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Of course no byf code Luger is pre war. As for buying an “authentic” black gripped Luger here or anywhere else, I guess it depends on how you define “authentic”. If the grips are period original, the gun serial range is within the range that composite grips were known to be factory used and if...

Sorry I missed that comment earlier but I did read (just not very well!) your original post and agree. Not that it matters here, but as you no doubt know the first version of these Heer smocks were without hoods (as you cited) splinter pattern and in hbt generally. They may have been followed by...

I would point out that not all versions of this smock were manufactured with a veil. Many also had the veils removed as mentioned but many maybe most of these never had one. I don’t believe that the veils were well liked of perhaps practical in actual use. Many of these smocks can be seen in...

I’ve seen many minty byf with wooden grips break $5000 (minty holster, spare msg and tool) to over the last year and I’m not talking about with matching mags, but blank black bottom or aluminum bottom mags. I’ve saved the sales and its a number of them. I suspect some have brought much more that...

I really like the light walnut grips which seem to be very prevalent when wooden grips appear on 1942 Lugers, banner or byf. This one is only about 1500 numbers from the highest reported y block banner and the highest number that I am aware of is actually dated 41 or 1941 I don’t recall but it...

I agree that proportionately I have seen a lot more black gripped byfs these last few years, maybe even 15 years than I did back through all of the 1970s-1990s. I was not keeping up with them in the 1960s so I don’t know about that decade but believe it was similar to the 1970s in terms of what...

I’m not sure that nickname has been a factor in the desirability or price rise. Many assume so but I don’t see it. The wooden gripped byfs have also really increased in price, I’ve seen several minty ones selling for over 5k in the last year. Greed and supply are always the great equalizers. If...

I’d say that sums it up!👍

Yes I think the W-SS received at large number of GP-35s starting probably in later 1942 and they show up in a lot of SS photos by the summer of 43 onwards along with lots of Lugers still seen with new divisions stood up in mid 43 and even later. I draw a lot of humor from others triggers of...

No big sin to call these Black Widows IMO. It’s just one of hundreds of nicknames and slang terms that have been applied to arms since the Brown Bess 250 years ago! No need to have a melt down, maybe Shattuck coined it many he heard it from a vet or two in the 60s when buying them and jumped the...

Looks really nice.

Of course it’s all in the eye of the beholder and I’m notorious for not going along with the herd, it’s just more fun, but I generally agree with what you stated. Yes the type is very ugly and so ugly it is beautiful. It is a very under valued for a WWII standard service pistol with a fairly low...

Excellent thread, photos and description of work! Thanks. I would really like to read how you (or anyone) synchronizes or calibrates the reticle movement with the elevation dial?

The blued body “type 2” magazine is from an end of 1936 n block Luger. It is at least 18 months after the pistol was made. We can really see the suffix block on the Luger but I’m guessing it’s a c-e most likely. IMHO most Lugers (really every one of them) that show a lot of bore wear from firing...

Actually the DE63 started appearing in the early d block of 1935. Let me say I don’t claim to know when the first one appeared but they (DE63) were standard well before the 4000 range of the d block.

I can not say much not already written about the OP rifle but I wanted to point out that the rifle Dave posted in post #24 is an i block LT not an l block HT transitional. At least it appears to be that to me, I will apologize here up front if I’m wrong. I don’t think that it makes a huge...

Prior to about 1932 no toggle pins or axles were numbered. I’d like to have a dollar for every imperial Luger I’ve seen on big dealer websites stating “all matching except for un-numbered toggle pin”!! Im also not at all sure that unit level parts replacement was always done or even usually done...

I think that there is little doubt that the Kaiser replaced the firing pin and handguard while he was at the factory and after he test fired it in order to check for parts interchangeability. At least that is what I’ve been told on he MM parts guns that I’ve bought and it makes sense. Really...

I certainly have never seen that information (LW suspended acceptance and it marks of such) but base most of my comments on the fighting knife S and W marks on Brunners excellent research in his book on the gravity knife. It is well documented in that book that specially selected army units...

I pretty much agree with your original thought on these and the opinion put forth in one of the detailed posts above. The S and the W were likely inspector or acceptance marks for these knives contracted by non LW entities. We know for sure that some of these knives were field tested by certain...