1941 (42) Mauser P08

Key Facts and Brief History of 1941-dated Mauser Lugers

Manufacturer: Mauser (after 1939 April 1940, all new Luger production was done by Mauser; DWM/Krieghoff had stopped or were stopping production).

Code: From 1941 onward, Mauser Lugers are marked with the factory code "byf" (Mauser’s wartime code assigned by the Heereswaffenamt). Earlier 1941 guns may still carry the older "42" code (Mauser’s pre-1941 code), but the vast majority of 1941 production is byf 41.

Quantity produced in 1941: Approximately 130,000–140,000 Lugers (one of the highest yearly outputs of the entire war).

Standard features of 1941 production:

4-inch (100 mm) barrel, 9×19mm Parabellum

Typically blued finish (salt-blue, increasingly rougher as the war progressed)

Black or reddish-brown Bakelite or wood grips (black Bakelite becoming more common in 1941)

All 1941 guns have the late-war "SE 63" (Waffenamt acceptance) stamps

Most have phosphated small parts (trigger, ejector, magazine release, etc.) starting in late 1940/early 1941 to save bluing materials)

Magazine bottoms are usually blued steel with extruded aluminum base, marked with two Waffenamt eagles and sometimes "+"

Variations within 1941 production

Early 1941: Still carry the "42" 1941 toggle marking (leftover pre-code toggles).

Mid-to-late 1941: Toggle changed to "byf" marking.

A small number of 1941-dated pistols were made with the rare "Eagle/655" Krieghoff-style acceptance stamps (Mauser temporarily used leftover Krieghoff inspection dies).

Historical Context

By 1941 Germany was deep into the war. The Luger was already considered obsolescent (the Walther P38 was the new standard pistol), but the army still had huge demand, and the P38 could not yet be produced in sufficient numbers. Mauser therefore ramped up Luger production dramatically in 1940–1942. The 1941 byf guns are therefore classic late-war Lugers: simplified, cost-reduced, but still very well made compared with 1942–1945 examples that became progressively rougher.

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