Make: Spreewerk

Model: P.38

Serial Number: 919v

Year of Manufacture: 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 front sight is a blade dovetailed to a boss at the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "U"-notch dovetailed to the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are dark serrated Julius Posselt production panels. The grips have some minor nicks, scuffs and scratches. There are no chips or cracks. The serrations are well defined. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-plus condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original. The slide, frame, barrel and locking block are serial-matching.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered minor erosion and stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7+/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 70% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The grip areas show handling wear. There is some other scattered more minor wear. There is infrequent minor oxidation, mostly in the grip areas. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw head is lightly tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are generally clear, some inspection marks are poorly struck, typical of Spreewerk production in this serial range. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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 jvd-marked magazine.

Our Assessment: Walther's P38 occupies a significant place in history. It was the first locked breech pistol to have a single action/double action trigger. After the start of WWII, Walther could not keep up with the production required, and production was expanded in 1942 to Mauser and Spreewerk. During the war, the German code for Spreewerk appeared to change from cyq to cvq, and this has sparked much discussion as to whether not there was actually a code change or if the stamp was just worn out, and the tail of the "y" no longer present.

This pistol was made in late 1944, and has a properly struck cyq code, though by this point the inspectors at Spreewerk had given up on properly stamping their inspection marks. The walls were starting to close in on the Reich, and production of the pistols began to see some corners cut, rougher finish, and less care given to the depth or orientation of inspection marks.

This example shows scattered wear in its finish, retaining strong mechanics and a decent bore. It even has proper Julius Posselt production grips and jvd-marked magazine. This is a neat find for the P38 collector, and would make a good addition to any collection of WWII P38s. Please see our photos and good luck!