Hello. Aimsurplus.com has just got a supply of excellent condition Walther brand post war P38s ($529.99) and P1s ($499.99). As I was paying for my P-38 online, the last one was sold out from under me, so I "settled" for a P1. A P1 is a P38 but with some improvements. It may be a better gun. I have been very happy with the two previous guns I purchased from aimsurplus, namely a stainless beretta 92fs LEO trade in for $429.00 and an Israeli surplus FN Hi-power MKIII for $449.00 both in excellent condition with bright shiny bores. What do you guys think about the Walther P38 and P1? The P1 is on its way to my FFL. I will keep you guys posted on how I made out on it. I hope I did ok.

The pictures on the website show the earlier P1 that has a pentchant to crack slides.

The later guns that are more durable have more slide serrations and a hex bolt in the frame. Be careful and watch for cracks if you get an earlier gun. Do NOT run +P ammo through it.

Don’t be upset at your “loss”. From the pictures on the website, they were all standard post-war, which means the P38 and the P1 are identical in every way except for the slide stamping. The higher price for the P-38 was a rip-off, pure and simple.

While the P1 was the official military/police designation and the P38 later became the civilian (but identical) variant, in the earlier years the P38 label was used on both and periodically even interchangeably.

After about 1968 the reinforced “fat” slide was introduced. The serial and/or date stamp (if military) should give you a clue whether yours has that or not if you can’t tell. As was mentioned, in the 1970s a hex bolt reinforcement was added, also obvious. Batches on sale usually contain a mix of vintages, so you’ll find out when you get it.

Decent enough prices, though not of the fantastical variant.

I'd rather shop for later production, stronger shooters. The OP may well have a gun of lesser durability when it arrives.

I'd much rather have this surplus pistol, at half the cost:

Affordale Military Surplus M9 for Sale - Southern Ohio Gun

I acquired a new P-1 in 1973, for $108.00. They are a quality handgun however, I don't think the P-1 has much collector's value and for the same money today, you could buy a modern, high capacity pistol such as a Glock or a Springfield Armory or a Smith.

That's not why we want to own these historic and older design pistols.

Curl

How to tell the reinforced or "fat slide" of the post war P38 and P1 by photos. The slide serrations of this slide extend past the end the safety lever.

As CptCurl wrote, the historic significance of the P38/P1 as the first military D/A semi auto, together with its long service life are making the gun a cornerstone in a military handgun collection.

The last P1s that were still stored in Germany were in the armouries of reserve units where they had been rarely used. The price isn't really out of line for a traditionally made handgun in excellent condition, despite the fact that it should come with two magazines.

I have a P1 that is a great shooter.

I picked one up a few years ago from a local shop. I always wanted to add one to my collection of older guns. It's a P1 from 1977 in excellent condition. I bought several mags, holster, & mag pouch. Loaded-up the mags and couldn't wait to shoot it. After I few shots, I couldn't wait to stop shooting it. I just really didn't like it.

I'll keep it for it's historical significance, but I certainly won't take it to the range much.

__________________
Watch & Pray

was in a NCO club in Germany in 62. never cared for the 9mm. a friend next to me, they brought the P-38"s out of the back and put them on the bar. they had the boxes w/ them, excellent cond., almost new, thinking they had a dark reddish grip? he bought one, $25. always later thought i should have got one. when were were out in the field, the german motorcyclists had a small submach. pistol in their bags. really liked it. and the VW THING used by the Geman army was 4 wheel drive.

The VW THING is a VW 181, commonly known as Kübel and it wasn't four wheel drive. I had bought one and exported it to drive in Haiti. I had really loved it, simple to work on and it could go places where the Subarus could not go anymore.

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The P1 is very accurate. The Beretta 92 borrowed the locking system from the P38 design.

I used to shoot state matches in the German reserve military and a 97% average just got me second place, 99% was a tie with another shooter.

When people blamed the guns for their poor shooting results, our sergeant always said that those same guys would blame their swim wear for the fact that they could not swim.

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Isn’t the P1 alloy frame? I have a brand new P1 tucked away for decades. I prefer the P1 over the P38.

There is a very limited number of post-war produced P38’s with steel frame, but yes, all regular-production P1’s have an alloy frame and the frame finish on a new gun will look distinctly different (darker and shinier) from the frame and barrel. If the finish looks uniform, it is refinished.

I've got a P1 from '67(?) and it's one of my favorites.

I shoot it quite alot and have since I bought it in the 90's at a LGS for $100 IIRC.

Hasn't decomposed in my hand during shooting, 115gr Rem/UMC is the usual ammo for it. No fat slide, no hex bolt.
Very accurate and easy to operate (for me). I carry it often too. Plenty of extra magazines,, bought them when they were $8/$10 a piece.

I have a Wartime AC44 w/ holster and extra mag that I don't shoot anymore. The BYF42 I sold,,one I should have kept.

Ok, Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I don't plan to run +P ammo in it. I reload 125gr sierras at a very mild fps to duplicate the winchester white box. Ray

I really like your pistol. I really want the fat slide with the hex bolt in it. Aimsurplus has been good to me in the past. Hopefully, I will get one.
Ray

Thanks for your encouragement! If I dont get the fat slide and the hex bolt, I dont think it will decompose in my hand even with the alloy frame as long as I dont run +P ammo. Ray

Thanks for your comments. Very informative. Yes, I will find out when I get it and I will let everyone know. I like the hex bolt one.
Ray

Was always a fan of the P-38/P1 and still have a few in the safe.
IIRC my oldest post war is from 1959 with slide marked P38,

Another neat feature on the later production hex bolt guns is IIRC the sites have white paint marks to line up.

Was in a small pawn shop years ago and lucked into a P4 which was the next step in the P38/P1 evolution, these have a spring loaded decocker and trigger safety that prevents drop firing.

A word of caution with any P38 or P1 DO NOT drop the hammer with the decocking lever when a live round is in the chamber,
Supposedly they can wear causing an accidental discharge.

Some years ago I bought a P1 magazine. It wouldn't fit correctly in my WWII P-38 so I sold it on eBay for what I paid for it.

Bring home gun from WWII, part of my fathers collection that I have the honor of being the care taker of. Manufactured in March of 1944, Spreewerke plant.
Don’t know if ever saw any action.
Very smooth shooter though.


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The original 1930s P-38s had firing pin safeties that made them drop safe and I presume should prevent firing if something went wrong in the hammer drop mechanism. Using Colt 1911 vocabulary all vintages of P-38s and P-1s have "series 80 firing pin safeties."

However, every time we use a hammer drop or chamber a round moving the slide or bolt quickly in simi-autos, lever actions and pumps we should have them pointed so that we can live with the damage in the rare event one goes bang.

So far I'm the only one to post that I owned a .22LR Walther P-38. I bought it new in 1977. Interarms imported them. It was a blow back. Its frame was not machined to work with a locking block. I think Walther did not make a lot of them.

The older P1 pistols without the reenforcement were designed for a service life of roughly 5,000 rounds, if my memory serves me right. During the Baader Meinhoff terrorist scare, the police -especially the BGS - started shooting much, much more than the regular 15 rounds per year for the annual qualifications and the P1 started failing.

In the West German military, usually three to five pistols were brought to the range for a company of soldiers and it was tried to finish whole cases of usually 1,000 rounds to avoid paperwork and the hassle of opened cases. Usually at least two cases were shot through three to five pistols, often three cases, so guns could see a thousand rounds in a day. The 9mm ammo for the P1 was the same that was used in the Uzi, by the way.

I had a 22 conversion unit for a P38 a ways back,,why I sold it I can't remember. This type had the insert bbl.
But anyway, a simple blowback principle with the lightened slide using only one of the two recoil springs on the frame,,the rt side IIRC.

Worked well.

I've seen a couple of the magazines for the .22's that have the small ejector tab broken off of them. It's formed as part of the feed lip when mfg'd.
The magazines are hard to find and that small but crucial point can go un-noticed if you're not careful looking it over or not that familiar with them.

If you have or get a P1 w/o the hex bolt, you can still find that as a separate part from a few sources and install it yourself...!
Measure carefully, drill and press fit/swage it into place with your HarborFreight arbor press.

I'll leave mine alone.

I like mine though I keep the round count down

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