Walther P38 History
Walther had timing on its side when it came to the P38 (or P.38 as was commonly marked on the guns). By the 1930s, Hitler's Third Reich was on an enthusiastic – and largely secretive – drive to rapidly rearm the German military. While the previous 9mm Luger pistols served the German army well enough in World War I, they were also expensive and time-consuming firearms to make.
So, the German army went on the hunt for something cheaper, easier to produce, and equally powerful. Just before the outbreak of war, Walther delivered with a handgun ready for mass production.
The final plans for the P38 submitted to the German military by firearms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH came from several designers. These included Fritz Walter, the eldest son of the famed designer Carl Walther (1858-1915), and Fritz Barthelmes, who worked for more than 20 years as the senior designer for Walther Arms factory in Zella-Mehlis, Germany.
Far simpler than the Luger P08, the new P38 was easier to mass produce while still offering reliability and a modernized semi-auto design. Ultimately, three manufacturers would pump out these guns to the tune of more than 1.2 million pistols between 1938 and 1946. These included Walther and its competitors Mauser and Spreewerk, which were compelled to produce Walther guns due to German military needs.
Walther’s factory was eventually captured by American forces in 1945, which may be part of this particular gun’s history. More on that later. Regardless, the end of WWII did not spell the end of the P38.
American GIs collected scores of the pistols as war souvenirs to bring home to the states. Post-war German forces also continued to use the firearm, eventually adopting a new variant as the P1. This model wasn’t removed from general service until 2004. That’s a heck of a testament to the original P38 design.
Additionally, captured German arms factories produced several thousand P38s for allied forces after the war. The allies kept a heavy hand over post-WWII German arms manufacturing in West Germany. Thus, it wasn’t until 1957 that new P38 pistols were once again made to fill the holsters of German soldiers.
Beyond that, the P38 and its variants were adopted and used by various countries ranging from Portugal and South Africa to Norway over the last half century.
This Gun’s History
This particular gun is a bit of a mutt and a mystery. There was a small amount of Cosmoline to prevent corrosion over time on several of the parts. That suggests it may have been in storage at some point between 1945 and today. That date range is important.
Each of the three P38 manufacturers had their own letter code for serial numbers: AC (Walther), BYF (Mauser), and CYQ (Spreewerk). Germany was secretive about the total number of P38 pistols manufactured during the war, and it alternated the numbers and style for serialization several times. The unique serialization system created a rather confusing web for collectors today. As for this particular gun, the proof marks and serial number indicate it came from the Walther factory.
The serial number 629 D AC 45 on the slide also marks it as a 1945-production pistol. Walther’s government-assigned inspector's proof mark (commonly called a Waffenamt) was an eagle above the number 359, and that is also on the pistol at several places.
However, the serial numbers on the slide, frame, and barrel do not match. That means this is a Frankenstein of various parts. While all the parts on this gun appear to come from the Walther factory, it’s worth noting that the three P38 manufacturers shared parts between the various factories during the war to meet supply demands.
Additionally, the magazine and grip panel for this gun hint at a late/post-war assembly. The magazine is marked with the letters JVD, which were placed on later Czech-manufactured mags shipped to the three P38 manufacturers and as replacements for field units. Factory-made magazines were usually serialized with different markings.
These magazines helped fill manufacturers’ needs. Finally, there’s a noticeable lack of markings inside the somewhat slippery Bakelite grip. Normally, there would be some kind of marking inside the grip panel other than two blank circles, but grips made late in the war were a mixed bag.
Given that the slide serial number comes from 1945 and the gun has mixed parts, it’s possible this gun has an unusual backstory. American GIs captured the Walther plant in Zella-Mehlis, Germany, in April 1945. Many of the guns at the factory were promptly seized and locked away, but there were plenty of parts still floating around.
There’s no way to be absolutely certain, but it’s known that American GIs with sticky fingers liked souvenirs. After the Walther plant fell, some helped themselves to P38s sitting in the factory, while others may have had guns cobbled together from parts by former factory workers.
Additionally, this P38 has no import markings for the U.S. – a practice that started in 1968 – so it seems even more likely it could have come home with some American service member. It’s also possible that the gun was simply put together after the war from a batch of unused Walther-made parts.
I’m not a Walther P38 expert, so there are plenty of other options. There are entire books on the P38, but trying to chase down the history of old guns adds to the joy of owning them for me.
Specs & Features
The final P38 came from a series of design evolutions throughout the 1930s. Walther’s first attempts to use a simple direct-blowback action ultimately failed. That was partly due to the power of the 9mm round, which created reliability issues in blowback systems.
Walther eventually settled on a short-recoil system that used a pivoting block to lock the breach, added an exposed hammer, and designed the gun to have a double-action/single-action system. Hence, when the German military adopted the P38, it became the first locked-breech DA/SA pistol adopted by a major power.
Unlike the earlier fixed-barrel Walther PPK and the contemporary 1911, the P38 has a barrel assembly that rides on a rail inside the slide, which in turn rides on rails on the frame when recoiling. This means both the slide and the barrel move in a parallel line to the rear when firing without tilting or dropping the barrel down like a 1911 and modern Glock 19.
The barrel assembly has a hinged locking block. When the barrel is forward, this hinged piece raises two lugs into the slide to lock it in place. When the barrel moves to the rear during firing, the block drops into a channel inside the frame. It’s a similar system to the one used in the modern-day Beretta 92 and M9 pistols.
In another unique move, Walther used two parallel recoil springs on the left and right sides of the gun. Before we dive even deeper, here are the more general specs.
- Weight: 1.856 pounds
- Length: 8.5 inches
- Height: 5.44 inches
- Barrel Length: 4.91 inches
- Sight Radius: 7.125 inches
- Width: 1.41 inches
- DA Trigger Pull: 10.675 pounds
- SA Trigger Pull: 5.25 pounds
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Capacity: 8+1
When the safety is off, pulling the double-action trigger to the rear cocks the hammer and fires the pistol. The slide recocks the hammer after firing, and the shooter now has a single-action trigger. Pushing the safety down to the safe position decocks the hammer, places the gun in DA mode, and locks both the hammer and trigger.
I don’t normally like upward-moving safeties, but this one works for me with the fatter P38. Pushing up to move the safety into the fire position doesn’t require any shifting of my grip. But pushing down to decock and safe the pistol does.
To round out the features, there’s a loaded-chamber indicator at the rear of the gun. It’s a long metal pin that protrudes just above the hammer when there’s a round in the chamber. The extractor also ejects casings to the left, which is very unusual, and magazines are removed using a heel release. Finally, the sights are a simple post and notch affair that are both drift-adjustable.
Range Time
I honestly didn’t expect much from the P38 when I got to the range. The sights are relatively crude with no anti-glare cuts, and the trigger is just OK. But the gun points well in the hand. The grip is slippery and fat, but it fills the palm of my hand well.
Recoil is also very manageable. I credit that to the short-recoil system and hefty 1.856-pound weight. Here’s what I got from my first two groups at 25 feet:
The 8+1 capacity in a gun that weighs nearly 2 pounds isn’t great by modern standards. Still, I had no reliability issues over the 150 rounds of 115-grain Federal FMJ American Eagle I used on the range. However, it was the performance of the trigger that surprised me the most.
Here's a look at the double-action trigger pull:
Here's a look at the single-action trigger pull you get after you fire your first shot or manually cock the hammer:
The double-action trigger pull is heavy and long with 0.78 inches of travel before the break. I can feel it start to stack a bit and get stronger just before the break. I found that I could use this to stage the trigger for more accurate DA shooting. The reset is around 0.27 inches. It’s not very positive, but I never noticed any issues with short-stroking the trigger.
The single-action trigger pull is nearly half the weight of the DA pull, with a short travel of just around 0.25 inches to the break. It’s not overly crisp, but it’s predictable and light enough for easy follow-up shots. The trigger is hardly as nice as your average 1911 but decent for a military DA/SA trigger.
Overall, the gun shot accurately and reliably for me on the range. Frankly, it was surprisingly fun to shoot despite its age, too. That said, I have heard that abusive over-shooting can cause wear on some of the old Walther P38s, so I would consider this more of an occasional range companion.
Pros & Cons
Here’s my short list of pros and cons:
Pros:
- Awesome history
- Very interesting design
- Fun and easy to shoot
- Reliable
- Battle tested
- Accurate
- DA/SA trigger
- Unique and collectible
- More affordable than most Lugers
Cons:
- Low capacity by modern standards
- Heavy
- Crude sights
- Heavy DA trigger
- Heel magazine release
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Somewhat slippery grip
Final Thoughts
While the Luger P08 gets a lot of the glory when it comes to German military handguns, the P38 actually did a lot of the heavy lifting for the German army in World War II. It’s filled with history.
It’s a fantastic firearm design in and of itself, but the P38 also comes with the added bonus of stories you can chase down through the markings on each gun. These pistols can take you on a journey if you’re willing to dig into them. Plus, if you just want to feel history in your hand, you can usually do it with a P38 at a significantly lower cost than a classic Luger.
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