* S/42, 1939 POLICE LUGER, WITH ACCES. (sn 8515)

S/42, 1939 POLICE LUGER, SERIAL NUMBER 8515n, WITH ACCESSORIES.

Mauser manufactured military code Lugers for the police. These were marked and dated S/42-G, S/42-1936, S/42-1939, and byf-41. These all bear the police arsenal installed sear safety.

When Third Reich Lugers was published in 1988 only 32 such Lugers were reported for an estimated production of 1600. More recently it was reported in AUTO MAG (under a cottage industry alert) that a sear safety was added to over 100 military code Lugers producing counterfeit military code police Lugers. There are now more fakes in circulation than reported originals. I will stick to my original data base, as it was compiled prior to this large scale faking.

The S/42 code was changed to the 42 code in early 1939 so 1939 S/42 code Lugers were produced for only a few months. Approximately 39,500 1939 S/42 Lugers were produced and these are in the 4000n-6000r serial range. These bear a E/63 E/63 or an E/83 E/63 acceptance stamp and almost all bear the Mid Army test proof. Almost all of these went to the German military with approximately 600 going to the Police. Thirteen of these police Lugers are found in the 9170m and 7339n to9505n serial range. (Axis Pistols page 205-211; Third Reich Lugers page 109-110)




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Figure 1. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Left slant view.




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Figure 2. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Top.




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Figure 3. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Right side.




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Figure 4. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Right receiver and barrel, showing mid test proof and E/83 E/63 acceptance stamps.




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Figure 5. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Serial number on the frame and barrel. Blue Mauser military Lugers do not show a halo around the barrel serial numbers.




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Figure 6. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Showing its crimped-blued- E/63 stamped proper magazine, numbered 1 In the police style. (Note: this magazine has had its original number ground off and replaced.)




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Figure 7. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Showing inside of grips that bear the last two digits of the serial number (15).




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Figure 8. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Showing the sear safety. It is held by a rivet at one end and on the opposite end bears a small pin that blocks the sear and prevents the discharge of a partly dissembled Luger. The sear safety was a police requirement introduced by Prussian State Police orders dated August 30, 1933. It was not a military requirement.

The rivets for sear safeties were made of steel (brass or aluminum was not used). Its half rounded head is not deformed and the rivet is in the white.




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Figure 9. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. The bottom of the sear safety rivet. The rivet hole is counter sunk on the bottom to accommodate the smashed lower end of the rivet. The bottom of the rivet has been filed off. The rivet is in the white and was installed after the Luger was blued.




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Figure 10. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Showing the inside of the side plate. The first two digits of the Lugers serial number plus 1 (86) is stamped inside the side plate. The sear safety cut in the top of the side plate is somewhat crude and in the white. The sear safety installation was at a police arsenal (not the Mauser factory).




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Figure 11. Police S/42 code,1939 dated Luger, serial number 8515n. Full rig showing, police holster, police tool, and police extra magazine.



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Figure 12. Showing the interior of the holster.




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Figure 13. Back of holster showing the Berlin manufacture, 1940 date, police E/B stamp and serial number of the police Luger (8590) that once occupied this holster.




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Figure 14. Extra side marked extruded chrome plated police Haenel magazine.




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Figure 15. Bottom of extra magazine numbered “1" in the police style with police E/L acceptance stamp.




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Figure 16. Eagle/C police tool numbered 8590 on opposite side. Typically these are faintly marked and in the white.




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Figure 17. Back side of above tool showing 8590 number on its back. This tool came in the above holster. The number represents the serial number of the police Luger (8590) that once occupied the holster this tool came in.




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Figure 18. These sear safety military code Lugers bear the police required sear safety, magazines numbered in the police style, and some are matched to police holsters (Still, Axis Pistols, 1989, page 211). They were issued to police units. It has not been established if they were issued to the rural or city police shown here or some other paramilitary police unit. They are one of the rarest Military Code Lugers.