[John Sabato]

I can concur with my friend Dwight that the plum color occurs as a result of inadequate heat combined with bluing salt solution mixture during the blueing process. This phenomenon is frequently seen in the final production years for the P.38. Not so often on Lugers. In the early war years, this type of finish would have resulted in rejection or reprocessing of the parts until they met the finish standards. Later in the war, Germany could not devote that kind of production inefficiency as they were desparate to produce as many guns that could shoot as possible.

There will always be some variation in the blue color even on "correct" guns between the sideplate, barrel and toggle parts because of the differences in the metallurgy and hardness required of these parts.