BYF 42 Questions

[Jason L]

300zero,
Is the saftey bar in the white? Put the pistol on safe and take a side view picture. It looks "too" good. There should be holster wear....remember this gun is 67 years old. If that is the original finish and the grips are original, this is a good piece. It is hard to tell from these pictures.

[300zero]

Ill take more pics tomorrow when I go to the shop. Guys thanks for all the info. Don't want to get burned!

[Jason L]

Originally Posted by alvin

I believe people got confused on Luger and P38. I heard that it's not uncommon to see mismatched P38 made in 1945 (it's a feature, not a defect from P38 collectible point of view.... although I have not figured out how do collectors know that's 'legitimate' factory mismatch , probably correlated with s/n range, but that's off topic). German was losing the war and the Reich was about to collapse, and there were some unusual desperate practice. Make sense.

For Luger, it's a different story. Bulk making stopped in 1942 (?). The tide did not turn until 1943. In 1942, The Third Reich was at its apex. Making mismatched guns, and not uncommon? no, highly unlikely.

Alvin,
A 1945 Walther P.38 mis- match is easy to spot because of the proofs.Most Military Walther have E/359, test proof, E/359 on the right side of the slide. The ac45 factory mis match only has one E/359 on the right side, that is it.On most examples the parts are from the C block.Here is an example from my collection.

[lugercollector]

The side plate appears to be a restamped item??...not original to the gun!!...IMO

[DavidJayUden]

LC:
What are you basing your conclusion on regarding the side plate?
dju

[lugercollector]

I think the 33 stampings on the side plate are smaller than the corresponding numbers on the frame...also,the side plate appears to have different contours than a Mauser one.......I guess by looking at the numbers inside the side plate one could tell for sure..

[DavidJayUden]

LC:
Thanks.
DJU