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New to me P38 0 Series

2K views 16 replies 4 participants last post by  93978 
#1 ·
Picked up a wonderful Walther P38 0series over the weekend. This is a 1940 pistol in the 07000 range. Just sharing.

I do have a question. The magazine is clearly serial numbered and marked with correct Walther Waffenampt (359). But shouldn’t the mag have the same serial number as the pistol... it does not.

It doesn’t matter to me, but I love to know. The pistol is about 90-95 percent... even most of the red/white sight paint is intact. Pretty neat.
 

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#11 ·
I have another good question. I collect some WWII pieces. Why are there so many German pistols in incredibly good shape? This pistol had carry marks but other than that it is perfect. I see pictures all the time of P38s with white lettering still intact...


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#12 ·
I think that many of them came home as souvenirs and show-off items, and then went into a box somewhere as the vet went on about his life. The vet himself may not have had any further interest in it or in handguns in general either after returning home (happens sometimes after being in a war). A pistol may have not been the ideal souvenir in the wife's or mom's eyes, either, as well as with 9mm being hard to find in those days, so it stayed quiet. Finally, many collectors recognize the value in keeping their items in the best shape possible, so those that were collected tend to have been curated as well. Not all of them made it 75 years without a scratch, many have been destroyed as well, but there is a bias towards thinking they are all good when that is what you often see in collections. Take care of the history you get to hold!
 
#13 ·
Oh, I do... but my Hi Power, captured near Carentan and dragged across Europe... looks like it has been dragged across Europe by a paratrooper. The P38s I see are in really good shape. This pistol had to have been issued in 1940 and somebody switched mags... but it doesn’t have scratches and nicks like... well my own issue 1911 had and my other WWII pieces have... and a lot of them are in astounding condition look at the pistols in the thread, that other poster has a new pistol and that auction zero series is amazing.
 
#15 ·
Pistols did not see significant usage, even in dismounted infantry combat, because those who were armed with pistols were frequently also armed with other primary weapons such as machine guns or machine pistols. While flap holsters did provide protection from the weather, in the field, they were also great places for pistols to rust away. The key was however that pistols, like other small arms in the German military, were very well maintained.
 
#16 ·
agreed. the Remington Rand I was issued in 1982 still had a bright bored original barrel. I collect WWII 1911s and some of those show some wear, but not much firing. I have a WWI 1911, rebuilt in 1942 whose finisj is perfect but you can tell that it had seen extensive use.

Im just amazed at the durability of the finishes and craftsmanship used in older military pistols. I have a Wilson .45 and my 100 year old Springfield shoots just as well, even after heavy use and military rebuild.

my grandfather was a Prussian and a Wehrmacht officer... believe me... I knew how to clean and field strip... :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
My father was a 19 year old Landser when WWII ended. He was evacuated on one of the last ships into the Hel / Gotenhafen area. The war ended when the German ship he was on was at sea. When the ship's Captain announced the war was over, he and his fellow infantry soldiers (kept on the open decks) threw their weapons over the side into the Baltic. (He told me that towards the end, many soldiers had also carried pistols as casualties caused them to become increasingly available.) This was the second time he remembers throwing weapons away. The first time was when they thought they would be captured by approaching Russians.
 
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