Did the post WWII P38's come with two magazines and holster like the war era p38's did? I read that they would all have matching serial numbers. So if you have the whole set the value is greatly increased.
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Help with this older Walther P38 9mm.
- Thread starter GeorgiaHunter
- Start date
Hey what year did you pay $350 for your pistol? I'm still trying to get an accurate value on this pistol. If it is one of the '57-'63 production run is it worth much more than the later production runs?
Who says only use 115 gr. bullets in it? Where's the citation to some authority on that?
That doesn't make sense to me. The 124 grain bullets, loaded to standard pressures, (Not +P or +P+) should be fine.
My dad was a WWII veteran, and he picked up a captured P38 right after the war, while serving with the then-occupying Allied troops in Germany. All the Americans knew not to use black-bullet submachine gun ammo in these pistols, or any Luger either. But nobody ever said not to shoot 124 grain bullets in them.
I find it hard to believe that even aluminum alloy framed postwar commercial P38s would be so poorly designed that they cannot handle standard, common, ordinary bullet weights like 124 gr. for the 9 x 19 mm round.
That doesn't make sense to me. The 124 grain bullets, loaded to standard pressures, (Not +P or +P+) should be fine.
My dad was a WWII veteran, and he picked up a captured P38 right after the war, while serving with the then-occupying Allied troops in Germany. All the Americans knew not to use black-bullet submachine gun ammo in these pistols, or any Luger either. But nobody ever said not to shoot 124 grain bullets in them.
I find it hard to believe that even aluminum alloy framed postwar commercial P38s would be so poorly designed that they cannot handle standard, common, ordinary bullet weights like 124 gr. for the 9 x 19 mm round.
this is a well designed pistol which still has it's flaws that walther addressed later, the openings image showed a aluminum framed post war p38 with no hex bolt added and a thinner slide so the 115 gr 9mm recommendation was made
with the older steel framed p38s they could handle the 124 gr military ammo over time without breaking, the aluminum wasn't as strong so the steel. the feed ramp was designed with fmj in mind but i use shorter, smaller flat tipped 115 gr critical defense with my p1 as it works in even a db9
i bought mine this year but as to value i don't know, the ww2 ones are valued more highly for their original steel framed design and their use during the war
walther had to add a hex bolt into the aluminum frame later as the barrel movement would crack the frame over time, and made the slide thicker. the p38 was designed for steel frames so the aluminum frame was a compromise for cost and weight reasons
with the older steel framed p38s they could handle the 124 gr military ammo over time without breaking, the aluminum wasn't as strong so the steel. the feed ramp was designed with fmj in mind but i use shorter, smaller flat tipped 115 gr critical defense with my p1 as it works in even a db9
i bought mine this year but as to value i don't know, the ww2 ones are valued more highly for their original steel framed design and their use during the war
walther had to add a hex bolt into the aluminum frame later as the barrel movement would crack the frame over time, and made the slide thicker. the p38 was designed for steel frames so the aluminum frame was a compromise for cost and weight reasons
just adding another point of reference for you. I paid $375 a year ago for a 1960 P38 (P1) in excellent condition. I would say 350-400 was market for it. Now my Mauser 1944 P38 is probably $1000+
Thanks for the explanation.this is a well designed pistol which still has it's flaws that walther addressed later, the openings image showed a aluminum framed post war p38 with no hex bolt added and a thinner slide so the 115 gr 9mm recommendation was made
with the older steel framed p38s they could handle the 124 gr military ammo over time without breaking, the aluminum wasn't as strong so the steel. the feed ramp was designed with fmj in mind but i use shorter, smaller flat tipped 115 gr critical defense with my p1 as it works in even a db9
i bought mine this year but as to value i don't know, the ww2 ones are valued more highly for their original steel framed design and their use during the war
walther had to add a hex bolt into the aluminum frame later as the barrel movement would crack the frame over time, and made the slide thicker. the p38 was designed for steel frames so the aluminum frame was a compromise for cost and weight reasons
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