LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post - 1940 P-08 War Relic info

guns3545 · 08-23-2015, 10:49 AM

Sean,

Well, your client certainly has a nice piece of WWII history.

This gun was made by Mauser in the later half of 1940, in the Autumn.

The finish on the 1940 production was very good, as early problems with the switch from Rust Bluing to Salt Bluing had been solved, and production stabilized. FYI, about 137,000 P.08s were produced by the Mauser Oberndorf plant in 1940.

This pistol probably left the factory with Brown Plastic grips transferred to Mauser from Krieghoff along with other parts left over from the completion of their contract with the Luftwaffe. These brown plastic grips are found in suffix blocks y, d, and g to k. Your pistol is a k-block gun. P.08s in these blocks were surrounded by P.08s equipped with walnut grips.

FYI, black plastic (Bakelite) grip panels did not appear until mid-1941 and were mixed with wood grip panels through end of production in 1942, early 1943.

Now if you permit me to take a little editorial license, about the same can be said of the switch from aluminum base and black plastic base magazines. This pistol probably left the factory with a Haenel type magazine, marked with the manufacturer code 122 and acceptance proof Eagle37 with an aluminum base and stamped with the complete serial number including suffix k. The second magazine would have been the same but also included a + sign indicating it was the spare.

Now, to set the record straight, Mauser never produced a pistol called the Black Widow. Nor did Mauser ever set out "intentionally" to produce a P.08 that, by design, had both black plastic grip panels and a magazine with a black plastic bottom.

Mauser did produce a war gun, designated the P.08. Depending on what was on the shelf; what they could get at a good price, or simply what was in the next barrel in line, they produced parts and/or assembled parts proved by their vendors. Thus starting in mid to late 1940 and expanding in mid-1941, you started to see combinations of grip panels and magazines types appearing. I leave you to calculate the number of combinations that are possible. But all are correct because a P.08 is a P.08 irrespective of the type of magazine or grip panel.

From a user's perspective, I am sure there was some preference for the Haenel design magazine over the Mauser made folded metal one. It was more stable and reliable. Less susceptible to jam and get them killed. They never thought about aluminum versus plastic base although plastic would break while aluminum dented.

From a grip standpoint, the walnut grips were susceptible to crack and break and were a pain in the a**. And they needed maintenance, i.e. work. Bakelite washed off, hardly ever broke.

Sorry for the verbosity. Hope it helps.

John

PS: BTW, Sperrstuck translates to locking bolt. Sperrstuck Feder is Locking bolt spring. Some call it the takedown lever.

08-23-2015, 10:49 AM	#8
guns3545 Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 438 Thanks: 661 Thanked 493 Times in 219 Posts	Sean, Well, your client certainly has a nice piece of WWII history. This gun was made by Mauser in the later half of 1940, in the Autumn. The finish on the 1940 production was very good, as early problems with the switch from Rust Bluing to Salt Bluing had been solved, and production stabilized. FYI, about 137,000 P.08s were produced by the Mauser Oberndorf plant in 1940. This pistol probably left the factory with Brown Plastic grips transferred to Mauser from Krieghoff along with other parts left over from the completion of their contract with the Luftwaffe. These brown plastic grips are found in suffix blocks y, d, and g to k. Your pistol is a k-block gun. P.08s in these blocks were surrounded by P.08s equipped with walnut grips. FYI, black plastic (Bakelite) grip panels did not appear until mid-1941 and were mixed with wood grip panels through end of production in 1942, early 1943. Now if you permit me to take a little editorial license, about the same can be said of the switch from aluminum base and black plastic base magazines. This pistol probably left the factory with a Haenel type magazine, marked with the manufacturer code 122 and acceptance proof Eagle37 with an aluminum base and stamped with the complete serial number including suffix k. The second magazine would have been the same but also included a + sign indicating it was the spare. Now, to set the record straight, Mauser never produced a pistol called the Black Widow. Nor did Mauser ever set out "intentionally" to produce a P.08 that, by design, had both black plastic grip panels and a magazine with a black plastic bottom. Mauser did produce a war gun, designated the P.08. Depending on what was on the shelf; what they could get at a good price, or simply what was in the next barrel in line, they produced parts and/or assembled parts proved by their vendors. Thus starting in mid to late 1940 and expanding in mid-1941, you started to see combinations of grip panels and magazines types appearing. I leave you to calculate the number of combinations that are possible. But all are correct because a P.08 is a P.08 irrespective of the type of magazine or grip panel. From a user's perspective, I am sure there was some preference for the Haenel design magazine over the Mauser made folded metal one. It was more stable and reliable. Less susceptible to jam and get them killed. They never thought about aluminum versus plastic base although plastic would break while aluminum dented. From a grip standpoint, the walnut grips were susceptible to crack and break and were a pain in the a**. And they needed maintenance, i.e. work. Bakelite washed off, hardly ever broke. Sorry for the verbosity. Hope it helps. John PS: BTW, Sperrstuck translates to locking bolt. Sperrstuck Feder is Locking bolt spring. Some call it the takedown lever.