It's actually a nickname for some of the last lugers made for the German military, although not exactly accurate, lol. In order to complete the last order of lugers while the tooling was being set up, some of the lugers between 1940-42 were fitted with black grips, a black platic bottom for the magazine, and of course, the whole pistol was blued to speed production. History for ya!
Maker's code, indicating that the pistol was made by Mauser.
mauser
that should be 'byf 41 and that means it was made by Mauser. value depends on overall condtion................
value depends on overall condition. your mauser COULD be worth $900-$1200
no, just means gun made early 1941 (based on serial number)
"BYF" is an abbreviation for "Bring Your Friends."
check top of the luger. you should see: byf(mauser), suhl, erfurt, or DWM. those are the different makers
100-1000 USD or more depending on specifics
Yes.
if you look down on pistol you should note a date over the chamber area. that is when it was made...................... OP: If that is the case, then my pistol was made in 1601; around 300 years before the patent was awarded. Then there is the 'f' at the end of that, which might denote June, it being the sixth month of the year. I really don't think that is the answer, but thanks for your time. The date of manf. for (most) lugers is directly over the chamber. Some exceptions as with letters 'byf' or letter 'G' or 'K'. I would greatly appreciate SEEING a 1601 over the chamber area of a luger . A luger COULD have the serial # 1601f, but that would be on the side or bottom of barrel. Are your sure it's a luger ????? A picture will tell. OP: The number and letter series is on the bottom of the barrel, under a crown with an "N" over it. I have checked over and over again and I cannot see anything marked over the chamber. Yes, I am sure that it is a luger. I'll get a picture up when I can find time. OP: Did some more research and found out that I have a civilian luger. It has GERMANY stamped on the side IAW the import laws the U.S. had back in the early half of the 20th century. No book or person I have talked to can still point me in the right direction for it's date of manufacter, however Lugers like mine were made and imported in large quantities circa 1930 to help Germany pay off their World War 1 debt. Everything I have found concerning Lugers in any detail are concerned with the 9mm models, mine being a 7.65mm. Also the marking below the 1601 is not an "f", but rather a "p" in the old German script. I guess it is the best I can get right now. Thanks for all your help internet.
The Date is located on the slide of the pistol. Look for a code such as "AC41" or "BYF40". The alpha characters are the manufacturer's codes, and the two-digit numbers are the years (i.e. 41=1941). I think AC is Walther and BYF is Mauser.
100-1000 USD depending on specifics