Make: Walther

Model: P38

Serial Number: 061074

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1959

Caliber: 9mm Parabellum

Action Type: Single or Double Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade with a white dot dovetailed to the front of the barrel, marked "2" on the left. The rear sight is a square notch with a white aiming reference dovetailed to the rear of the slide, marked "L" on the front.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black plastic with a slight thumb-shelf and a lanyard ring on the left panel, for a right-handed shooter. The grips have moderate wear with scattered nicks, scuffs, scrapes and scratches. The checkering ranges from well defined to worn nearly smooth. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good condition.

Type of Finish: Phosphate & Black Alloy Frame

Finish Originality: Arsenal refurbished. The barrel, slide, frame and locking block are serial-matched.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is some stubborn copper fouling. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 87% of its metal finish. The slide is cracked at the front corner of the right locking block recess. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw head is sharp. The markings range from clear to worn an incomplete, most notable are re-marked acceptance marks on the frame. Overall, this pistol is in about Fair condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly, but there is a crack at the front corner of the locking block recess on the right of the slide. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single 8-round 1958 produced Walther magazine.

Our Assessment: The P38 was the first locked breech pistol to have a single action/double action trigger and used a de-cocker instead of a safety to lower the hammer and allow the pistol to be carried hammer down on a loaded chamber. The P38 was adopted as Germany's main service pistol at the beginning of WWII. After the war, P38s were manufactured by the French using captured Walther machines, and Manurhin was eventually licensed by Walther to produce the pistols commercially. In 1955, West Germany was allowed to reestablish its armed forces and Walther secured a contract to produce pistols for the newly established Bundeswehr. In 1963, the Army formally adopted the pistol as the P1 and remained in use through 2004. The design saw repeated updates, including reinforced slides, frames, and different barrel construction.

This pistol was produced ca. 1959 and while it has been through at least one refurbishment, it retains matching early versions of the slide, frame and barrel. Unfortunately, there's a reason the slide was reinforced on later pistols, and this example has a crack at the right locking recess. It otherwise serves as a nice example of an early P1. This should prove to be an interesting addition to a collection or a worthwhile restoration project. Please see our photos and good luck!