Surplus Firearms Sale p38 info?

ShooterMcGavin

ShooterMcGavin

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So I had been looking for a wartime p38 for quite some time.

I grabbed one up in the the Wolverine surplus sale. It arrived about 2 hours ago.

Now,, at first i was a bit surprised. It did not have regular wartime markings at all,, did a bit of research and found this,

Walter p38 pre war commercial production. And the one I have is in 9mm. Does anyone know any more about this gun? It is exactly marked as the one picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_HP


thoughts advice?? any more value than a regular excellent condition p38,, also looking for actual produciton year
 
Well, it might be rarer then a wartime p38 but alot of people like the military history, so any more value, hard to say.
Use your serial number to reference this sheet from p38.com.
ht tp://forums.p38forum.com/technical/P38Chart.pdf


Is your all a matching?


For example, mines a 1 for rarity but I wouldnt trade it for an unmarked 10. lol
 
HPs started to show up on the surplus market in the late 1980s. All of the ones that I saw had at least one of the barrel, slide, or frame mis-matched. Nazi eagles were also defaced. My understanding is that these were wartime production pistols with high luster commercial finish used by various German police agencies during the wartime years.
 
Marstar had a couple for sale (first one is sold) in Johnones Gun Vault.

Here they are:

J36.jpg


J2028.jpg


J2029.jpg


If you scored yours with a holster, for under $800, you did well my friend!
 
Mine is complete and all matching from what I can tell, I have not really broken it down it. It is covered in Cosmo everywhere and I would say is very good plus with the serial number between 10 000 and 11 000, Its downstairs at the moment or I would provide a more accurate number.

There is no Nazi proofs on it at all., I will get some pictures in a bit.
 
I saw that myself! Just didnt have the coin! Please post pictures. From what I have read I believe the early HPs were transferred into military service (someone correct me if wrong!)
 
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Are there any stamps on it reflecting likely nazi usage? Not ALL early weathers were used by the military, but most would have been.
 
Looks like it's been arsenal refinished and force matched. But a nice HP nonetheless.

No WaffenAmpts that I can see.... unless that is part of one on the 3rd pic you posted.

More pics?
 
It's not refinished or forced matched. The slide is electo stenciled, but it is the matching slide. I think the electro stenciled mark was an importer or capture mark. The slide is mark is a bit hard to find near the chamber
 
ShooterMcGavin said:
It's not refinished or forced matched. The slide is electo stenciled, but it is the matching slide. I think the electro stenciled mark was an importer or capture mark. The slide is mark is a bit hard to find near the chamber
Click to expand...

So it was refurbed then?

The East Germans and Russian didn't completely refinish everything on their capture pieces... If the rifle was in good enough shape, sometimes you will only see a Vopo Sunburst stamp, or maybe just the capture X, and some electropenciled parts, but it would be a refurb nonetheless. IMHO only.

It can definitely be an "all matching" original, but it still has been "refurbished" in a small way. :)

Still a VERY nice Walther HP! :dancingbanana:
 
Could be an RC, they didn't mess around with the P38's and P08's like they did the K98's. They actually kept most of the pistols matching. I don't know why they messed around with the K98's so much.
 
Well the slide is marked almost in the chamber with the serial number. Refurbished to me means rebuilt/blued/parts replaced etc.

That does not seem to be the case here. By looking at it I could very easily say that it may have been electrostenciled to identify the slide as whatever armourer or importer that did it may not have seen the serial on the slide in its location. I will try to get better pictures tomorrow in day light, (headed out for dinner with the Mrs just now)

The blueing seems consistant with other guns of the same manufacturing run. It has been covered head to to in Cosmo, and I think that it may be indeed a RC but I think that the electro stenciling was done to identify the slide as the stamp is hard to find on a quick looks. Did any other country do stenciling like that to these guns?

Also I paid 750 in the wolverine surplus arms sale for it. I think I got a deal all things considered, Any thoughts?

I also got the Early Russian SKS off of there too, which is not matching at all. I am having a few problems dating it though, does anyone have an idea on how to date a early russian SKS? My buddy got one of the lugers, it has not showed up yet but I will try to get soem pics of it when it arrives.

Any more thoughts?
 
Well I'm no expert on the P38 but $750 seems like a good price. Isn't Walther one of the more desirable manufacturers?

And as I don't collect P38s I'm not sure how the electropencil marks affects its worth. Its just too bad it wasn't done more discreetly.
 
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