Of the Latest Nazi Accepted Walther P.38 Pistoles

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NinerMaine caught me behind a table at a gunshow today. I wasn't selling, but instead filling out papers and buying the following ac45 P.38, with a b-block serial number. Very fairly priced at $625.

Built in March of 1945 just before our GI's overtook the plant in April, it received the third and final Eagle/359 acceptance stamp on the right side slide (later b-block and all c-block Walthers have only two stamps). So, this one was issued, or slated to be issued, before it was liberated. No import marks.

It has some late-war phosphate finished small parts - rear sight, slide stop, mag catch, trigger. Just one mag, but it is a correct jvd marked unit. No pitting or patina on the salt-blued parts, and just a little left side holster scuffing on the slide. No story to back up, except that the previous owner had it in his collection since the 1970's.

A real gem. Pics, and thanks for looking.

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That was about the only buy at that show. Nice one. But I am disappointed in you Martin.. you paid the asking price. What happened? ;)

Did you see the $700 Ishapore Enfield. Not idea if it was matching or not but that was laughable.
 
That was about the only buy at that show. Nice one. But I am disappointed in you Martin.. you paid the asking price. What happened? ;)

Did you see the $700 Ishapore Enfield. Not idea if it was matching or not but that was laughable.

Au contraire! It was tagged at $699. Still fair, but I had to beat him up a little.

Yes, very little to choose from at fair prices. I drooled a bit over the 1795 Springfield muskets. Even converted to cap and ball, they were in great shape.
 
Au contraire! It was tagged at $699. Still fair, but I had to beat him up a little.

Yes, very little to choose from at fair prices. I drooled a bit over the 1795 Springfield muskets. Even converted to cap and ball, they were in great shape.

My faith is renewed. :)
 
This is a nice example of a very late Walther P.38, congrats!
After the Walther plant in Zella-Mehlis got seized on April, 4 and the Mauser Oberndorf plant on April 20,
the only plant still making P.38's towards the end of April 1945 was the Spreewerk in Grottau.

I didn't know about phosphated parts used in P.38 production; guess, you learn something new every day.
The greenish color rather reminds of G.I. style parkerization than the grayish phosphate seen on German guns.
 
Loves it.
I shoot my AC43 occasionally so I put a pair of P1 grips on it to preserve the originals. I'm more comfortable with shooting the p.38 than the p.08's for the simple fact there's less parts prone to breakage. IIRC you don't really shoot many of your collectibles though do you?
 
Thank you for the pinpoint dating, Juergen. Many P.38's without the final Nazi Military acceptance stamp were assembled by occupation forces after the plants were seized, and these frequently came home with our boys. Many are mismatched and/or parts unnumbered. I was lucky to find a late one which was delivered to the army.

And as pointed out by a member of another forum, the left side slide is not scratched, but rather unfinished in machine polishing before being blued. As we have some ample natural sunlight this morning, the bluing condition is quite evidently even across the surface, and no bare metal is exposed. So, the scratchy appearance is a product of the hurried manufacturing in the late hours of the Nazi regime.

Lastly, reading up on the phosphating, it began late in the first month of 1945, and was most prevalent at Mauser. There are examples of entire guns with the phosphate coating from Mauser. At Walther, the small parts were hit or miss, some had more phosphate parts than others. But none were entirely gray/green. Also, the cog-notched hammer began appearing on random examples at Walther in 1945, but mine has the normal serrations on the top of the spur.
 
I bought a P38 from a co-worker whose father got it in WWII.

Mine appeared to be unfired.

Sold it in 1982 for $75.
 
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