Is the Walther P38 a good gun?

Is the Walther P38 a good gun?

Tough and raw-boned, it doesn’t lure you to it with a perfect single-action trigger release. But out in the mud and dirt-soaked world of wartime combat, it certainly earned its place as one of the great pistols of our time.

What year is my P38?

Locate the manufacturer codes. After the P38 designation, an alpha, or alpha-numeric stamped designation is found. All Walther-produced P38s are designated AC, followed by the final two digits of the year manufactured. A 1943 Walther P38 is identified by AC43.

When did they stop making the Walther P38?

The P-38 was smooth shooting, accurate, and reliable—everything a soldier could want from a sidearm—and Walther produced some 1.2 million of them from 1940 to 1945. The P-38 wasn’t again produced for the German military until after 1957.

What do the markings on a Walther P38 mean?

The P38 was developed by Carl Walther in 1938. In 1940 the walther banner was replaced by a secret code to indicate the manufacturer. The Germans were afraid that markings like the Walther banner would make it quit easy for the allies to determine the weapon production sites and bomb them.

What did the Japanese call the P38?

the fork-tailed devil
The nicknames. They once called the plane the fork-tailed devil, while the Japanese dubbed them, two planes, one pilot.

Where is serial number on Walther P38?

The Walther banner and P38 model indication are stamped on the left side of the slide with the serial number next to it. All parts of the 0-Series pistols are stamped with the Walther acceptance stamp E/359 and the sight is painted White/red.

What is a P38 Luger worth?

Extremely Rare Early World War II Nazi Walther AC No Date P-38 Pistol. Price Realized: Estimated Price: $8,500 – $11,000.

What is the difference between a Walther P1 and P38?

Premium Member. The short answer is that there is no difference between the P38 and the P1. It’s the same gun gun with a different, post-war designation.

What German soldiers carried lugers?

World War II and Beyond During the Nazi era, the regular army and Adolf Hitler’s elite Waffen SS used the renowned Luger until their defeat in 1945. Mauser continued wartime production in Nazi Germany into December 1943. A Luftwaffe version by Heinrich Krieghoff and Son was augmented staring in 1935.

What did the Germans call the P-38 Lightning?

fork-tailed devil
Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil (German: der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) by the Luftwaffe and “two planes, one pilot” by the Japanese.

Where can I find the Walther P38 pistol manual?

The pages of this little brochure will give a most detailed and therefore very useful description of the various data relating to the pistol Model P38. The text of this PDF comes from the widely distributed Walther_P38.PDF manual.

What kind of case does the Walther P-38 come in?

Presented here in a Collector’s Presentation Case, the P-38 comes in a French-fitted American Walnut presentation case that is serially numbered with the P-38’s serial number, forever tying them together! The case has a serially numbered Knights Cross that rests below the barrel. The inside is lined with heavy red velvet. The…

How tall is the Walther P38 double action?

2 P38 General Data: Caliber: 9mm Parabellum (Luger) Action: Double-Action Semiauto Overall Length: 214mm/8-7/16” Height of Pistol: 136mm/5-3/8” Length of Barrel:125mm/4-15/16” Number of rifling grooves: 6 Rifling twist: 1 in 10”, right twist Empty Weight: 780g/27.5oz. Loaded Weight: 865g/30.5oz.

Where is the loaded chamber indicator on the Walther P38?

Besides a DA/SA trigger design similar to that of the earlier Walther PPKs the P38 features a visible and tactile loaded chamber indicator in the form of a metal rod that protrudes from the rear of the slide when a round is chambered. P38 made by Mauser, coded “byf 44” with matching presstoff and leather holster.