn 1330n and I read some where else it started around 4000n, I have one all matching numbers 1179n can anybody explain this.

Different sources give different ranges; older books may not be a precise as newer ones with later information; sometimes we dis-remember; sometimes Peter is wrong.

1130 is "around" 4000 considering 10K "n"s were made; I would not worry about it. JMHO.

Joe,

Welcome to the Forum.

It is certainly true that the n-block was the transition between 1938 and 1939 production. FYI, transitions in mid-block are not unusual, in fact more the rule.

It is equally true that transitions are exactly that; a transition. There is no clear cut number for a cutover. That's the nature of gun manufacturing all over the world.

The earliest REPORTED 1939 S/42 is 1330n. But the latest 1938 n-block is 6575n. There is an overlap between 1938 and 1939.

So, congratulations, you now have the earliest reported n-block 1939 S/42 for what its worth and that's not much. Unless and until someone comes up with a lower number. Or not.

Hope this helps.

John

Jangus,
Do you have pictures of the gun? It is possible your suffix is a "p" and not an "n".

Tom

pictures

Tharpo nailed it. That's a p not an n.

I had 5 different people look at it and everyone said it was a n , what`t a n look like if that`s a p

ok it`s a p, I found a p and a n and compared now I know. thanks for the info.

Here is a "n".

Tom

If you think a "p" is confusing, look at the "Q"!:eek:

jangus

You're right it can be a bit misleading, I enclose a table of suffixes for your records.

Best.

Photos of Magazine bottoms
 

Joe,

They say pictures are worth a thousand words.

Someone on the Forum posted this great compendium of scriptic suffixes correlated to the year of manufacture.

Very helpful.

Here it is. Probably the most helpful document I've seen in years. And also correlates years with inspection stamps.

John