Generally speaking: 1937-1945 are the best years for Mauser pistols. (army contracts bled dry in 1942, but some assembly of parts was done in 1945-1948).
Worst metallurgy is probably that of the stainless steel US made copies.
Early lugers can be a tad on the 'soft' side, they didn't control the surface hardening as well as in later years, although the steel quality was excellent overall.
Had the pleasure of shooting a Mauser from the early 1940s that had been in the river for some 30 years. It's still going strong today after thousands of rounds were fed through it since.
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