- PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS
- PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER
- PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIES
PS: In defense of my "stupidity" I sold them for considerably more than I had originally paid!Ĭlick to expand.The 9x19 is certainly not my favorite caliber for a woods gun usually because of the guns themselves. It seems there was always someone wanting them more than "I could turn down"! I continued using them for several years after returning to the States but over the years eventually sold them all off. The P38 always felt good to me, fitting my hands well with its single stack magazine. I spent the next couple years of that tour shooting those guns (and many others) at the various Rod & Gun Clubs (and several German clubs) whenever I could. (I guess they had sort of reached their "saturation point" with the local gun buyers.) He told me if I was interested in buying them "packaged" (in other words, all three) he'd sale them to me for what the shop had into them. 32ACP/7.65mm) and one P38 (9x19) left that had been in his shop for a considerable period of time. Which in turn made these highly desirable guns available to American GI's at fantastic prices. The local Walther sales rep knew the Darmstadt Rod & Gun manager well and made him an "offer he couldn't refuse". One day I was talking to him about a couple of PP's (7.65mm) and the P38's he had been selling and came to learn that they were part of a large run of "trade-ins" that Polizei had traded to Walther during a Modernization Program. I spent a lot of time (and money ) at that shop and got to know the manager quite well.
In almost all respects, a Browning High-Power of similar age is, IMHO, a superior pistol.Ĭlick to expand.To my regret very little actual hands on experience! My last tour in Germany (1984-1987) I did manage to pick up a second hand P38 (9x19mm) from the Darmstadt Rod and Gun Club. The P08 has many parts the P-38 much fewer. The older Lugers have the magazines with wood caps/plugs on the bottom and the newer ones have a cap made of a bakelite substance.
PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER
Older, matching serial number Lugers of DWM or American Eagle markings can run into thousands of dollars. Right now, there are a number of dealers with a P-38 variant (P1, I believe) with the aluminum frame selling them with a holster in the $350-$400 range.
PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS
The P08, even with non-matching serial numbers is almost always more costly that a P38, given equal condition.
PRE WAR WALTHER P38 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIES
Both were made by a number of war-time manufactures identified by a series of stamped letters on the receiver. The P08 has been made several different ways with differences having to do mainly with barrel length and acceptability of a shoulder stock. The P-38 has been made with both steel and aluminum frames. 30 Luger in P08), fixed sights, serviceable triggers. In terms of mechanical assurances, this stamp is the most important on the weapon.I have had both what would you like to know?īoth are, of course, basic combat pistols with their 9mm (also. In order to obtain this certification, the firearm must successfully fire two rounds of ammunition that have been loaded 30% hotter than the accepted maximum caliber specification. The N stands for nitrocellulose and as you may have guessed, means that the firearm has been approved for safe use with nitrocellulose-based gunpowder. The eagle is a federal insignia in Germany and in this case is indicative of the firearm’s acceptance according to government standards. The first stamp we will discuss is the “eagle over N” that is consistent on all German firearms. Over the years, the specific proof stamps employed by German manufacturers have varied somewhat (especially during and after World War Two), but the markings have remained fairly consistent for most of the past half-century. Though the measures seem heavy handed, collectors largely believe that the regulations did improve the overall quality of European arms in the latter half of the 19 th century. Intended to help guarantee the quality of firearms produced in each nation, proof laws laid forth a set of standards that gun manufacturers must adhere to in order to market their products. Though the European tradition of compulsory proofing (and subsequent marking) dates back to the English Gun Barrel Proof Act of 1868, Germany did not adopt a similar law until 1891. Officially, these markings are known as proof marks or proof stamps.