I found this reasonably clean Walther marked Bundeswehr surplus P.38 at a local shop on Tuesday. They had just taken it in on consignment. The pistol is dated 10/62 on the right side of the slide and bears the Walther banner and roll mark on the left. If you look closely, there is a very tiny import stamp on the left side of receiver between the disassembly lever and slide stop (the least obtrusive I have ever seen on any surplus import). Previously, I owned a similar 1969 Interarms P.38 which I believe was intended for the commercial market. Though I never fired the Interarms pistol, I know from my research earlier P.38/P1 pistols should be limited to milder 115 gr. loads such as Winchester white box. Beyond general pistol knowledge, is there anything else specific to the P.38/P1 I should be aware of before I fire this one? Thanks!

It sounds like you already have everything covered. That looks like a very nice pistol.

I have been told to never buy a P1 alloy frame that did not have the cross bolt, (also called hex bolt)

seems some thing the frame will crack if you do,

I've bought and resold several with out and the folks I sold them to had no issues,

re the import marks, TG out of Knox TN imported a pile of p38's that were marked on the bottom of the slide,
you can see the mark if you turn the gun upside down, otherwise it is not noticeable

From the little I’ve worked on p38’s it’s one of the guns that the later models seem better made than the very early ones. Especially the wartime guns. Some were made by Jewish slave labor, and some of those appear to have been sabotaged in production. Those post war guns can be good shooters.

Your pistol looks original to 1962.

In the mid/late 1960s, the 'fat slide' was introduced, to help avoid slides cracking where the locking blocks fit.

They are visually different as the safety lever area in front of the lever is lower than the sides of the slide, while the earlier version are smooth and the same width the entire length of the slide.


The second 'upgrade' is the hex-bolt reinforcement of the frame, to reduce long term damage to the firearm.

the walther forum and the p38 forum have excellent information about these pistols.

You identified the issue with ammo- and no +P rounds.

Also, do NOT use extra-strength recoil springs, as they can slam the slide forward too hard, and cause damage to the frame over time [as I seem to recall].


Remember that the frames are anodized but the slide is parkerized- usually. Be alert when cleaning/lubing it.

Lastly, you do NOT drift the rear sight on these.

You will break things if you do.

The rear sight setup was designed to have three options.

A standard 'centered' one, and then one marked L and one marked R to refer to the rear notch being offset to one side or the other, to establish 'windage'. This is the 'gross/large' change factor. Minor adjustments were made by drifting the front sight a smidge.

Shoot it carefully from a bench to see if the sights are properly aligned. But do NOT drift the rear sight- install the correct one.


Some have identified issues of the top cover launching at the range, and losing a couple of the small parts held in place by the rear sight- which is held in place by the firing pin top cover.

If you intend to keep this for a long time, it might be wise to invest in some replacement small parts for that area.


If I were going to keep this for a long time, I'd look into a fat slide to substitute for this one as a daily shooter, and save the original for looks/resale.


As to wartime guns- well, basically ALL original steel P38s could be called wartime guns.

They didn't start mass production until 1939 at the Walther plant.

The Mauser plant came online about 1942, as they were finishing their run of P08s [Lugers to us].

The SpreeWork factory came online sometime around 1941/42 also, IIRC.

The factories had to close at the end of the war, and the French seized their stockpile of parts/weapons.

In WWII pistols, my readings indicate that pre-1943 firearms are preferable, in the following order of better to worse: Walther-Mauser [tied I think, but some put Walther first], and then Spreework produced.

Most Spreework pistols seem rougher finished to me.

CDNN investments frequently has P38/P1 parts at reasonable prices.

Enjoy! They are a neat piece of history!

Bczrx covered the P38 well in the post above. These pistols were designed for 124 gr ball and I find some 115 to recoil more. The hex-bolt was added to keep the frame from cracking due to stress from the locking block. I have a P4 from the mid 70’s which is an improved P38 with fat solid top slide and hex bolt. Barrel is shorter than the P38 and was made for about 6 years as a stop gap pistol while the P5 was being designed and introduced as an entry in the German pistol trials.The P4 is one of my favorite range pistols.

Excellent information gang. I have some standard pressure 124 gr. FMJ's en route. Thanks!

Watch out for hammer bite, they can get you.

And yes, the Bundeswehr referred to them as the P1 after they brought it back into use and made the frames alloy instead of all steel.

I believe the German military began using the P1 designation in 1963. After that, military models were marked P1 and commercial models were marked P38.

quote:

Originally posted by gc70:
I believe the German military began using the P1 designation in 1963. After that, military models were marked P1 and commercial models were marked P38.

+1. From 1957 - 1963, the pistols were marked P.38 - complete with the Walther "banner" and slide legend. Attached is a close-up of the slide legend on my 10/62 pistol. Note also the inconspicuous import stamp.

Left side detail 10/62 P.38

I have a couple of these, wartime, p1, p4. None of them have ever worked with the cheap Remington 115gr green and white box ammo. The ammo may have changed since my experience, but I would avoid it in these pistols. I bought a lot of this ammo because I could get it cheaply and it functioned ok in other guns.

That's really nice HJS. I was born in 9/1962, so that gun is almost as old as I am, but in MUCH better shape.

Very cool pistol! I've always been intrigued by the P38 and actually think it is an attractive pistol. I have just never come across the opportunity to buy or even shoot one. Let us know how it shoots!