1938 S/42 P-08 Side plate markings.

[alanint]

All Lugers had the strawed parts up until mid 1936, when they began salt bluing the entire gun as a cost savings. Any pistol made before mid 1936 will have the typical parts strawed.

[MFC]

The transition from rust blue to salt blue was in 1937.

[mecano44]

Hello Mike

I think that the magazines bottoms have been exchanged, just to get a nicer look... silver with silver ( your Dad should have done it ..)

The aluminium bottom was only issued with black magazines...

wood bottoms belong to the WWI period

It is well known that german troops on "West-Front" got any kind of remaining supplies... ( as for example 1896 Lebel rifles) could be that your Luger is a post WWI 3rd choice rebuild for " Landsturm troops "
There was not only Panzergrenadiers in the battle of Normandy ....

[MFC]

Originally Posted by mecano44

Hello Mike

I think that the magazines bottoms have been exchanged, just to get a nicer look... silver with silver ( your Dad should have done it ..)

The aluminium bottom was only issued with black magazines...

wood bottoms belong to the WWI period

Wood bottom mags were also used during the Weimar era until 1929 by DWM.
Tin plated, silver colored tubes with aluminum bottoms "silver with silver" were used from 1930 to mid 1936 by Mauser.

[mecano44]

Many thanks for this very interessting information Mike !

Does this mean that there are K ang G types with that kind of Silver/silver magazines or were these only used as spare magazines ?

[maritz01]

On a hunting trip in NH and I'll post better pictures of the holsters and Luger when I get back. The black holster does have two sets of un-stitched areas in the front and back where it may very well be a modified artillery holster. Why would they do that when there were plenty of holsters? Maybe it was cost effective.

Mike

[MFC]

Originally Posted by mecano44

Does this mean that there are K ang G types with that kind of Silver/silver magazines or were these only used as spare magazines ?

Almost all magazines used by Mauser, including spares, from 1930 to mid 1936, were "silver/silver". A few DWM wood bottom mags were delivered to Mauser in 1930, and used with their commercial production.