Make: Spreewerke

Model: P38 cyq Series, 1st Alphabet Run

Serial Number: 9845v

Year of Manufacture: October 1944

Caliber: 9mm Parabellum

Action Type: Single or Double Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine. This pistol has a de-cocker lever.

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The pistol is mounted with a flat topped “U”-notched rear sight dovetailed into the slide and a blade front sight dovetailed into a band on the front of the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are dark serrated Julius Posselt production panels. The grips have light handling wear with some light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The serrations are well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good Plus Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original, the serialized parts are matching. There is no import mark.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, just a little stubborn fouling. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 92% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges, mostly at leading edges. There is light handling wear in the grip areas and some of the frame's finish has a slight plum hue. There is some other more minor wear. There are some light nicks and small scratches. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw head is lightly tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are clear, some have been filled in white. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good Condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one period original German WW2 blued 8-round magazine marked “jvd” at the lower left body, denoting manufacture by Erste Nordböhmische Metallwarenfabrik in Czechoslovakia for Spreewerke.

Our Assessment: Walther's P38 occupies a significant place in history, as it was the first locked breech pistol to have a single action/double action trigger. After the outbreak of WW2, Walther could not keep pace with the production required, and manufacture finally began at Mauser and Spreewerke in 1942. During the war, the German code for Spreewerke appeared to change from cyq to cvq, and this has sparked much discussion as to whether there was actually a code change or if the stamp was just worn out, and the tail of the “y” no longer present.

This German WW2 Military Spreewerke P-38 Pistol was made in October 1944 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 5” barrel, 92% of its original blued finish, matching serialized parts, a wartime Czech made for Spreewerke blued 8-round mag, strong mechanics, a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s just a little stubborn fouling), and even the proper Julius Posselt production dark grips. This pistol shows some signs of the relaxed standards for both markings and polishing as the war progressed. By mid-1944, the walls were beginning to close in on the Third Reich, with the Americans and British fighting their way through Occupied Europe from the West, and the Red Army racing toward Berlin from the East. Some corners began to be cut in the production process of these P-38 pistols, with rougher finish and less care given to the depth or orientation of inspection marks. This is a neat find for the P38 collector, and would make a fine addition to any German WW2 small arms collection.