1942 Walther P.38         

I have had a love/hate relationship with P.38's since 1984, which is when I bought my first one. 

This is my sixth P.38.

First was a post-war French Manurhin, then a post-war Walther commercial, then a couple Wartime AC44's, then my worn BYF43, and now this one.

Well, maybe "hate" is too strong a word.

It is. Far too strong.

I've always liked them, and while superior to the Luger P.08 in every regard (except value), I've frequently vacillated in my appreciation for them.

I think I think of them as being far too "ordinary", or normal...too modern.

Maybe it was because they were always inexpensive while I was younger, and still available in commercial form.

I sort of feel the same way about 1911's too. I love them, but as they're still so much in production...Right

Well, Walther finally pulled the plug on P.38 production ten or fifteen years ago. Maybe that's why I am finally enjoying them.

I already had my BYF43 P.38, and AC44 P.38, which were a fine examples, but when I saw this one, I figured I needed it.

That's actually an over simplification. I had been debating getting either an AC 42, or an AC 43 for some time.

 

I had bid on several at good bargains over the months, on Gunbroker, but had not apparently either come to grips with

what they are realistically selling for now, or didn't want each truly bad enough.

Then I saw this one. It was already $200 more than I had thought I was willing to pay.

However, over the course of a week, and after looking at these pictures again and again,

I decided this looked like too clean a specimen to pass up.

 

It helped that I had just paid off a credit card...

With four hours left on the auction, and Christmas rapidly approaching, I bit the proverbial bullet, and bid on it...

...four hours left to go and it was 11:55pm. I knew you'd have to get up pretty early to beat me on this one.

I was right. I woke up, and saw I had won. It was a great way to start the morning.

The P.38 was adopted by the Nazi Wehrmacht just before the war. It proved itself as a capable weapon on every front, and in every branch of the German armed forces during the Second World War. It is a testimony to its design that after the war, its production was continued in France on captured machinery, and, when West Germany was again allowed to bear arms, it was the P.38 that was again adopted as the new Democracies side arm. With a few modifications, the pistol saw service as the P.38, the P.1 (aluminum frame), the P.4 (shortened barrel), and the P.5 (numerous changes and shorter barrel). Production in one form or another as well as service with the Bundeswehr and Polizei units continued well into the 1990's. A fine service history which does little to allay the pistols sinister Nazi origins. 

The "Eagles Nest"

Matching locking block

Period correct magazine.

Eagle/359 mark

I am very happy to have this one coming to my collection. I am hoping it will remain there...but now I'm thinking about another BYF...

Will this madness ever stop???!!!

 

 

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