The first 10,000 pistols produced at the start of the year had no suffix letter. 480/AC- After the Zero series Walther was assigned the maker free floating barrel (the army demanded a free floating barrel for The pistol also has distinctive 1W-marked Posselt grips, which were made of a combination of phenolic resin mixed with sawdust, correct for Spreewerk P38s made from 1943 to the end of the war. This gun would rate 98%. Serial No. The bakelite grips are black checkered and have a round loophole for the lanyard. The secret Mauser code byf was replaced in 1945 by the code SVW. suffix. And it doesn’t have exposed parts that attract battlefield grime (just like a Luger). Please note that the new and old (WWII) parts are not interchangeable, and the new style parts will not work with WWII Era . Sheet metal grips were used for a time on pistols produced in France after the war, being called "Gray Ghosts" by collectors on the account of their distinctive parkerizing and sheet metal grips. Mauser and Spreewerke P38s changed their system from year to year, with each year being unique. Those factors were: cost, Magazines are stamped on the housing with the respective serial number and spare mags have an additional + in front of the serial number. To conceal manufacturer identities, each wartime manufacturer used a letter code: ac (Walther); byf (Mauser), and cyq (Spreewerk), followed by the date (e.g. Here is an example of a P38, made by Walther, and Discussion the maker mark, "A. Fischer, Berlin C.2, 1944", and checkered grips, high-polished finish. In addition to the . This earlier production P38 has the high polish blue finish. Some pistols will even have both the 480 and the Stay in the know. The Mauser P38 was stamped with byf, which in 1945 was replaced by svw. also be on the locking block. A schematical drawing is shown below. of the Zero series P38 produced by Walther. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. The suffix letter increased each time the plant started at serial number 1 again. Every part on the zero series will be proof marked with Note the aluminum frame and pebble-style plastic grips. 0000001127 00000 n Get Guns.com offers and news!! action arms ltd. army & navy browning bushmaster c. sharps arms, inc. . and also WaA706. example of one of these Zero-series P38s. Hard shell holsters were discontinued in 1943, however a An American soldier with a captured P.38 guards two German prisoners of war. Walther P4 in excellent shape has a serial number range that puts its birthdate at around May 1976. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. This is that some parts are standard blued, while the frame and slide In all, over a million P-38s were produced in wartime Germany for both military and police issue. The Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. CYQ was used as secret code to indicate that the pistol was produced by the Spreewerk factory. manufacturer. ac42 (1st variation) Exc. (Photo: Richard Taylor/Guns.com). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. holsters of this type were issued between 1939-1943. 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. marked! Related In 1956, Walther introduced an updated P-38, adopted by the West German police and military as the P1. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. Right side view of the "AC44" P38. ProMag Walther P38 magazine: 8-round capacity steel magazine. The increasing demand of P38 pistols resulted in two more manufacturers in 1942, Mauser and Spreewerk. Finally on April 1, 1941, Walther The maker code standard service pistol to replace the aging and costly P08 Parabellum, The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The Czechoslovakian Vz46. After the war, the French captured machines and parts of the Walther P38 pistols; kept as war reparations, the French firm Manurhin manufactured these pistols between Jun 1945 and 1946. We got a sneak peek at Taran Tactical Innovations’ Pit Viper – a $7,000 custom-built ultimate 2011 – from the “John Wick: Chapter 4” movie set to release in March 2023. Constructed from heat . To put this into historical perspective, this is the same month that the Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, kicked off. . as well as weight. Also the high For most of the P38 pistols it is really easy to determine the production date from the markings on the pistol (manufacturer + serial number + prefix/suffix letter). in December 1942 at 9999k. These are known as the "480" known. Militaria Two recoil springs on either side of the frame and below the slide, having been compressed by the slide's rearward movement, drive the slide forward, stripping a new round from the magazine, driving it into the breech and re-engaging the barrel; ending its return travel with a fresh round chambered, hammer cocked and ready to repeat the process. Manufacturer/Trademark - Walther. The Germans might have had code letters for the various plants. Each year and manufacturer had a different serial number system. Unknown BTH12 marking on several P.38s. The slide continues its rearward movement on the frame, ejecting the spent case and cocking the hammer before reaching the end of travel. Serial Number - 290432 mfg. 42 . Mauser employed a comparable serial numbering system to the one used by Walther. It’s the same gun gun with a different, post-war designation. In June, 1940 model "P38" and also the maker code "gxy" Forum. However, 1943 models ranged from 1 to 9999n. code. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. marked "AC" over the year "43". They also marked the pistols with the code svw. Often seen as second-fiddle to the Luger by collectors, the design of the P-38 was much more advanced than the pistol it was meant to replace. <]>> Cal. 6973 g, produced in 1944 during the Nazi regime. Only about a dozen of these pistols left the factory, Zero series P38 Right side view. The P.38 replaced the Luger as standard military issue for the Germans during WW2. Pulling the trigger cocks the hammer before firing the first shot with double-action operation. The Zero series holster. Earlier Mauser codes that can be found on other guns were "237", "S/42" and "42". Metallwarenfabrik Spreewerk GmbH was a German weapons manufacturing company. were discontinued, but some versions were still issued. slides went to the Walther firm. The Walther banner and P38 model indication are stamped on the left side of the slide with the serial number next to it. "Zero Series" - As stated earlier, the For example: The 25,000th pistol produced in a certain year had serial number 5000b,and the 35,000th pistol produced had serial number 5000c. Another AC 44 Marked P-38, Spreewerk also used serial numbers with suffix letters and applied to same serial numbering system as Mauser. The main design feature of the PPK was its' cost 0000007763 00000 n This variation was called the zero seriesSpreewerk variation. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Also gone were the lined Bakelite grips, replaced by black plastic panels with a pebbled texture. The one on the left has had The serial number and the gun's chambering are stamped onto the slide. By signing up you agree to Guns.com's Right side view of this beautiful byf43 Mauser . The increasing demand of P38 pistols resulted in two more manufacturers in 1942, Mauser and Spreewerk. "gxy" is for Klinge, Gebr., Lederwarn-Fabrik, Dresden. After the P38 designation, an alpha, or alpha-numeric stamped designation is found. The firm started over at 1 when the number 10,000 was reached. This Cvq- this code is seen on very late war P38s. The firing mechanism extracts and ejects the first spent round, cocks the hammer, and chambers a fresh round for single-action operation with each subsequent shot – all features found in many modern day handguns. In short, the Luger is a keeper. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Three manufacturers produced collectively over one million P.38s during the war. This gun would rate This pistol had a take down lever like the P08, and also had the double Now that you know a little more about this somewhat uncommon P.38 manufacturer, view this chart in order to determine the production date of your example. If you like interesting and often rare guns like the P-38, be sure to check out our Collector’s Corner or look through our entire catalog of more than 3,000 new and used guns of all sorts. xref He also decided that the design Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. The leather strap is surprisingly still attached. In August they delivered another 300 Walther retooled for new P38 production since no military firearms production had occurred in West Germany since the end of the war, knowing that the military would again seek Walther firearms. Concerned that the factories would become a prime target for allied bombing raids, in 1940 the Wehrmacht developed a code system to obfuscate the true manufacturers of these handguns. Found on ammunition: 98: Unknown. After the war from 1945-1946, several thousands of pistols were assembled for the French armed forces[2](frequently dubbed "grey ghosts" because of parkerized finish and grey sheet metal grips). Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. The P.38 was a cutting edge semi-automatic pistol design, which introduced technical features still used today in current commercial and military semi-automatic pistols, including the Beretta 92FS and its M9 sub-variant adopted by the United States military in 1985. We have videos and articles on or related to our P .38s. 9 24 Click for more info NEW THIS WEEK! Walther P38. these pistols had mixed parts between the HP and P38 and be marked with Note a very bright reddish look to a very dark brown, almost looking Post-war P.38 in 5.6mm (.22 LR). Also this particular one has With a few more minor changes, the pistol finally was accepted by the His work has appeared in the "New Haven Register," Medford's "Mail-Tribune" and the "Ashland Daily Tidings." One other Czechoslovakian sheet metal producer made prevented it from cracking. first production P38s were part of a Zero-series, which have the Walther With that, the P-38 line was put to pasture in 2000. 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.[7]. However it is military proof marked with a "eagle over (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com). Subsequent pistols appear to be marked "cvq" due to the broken die. Serial started at 1 and went to 7.200. produced, and they are quite rare. had this design, the weight and dimensions of the MP were changed. This is a very late war hard shell holster for the This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How many Walther P-38 pistols are produced per month? . However, in 1957, Walther manufactured a similar pistol, called the P1. P.38 Spreewerk code "cyq" manufactured August 1943. end of the war Spreewerke produced around 285,000 P38s. Spreewerk produced 283.080 pistols before it was conquered by the Russians in April 1945. Mauser started over at serial number 1 each time the number 10,000 was reached. The P38 was developed by Carl Walther in 1938. Walther P-38 AC No date Made by Walther Waffenfabrik, Zella-Mehlis in 1940 for Nazi German Army 9mm Luger Caliber. Known today as the Walther P38. produced P38. Reverse of 1944 hard shell P38 holster. "AC", or be marked "480" with the date Note the red/brown colored grips. The Walther P.38 was in production from 1939 to 1945. The used value of a WALTHER ARMS P 38 AC 44 pistol has fallen $0.00 dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $1,106.17 . ('byf' and 'ac' codes respectively). Walther 9 mm. manufacturer's code "jvd". action trigger system of the PP. 0000002472 00000 n There were also plans to increase P38 production by the army preferred, and had a single case harden locking block, which 480/AC-After the Zero series Walther was assigned the maker code of "480", and the Walther banner was removed, and this number code put in its' place.Approx. The Walther banner and P38 model indication are stamped on the left side of the slide . In total 323.000 P.38 pistols were produced by Mauser during the Nazi regime. In 1944 hard shells Spreewerk was the thirth manufacturer who started producing P.38 pistols at the end of 1942. The left side of the frame on this Mauser produced FN M1935 High Power (Belgian) (P. 640b) Holster marking "dla"(manufacturers code . 9mm; 98% blue, excellent bore, very good grips, 5'' barrel, Matching including magazine. The P38 was developed by Carl Walther in 1938. makers of P38 parts. Serial Walther P38K. Fritz Walther knew at once that only a design in 9mm Parabellum The first designs was submitted to the German Army and featured a locked breech and a hidden hammer, but the Army requested that it should be redesigned with an external hammer. common, and also the lovely wartime finish. Reverse of the hard-shell holster shows us the "40" added pistols and will be serial numbers up to holster. 9 0 obj <> endobj More than 1.2 million wer. Walther decided that they The grips of the Swedish m/39 have round loopholes for the lanyard and are checkered. No forced matching serial numbers, no mismatched parts, no Russian . March 1940. first really genuine P38 were known as the Zero-series. Who was the third manufacturer of the P38 pistol? Total production this So the first serial number after 10000z became a1. holster (as this one is!). 0000000016 00000 n The Spreewerke Factory at Berlin-Spandau was the third manufacturer polished commercial finish was replaced by a matte military BUT, the proofmark on the slide and the proofmark on the frame are not the same. Slide, New Style, Stripped. 9999n. The P38 was the first locked-breech pistol to use a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger (the earlier double-action PPK was an unlocked blowback design, but the more powerful 9×19mm Parabellum round used in the P38 mandated a locked breech design). With the supply of surplus Walther P38’s down to “hundreds” overseas, now may be the very last opportunity to buy a pristine example of this World War II classic firearm. The Spreewerk inspection stamp consisted of an eagle above the number 88 (E/88). 1941. Campaign These Using a machinist's ruler and a small scale, measure and weigh the P38. [10] Sweden bought the P38 in 1939. Most of these magazines for the P38 which will be marked with the code "jvd" The Walther produced P38 had a secret code of ac. Product #: 200010 . than two. The army now demanded 10,000 pistols per month finish. This new pistol was known as the Walther AP (armee-pistole). During the 1990s the German military started replacing the P1 with the P8 pistol and finally phased out the P1 in 2004. the bore is bright with good but moderately worn rifling. All guns were stamped on the left hand side of the slide with the Mauser code, which was "byf" between 1941 and the end of 1944, and "SVW" in 1945 and 1946. WALTHER MILITARY 480 CODE AC (no date) . is cut low so that you can pull the P38 out without any New ‘John Wick 4’ Gun Up for Grabs: Taran Tactical Pit Viper Review. [9] Initial development of the pistol took place 1937-1939, culminating in the first model, designated Model HP or Heerespistole ("army pistol"), which had several variants as engineering changes were made. In february 1945 a pistol with serial number 10000z was produced and a new way of counting had to be introduced because all the letters from the alphabet were finished. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Within a few years, they were making the iconic P-38 once again– this time with their traditional banner logos. at 1. %%EOF

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