![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() However, the slide and frame and associated parts of the locking mechanism are all complex machinings, the sorts of things one will most likely never see again in handgun production. The barrel of the P38 is a complex unit, being machined (as well as we could tell) out of the same block that held the breech-lock mechanism and the rails in which the slide moved. Most of the visible identifying or manufacturing numbers matched, and the fit of the gun was fairly tight, we thought, for wartime production. The finish was slightly pitted from rusting over time, but it didn’t really harm the overall effect, we thought. Here’s what we found.Īs expected, the machining on this gun was quite rough all over, though the bore looked fairly good. Any decent 9mm for that low of a price could be considered a bargain, but when it has the Walther name on it, as our test pistol did, it’s amazing.īecause of their low asking prices and historical significance, we wondered how these two guns stacked up in a modern testing situation. The P1 was recently priced in several outlets so low as to be a bargain, in the realm of $200 to $250, though we doubt those prices still hold. Recent offerings were made of the P1 by various surplus gun outlets. Our test P38 was made by Mauser in 1944, as noted by the “byf” and “44” markings on the slide. Wartime guns were identified by a letter code. About a million P38s were made during WWII by Walther, Mauser, FN, Brno, and several other manufacturers. The P38 was adopted officially in 1938, hence the P38 (for Pistole) designation. Walther developed the P38 out of its PP, one of the very first double-action pistol designs. We just tested a wartime P38 against a later P1, the latter being about the same as the P38 of WWII, but made for the West German army, and having an aluminum-alloy frame instead of the all-steel frame of WWII. Many shooters simply wonder how good they were, and how they stack up against today’s products. Still, we recognize the appeal of famous names and well-known designations, and because so few shooters still alive today had to use these guns in anger, there’s natural curiosity about them. Current manufacturing methods and materials are naturally much advanced over what they were 10, 20, 50 or 100 years ago, so on a quality and consistency basis, today’s guns are usually better picks if actual shooting is in the owner’s plans. We remain mildly surprised by the ongoing interest Gun Tests readers have for tests of collectible, relic, or just plain old guns. ![]()
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