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1937 s/42 mauser finish and acceptance stamp variations

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#1 ·
1937 S/42 MAUSER FINISH AND ACCEPTANCE STAMP VARIATIONS

1937/1938 serial numbers and details in link below:
http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?3206-1937-1938-Data-Request

Acceptance Stamps, Finish, And Serial Range Suffixes 1937 S/42
p Straw, DE63………… u blue, DE63………… z blue, DE63 to SE63, Start SE83
q Straw, DE63………… v blue, DE63………….ns blue SE63
r Straw, DE63………… w blue, DE63………… a blue SE63
s Straw, DE63………… x blue, DE63…………. b blue 1937 to 4068b then 1938
t Straw blue, DE63… y blue, start of change to SE63

During 1937 a number of changes were made in Mauser Lugers manufactured for the German Army.
These are changes in finish (straw small parts to blued)*, a change in the shape of the acceptance stamp from droop wing eagle to stick wing eagle**, areas previously left in the white (inside of frame, forks and crown***) on strawed Lugers was now left blued on Lugers with blued small parts. In addition, the back of the frame at its top was cut down forming what collectors call a hump. These changes made by Mauser during 1937 would continue until Mauser ceased production of dated Military Lugers in 1942.
Detailed photographs shown below, illustrate these changes.

*Note: refinishing of the original strawed parts to blued or strawing original blued parts on a 1937 dated Luger can result in incorrect reporting of the original 1937 dated Lugers finish. Some of the out of place blued or strawed parts Lugers reported in this table may be the result of this. Caution should be used in using this data.
**These acceptance stamps are small and sometimes it almost takes a microscope to make correct identifications. They are not the type of variation that can be determined from across a gun show isle. Perhaps these should be termed the microscope variations. In any case collectors may consider these tiny changes on 1937 dated Lugers less important than for example the change from straw small parts to blued small parts.
***Extensive shooting may diminish a blued crown.
 
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#2 ·
1937 S/42 WITH STRAW SMALL PARTS AND DE63 DE63 ACCEPTANCE STAMPS
SUMMARY: 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps, strawed small parts; DE63 left barrel, barrel gauge 8,81; grips unmarked, and 87 inside of side plate. Magazine S/42 / DE63. No frame hump.
Figure 1. Left slant view, 1937 S/42, serial number (sn) 8766p. The small parts (trigger, take down lever, safety lever, magazine release, and ejector) are strawed. Strawed to blued small parts is an easy to observe to make. The strawed variation is in the approximate serial range of 7050p to 3142t . The left barrel acceptance stamp is DE63 (whiteing missed and the DE63 doesn’t show in this photo).
Figure 2. Right side, 1937 S/42, sn 8766p. It lacks the Mauser hump, as do almost all 1937 S/42 Lugers with strawed small parts.
Figure 3. Serial number (sn) on front of frame and bottom of barrel. The sn letter suffix “p”is only shown under the sn on the front of the frame. The barrel gauge (8,81) is located rearward of the serial number on the bottom of the barrel.
 

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#3 ·
Figure 4. Details right side of receiver, 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, showing the DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps and Mid-test proof. (Note: DE = droop wing eagle.) All strawed 1937 S/42 lugers bear DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps.
Figure 5. Inside grips 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, Luger. These lack a serial number.
Figure 6. 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, Luger. The inner side plate number (87) is the same as the first two digits of the Lugers serial number.
 

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#4 ·


Figure 7. 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, Luger, top of frame. Most of the inside frame of almost all strawed 1937 Lugers is in the white.
Figure 8. 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, Luger. The barrel crown is in the white.
Figure 9. 1937 S/42, sn 8766p, Luger. Its proper replacement magazine has a blued tube and its bottom is marked S/42 / DE63.
 
#5 ·
1937 S/42 ALL BLUED WITH DE63 DE63 ACCEPTANCE STAMPS VARIATION
SUMMARY: 1937 S/42, sn 2591v, DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps; blued; DE63 left barrel, barrel gauge 8,82; grips 91, and 25 inside of side plate. Matching magazine 2591/v/SE63; frame hump.
Figure 1. Left slant view, 1937 S/42, serial number (sn) 2591v. The small parts are blued. The left barrel acceptance stamp is DE63.
Figure 2. Right side, 1937 S/42, sn 2591v. It has the Mauser hump.
Figure 3. Serial number (sn) 2591v on front of frame and bottom of barrel. The sn letter suffix “v” is shown under the sn on the front of the frame. The barrel gauge (8,82) is located rearward of the serial number on the bottom of the barrel.
 

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#6 ·
Figure 4. Right side of receiver, 1937 S/42, sn 2591v , showing the DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps and Mid-test proof. (Note: DE = droop wing eagle.) This is the blued variation with the DE63 DE63 acceptance stamps. This blued DE63 DE63 variation is in the approximate serial range of 3142t to 4147y.
Figure 5. Bottom of matched blued 1937 S/42, sn 2591v magazine. It is marked 2591/v/SE63.
Figure 6. Inside grips 1937 S/42, sn 2591v Luger. These are stamped with the last two digits of the Lugers serial number.
 

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#7 ·
Figure 7. 1937 S/42, sn 2591v Luger. The inner side plate number (29) is the same as the first two digits of the Lugers serial number.
Figure 8. 1937 S/42, sn 2591v Luger. The barrel crown is blued.
Figure 9. 1937 S/42, sn 2591v Luger, top of frame. This variation is blued on top of and inside of the frame.
 

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#8 ·
1937 S/42 ALL BLUED WITH SE63 DE63 ACCEPTANCE STAMPS VARIATION
SUMMARY: 1937 S/42, sn 2926z, SE63 DE63 acceptance stamps, blued; SE63 left barrel, barrel gauge 8,84; grips 26; 29 inside of side plate. . Magazine S/42 / SE63; frame hump.
Figure 1. Left slant view, 1937 S/42, serial number (sn) 2926z. The small parts are blued. The left barrel acceptance stamp is SE63.
Figure 2. Right side, 1937 S/42, sn 2926z. It has the Mauser hump.
Figure 3. Serial number (sn) 2926z on front of frame and bottom of barrel. The sn letter suffix “z” is shown under the sn on the front of the frame. The barrel gauge (8,84) is located rearward of the serial number on the bottom of the barrel.
Figure 4. Right side of receiver, 1937 S/42, sn 2926z , showing the SE63 DE63 acceptance stamps and Mid-test proof. (Note: DE = droop wing eagle.) This is the blued variation with the SE63 DE63 acceptance stamps. This blued SE DE variation is in the approximate serial range of 4147y to 9551z.
 

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#9 ·
Figure 5. 1937 S/42, sn 2926z Luger. The inner side plate number (29) is the same as the first two digits of the Lugers serial number.
Figure 6. 1937 S/42, sn 2926z, Luger. Its proper replacement magazine has a blued tube and its bottom is marked S/42 / SE63.
Figure 7. Inside grips 1937 S/42, sn 2926z Luger. These are stamped with the last two digits of the Lugers serial number.
 
#10 ·
1937 S/42 ALL BLUED WITH SE63 SE63 (RARLEY SE83) ACCEPTANCE STAMPS VARIATION
SUMMARY: 1937 S/42, sn 9729z, SE63 SE83 acceptance stamps, blued; SE63 left barrel, barrel gauge 8,82; grips 29; 97 inside of side plate; frame hump.
Figure 1. Left slant view, 1937 S/42, serial number 9729z. The small parts are blued. The left barrel acceptance stamp is SE63.
Figure 2. Right side, 1937 S/42, sn 9729z. It has the Mauser hump.
Figure 3. Serial number 9729z on front of frame and bottom of barrel. The sn letter suffix “z” is shown under the sn on the front of the frame. The barrel gauge (8,82) is located rearward of the serial number on the bottom of the barrel.
 

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#11 ·
Figure 4. Right side of receiver, 1937 S/42, sn 9729z , showing the SE63 SE83 acceptance stamps and Mid-test proof. This is the blued variation with double SE acceptance stamps. This is the lowest serial number SE83 reported. The blued SE SE variation is in the approximate serial range of 9729z to 4068b.
Figure 5. 1937 S/42, sn 9729z Luger. The inner side plate number (97) is the same as the first two digits of the Lugers serial number
Figure 6. Inside grips 1937 S/42, sn 9729z Luger. These are stamped with the last two digits of the Lugers serial number.
 

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#15 · (Edited)
Thanks for this great stuff Jan.
I have a personal interest as the only S/42 P.08s that I own are dated 1937 and 1938.



SE/63 magazine markings on the 1937.



DE/63 markings on the 1937.


It looks like SE/83 on the 1938 magazines.....when did that change?



SE/63 inspection markings on the 1938 but SE/83 on the magazines???



David
 
#16 ·
David
Beautiful presentation and photographs of 1937 S/42 and 1938 S/42 Lugers; both with two matching magazines. The magazine bases of both have stick wing acceptance. Interesting, the 1938 magazines have SE 83 acceptance and its receiver has SE63 acceptance.
Thanks for posting a pair of interestion Lugers in beautiful shape.
Jan
 
#20 ·
Great information!!!! I spent most of the day trying to find out what the last eagle on the right side of the receiver was called. This answered my question and a couple of others I had. Great presentation, easy to follow for a novice Luger collector and pictures made it even better!
 
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