Picked up this Luger at an estate sale. Finish is rough, but mechanically it seems in good working condition. No rust or pitting, it just seems to be missing a lot of blue. I'm assuming it is late WW-II military vintage, but not being that familiar with Lugers could use some help to better identify it. I failed to get a photo of the top, but the toggle has ""byf" and "05" while the top of the forward frame has "42", which I assume means made in 1942. Check out the photos. Yes, I know, the grips are incredibly ugly.



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Lugers at Random page 288

Mauser (byf) with year mark 41 or 42
many thousands made

Yes and 42 was the last year they made them; way too expensive to make; it is said that three P38s could be made for the price of one Luger. Yours should have black plastic grips and black plastic magazine bottom. Read about the Black Widow Luger.
WaA135 was the resident WaffenAmpt inspector office at Oberndorf then. Seen on Kar98ks and everything Mauser made at that time.

Thanks for the comments.

I understand that virtually none of these have an original magazine, but it does have the black plastic magazine finger grip. On the LH magazine sheet metal forward of the plastic finger grip is a small "fxo" stamp, below which is a difficult to see symbol of some kind. On the LH sheet metal to the aft of the finger grip is "PO8". Does this give any clue as to the origin or vintage of the magazine?

The only non-matching number on the gun appears to be the lever forward of the trigger on the LH side, which I assume is part of the take down mechanism? Everything else is (9)05.

fxo is the code for the mag contractor; like most gun makers, they buy magazines. And the plastic bottom means it was a late one, correct for your pistol.
Yes that checkered lever is the take down lever.

I have one I picked up on a great deal that was 1939 mfg. all matching ser. #'s including mag in like-new condition in a clamshell holster marked Berlin 1935 along with an extra mag + takedown tool.