WWII Nazi German Spreewerke P.38 P38 P-38 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 1943 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1740
LSB#: 211210RO03
Make: Spreewerke
Model: P38 cyq Series, 1st Alphabet Run
Serial Number: 6646b
Year of Manufacture: 1943 (See Pg. 138, Vol. 2, “The P.38 Pistol” by Buxton)
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action Type: Single or Double Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine. This pistol has a de-cocker lever.
Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “P.38”, “cyq” and “6646 b”. The left side of the frame is marked “6646”, “Eagle / 88” Waffenamt and “b”. The front barrel flat is marked “6646 / b”, the left is marked with “Eagle / 88” Waffenamt at the front and at the rear with an eagle clutching swastika. The right side of the slide is marked with two “Eagle / 88” Waffenamts, with an Eagle clutching Swastika in the center. The right of the barrel is marked “B 25”. The right of the locking block is marked with “Eagle / 88” Waffenamt, the bottom is marked “646 / b” and the left has eagle clutching swastika. The left of the frame, under the grip panel, is marked “71 B”.
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 brown serrated AEG production panels. The grips have minor handling wear with a few light nicks and scratches. The serrations are well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered light erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 90% of its metal finish. The finish is generally strong throughout. The finish is thinning at most edges. The grip areas show handling wear and there is some light wear on the slide’s top-cover. There are some scattered minor nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw head is disfigured with a useable slot. The markings are generally clear, some inspection marks are poorly struck. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good-plus condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. It has a decocker safety at the left rear of the slide. 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 black leather flap-holster and a total of two 8-round magazines. One magazine is marked with an eagle over “359” waffenamt (Walther production) on the spine and “P.38” on the left. This magazine shows light operational wear, the feed lips are intact and the spring is strong. The other magazine has an eagle over “88” waffenamt on the spine (Spreewerke production). This magazine shows more moderate wear, some light surface oxidation, intact feed lips and a strong spring. The holster is marked “dta / 42”, eagle clutching swastika over “WaA195” and “P38” on the back. The inside of the flap has “Fw. Eckort 2k? 9227b” hand-written. The holster shows scattered light-moderate wear with intact stitching.
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 finally started in 1942 at Mauser and Spreewerke. During the war, the German code for Spreewerke 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 early 1943, and has a properly struck cyq code. It shows light wear in its finish, retaining strong mechanics and having some light erosion and strong rifling in its bore. The pistol is in Very Good-plus condition with about 90% of its metal finish remaining. This is a nice find for the P38 collector, and would make a good addition to any collection of WWII P38s, especially with the included holster which appears to have had a German’s name written on the inside of the flap. Please see our photos and good luck!