Severe Pitting on byf 42

[HerbZ]

The one Luger presently in my possession is marked; byf, 42, and i suffix. After field stripping and removing the grips, it appears to have matching serial numbers inside and out, except for the grips which have no markings on their inside. The only magazine is marked fxo.

The pistol had been kept, by the WW II veteran who brought it back, wrapped in an old t-shirt, not a trace of oil on the outside, but with quite a bit of dark brownish black grease on the inside. I have sprayed, soaked, and scrubbed it with a toothbrush using Birchwood/Casey gun solvent/degreaser. The bore has very clear lands and grooves, with some bluing still in the grooves. There are some traces of rust on the inside despite (or because?) of the grease that had been there. The outside of the weapon has some pitting present on just about every surface, especially on its left side (perhaps the side upon which it had laid for years) and has severe pitting on the left side and top of the barrel.

Without family permission or budget to allow anyone else to work on the pistol's restoration, I have to do what I can on my own. However, even after reading many past postings on this forum, I am uncertain as to what to do next. I do have permission to shoot the pistol, but now I'm uncertain if that is advisable.