Help please
 

Would this be considered a Black Widow? :confused: :confused:
-------2987 n, black plastic grips (replacement), P.08 on side of frame, replaced grip screws, original blue finish uniformly scratched from being piled up with other pistols, appears unfired and unused, all matching numbers except magazine (correct WW2 fxo aluminum bottom type), perfect bore. These last Mauser produced Lugers all went to Portugal.
How hard is it to get the correct grips?
Thanks Dave

Hello Dave, remember a so called Black Widow is only a name given to a pistol that has black bakelite grips and a black plastic bottom magazine!! You didn't say, but if you have a byf 42, then your pistol was produced for the Bulgarian Contract.

Black Bakelite grips are not difficult to find, but original grips are a bit pricey. They appear on eBay from time to time. Just some words of caution - there are many fakes floating around, so be careful and know what to look for on the originals!!

Good Luck!!

The trigger, take down lever, safety, etc. have to be blued rather tha strawed to call it a Blck Widow don't they.

If a mauser carries a byf 42 code, does that automatically mean it was a Bulgarian contract pistol? Were the Bulgarians chamberd in 9 mm?

Dave, I do have an original set of Portugese made BW grips available @$100 + $5 S&H. Th

Noel, no a byf 42 by itself doesn't mean it was a Bulgarian Contract. The serial number indicates it was. The byf 42 Lugers were used by the German Army, but after the production was halted in favor of the P.38, some parts were assembled for Portuguese and Bulgarian Contracts.

Noel, These last 42 BYFs that went to Portugal & Bulgaria will be in the m & n suffix ranges. Other than that, I've never found a further listing of which ranges went to which country. TH

I have a byf 42. I'll have to check out the serial number. It presently sports a five inch 7.65 barrel.