WWII German Police Mauser byf-44 P.38 9mm Semi-Automatic Pistol, 1944 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,825.00
WOA#: WY240526BJ001
Make: Mauser, “byf”
Model: P.38
Serial#: 1611
Year of Manufacture: 1944
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Action Type: Single/Double-Action Semi-Automatic Pistol fed by a Detachable 8-round Magazine
Markings: The front of the barrel assembly is marked with the serial number “1611”. The left side of the slide is marked “P.38” which is the model designation, “byf / 44” which indicates the part was made by Mauser in 1944, “1611” and eagle over “N”. The safe and fire indicators are white and red, respectively. The left side of the frame is marked “1611” and has the same waffenamt as the locking block assembly. The right side of the slide is marked with the same waffenamt and with an “Eagle/L” police marking. The following markings are only visible when the handgun is taken down, the left side of the barrel assembly is marked with an “Eagle/135” waffenamt and has an eagle over “N”. The locking block is marked “611”, with an eagle over “N” an with “Eagle/WaA135” waffenamt.
Barrel Length: 5″
Sights/ Optics: There is a blade dovetailed to a banded base by the muzzle and a “U”-notch dovetailed to the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition/ Grip: The grips are two-piece AEG serrated brown synthetic panels. The grips have light handling wear with some small nicks and light scuffs. There is some slightly more notable wear around the lanyard ring and behind the slide-stop on the left panel. The serrations are well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-plus condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is some stubborn copper fouling. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: The pistol retains about 90% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges. There is minor handling wear in the grip areas. There are some minor nicks, scuffs and scratches, most notable on the right of the slide in front of the serrations. Some areas of finish have a slight plum hue. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw head is sharp. The markings are generally clear, some inspection marks are poorly struck. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good-Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box Paperwork and Accessories: The gun comes with a black leather flap-holster and a total of two 8-round magazines. One magazine is “jvd” marked, the other has an incomplete waffenamt that may be Mauser.
Our Assessment: The Parabellum Pistole Modell 1908 (the Luger in lay terms) was showing its age by the early 1930s and the German Army began to seek out a new handgun to equip its forces. German arms manufacturers submitted a number of designs to replace the aged Luger. The design which most impressed the military was the AP (Armee Pistole or Army Pistol) designed by Carl Walther Waffenfabrik, but the gun’s concealed hammer design was considered inefficient and the gun was reworked to accommodate an external hammer. The new handgun was named the Heerespistole (also translates to Army Pistol; Heer translates to Army) and it featured an external hammer and could be fired as either a single or double-action based on the needs of the user. This improved design impressed the German Army which opted to adopt the handgun as its new standard issue sidearm in 1938. There are only a few minor dimensional changes between the P.38 and HP, they were done to facilitate mass production. The gun would remain the standard issue sidearm of the Heer until its ultimate defeat at the end of WWII. The stalwart design remains in service with a number of military and police formations to this day.
This particular specimen is a WWII-era P.38 that was made by Mauser in 1944. The pistol is characteristic of late war production specimens; it lacks the more thorough inspection marks seen on early production specimens and has parts which were made by a number of manufacturers that supported the Third Reich’s war effort. The handgun was made at Mauser (evidenced by the “byf” code and waffenamts), but the grips were made by AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG; “General Electricity Company”). AEG was a German electrical company which produced grips for P.38s during WWII, the company relied heavily upon forced labor (or to be more frank, slaves) as the war dragged on. Mauser had taken over the production of Luger P.08 semi-automatic handguns in the 1930s and produced the gun until mid-1941, the firm then took up production of the P.38 with mass production of the more modern handgun beginning in 1942 and continuing until the end of WWII.
While most production was for the Wehrmacht, this specimen’s Eagle/L marking indicates it was produced for police or security forces. It is well preserved for a later war production handgun, it was made in 1944 when the war effort was going poorly for the Third Reich. This handgun will certainly appeal to historical collectors. Good luck on your bid!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
