P 08 and P 38 are gorgeous pistols. Can't beat German engineering.

I have a 1944 (July) Walther (numbers matching). It has a plum colored frame. At first it jammed like crazy. I replaced both recoil springs, the magazine springs, and all the other internal springs. I also discovered it liked Winchester white box. After the improvements, it has operated flawlessly. It is one of my favorite firearms.

I know people are going to shake their head or say wow or both,when I tell you this.In 1970 when I was in the Navy,my brother said there is this guy down the street from him who, will trade an ac42 P38 for a switchblade!! Even if it was a non firing replica it was a good deal.So I traded,and it was NOT a replica.It was missing the locking block and spring .which at the time cost me $10 .I got the parts,and have been shooting it ever since.Not bad for a $6 switchblade.

Can you imagine the stories this gun could tell if only it could talk?.........On the other hand, maybe we're glad it can't talk.

That is an awesome historical gun! I'm very impressed with how an inexpensive spring kit turned it back into a reliable shooter. Good video!

I have one that was made in the 1960’s and was a West German Police trade in. Interarms imported them and I purchased it in the early 1980’s. It has an aluminum frame and came with the holster that has the officers initials inside. Fun gun to shoot!

The german armed forces used this til the 90s when it's replaced by the "Heckler und Koch Pistole 8". The post-war model called Pistole 1 (P1) because it was the first pistol adopted by the Bundeswehr. The P1 is the same gun but with different name.

Excellent review- thank you!

Great little gun. I'm looking to purchase one soon. I was introduced to the P-38 as a child as the Transformers Megatron toy in the mid 80's. Very realistic looking replica that would never be able to be made today, but boy I enjoyed that thing. Thank you for the video.

I have a Spreewerk November 1943, all matching with Paselt grips too. Mine was a bring back to Canada. I had the same problem with it cycling but replaced the 2 recoil spring with better but similar results. Started shooting 124gr and it cleared up.

WWII stuff has always been a marvel to me! those germans came-up w/some wild stuff. fascinating gun and i bet very expensive. liked & thanks!

I have a 1943 GI "take home" with two original magazines and all original parts... The holster long rotted away but the pistol shoots just fine and is the pride of my collection. It's extremely simple to break down and clean with is unique for a German design! Thanks for this video. It is the most accurate piece on the P-38 I have seen yet and the FIRST time I have heard about the mfg site code names!

Yep that's the Man from U.N.C.L.E gun Remember that old series, or am I the only old guy here, bought mine back in the 60's after being addicted to the TV series, purchased for about 40 bucks, during the good old days, from an outfit called Aldens long out of business, Delivered by REA express right to my front door, and this was in a Chicago suburb, purchased with a British Enfield commando D.A.O .38 S&W short. Been an S.O.T. dealer for many years have a lot of toys, but still admirer them still in one of my safes after over 50 years ago,

Thanks for the upload!

Beautiful sound of passing bullet on 4:31 . Oh man...

Excellent presentation as always! I'm impressed that springs were so readily available for it. Even without seeing the internals as mentioned in another comment the general design of this pistol seems a lot less complex and therefore probably more reliable than the fancier looking Luger P-08. Although having 2 recoil springs smacks of the modern day .50cal Desert Eagle design.

P-38 is a great gun. I have a Smith & Wesson model 39-2 9mm single stack. 1 in the pipe and 8 in the magazine. I found out after I had owned the S&W for a number of years that its design is almost an exact copy of the internal works of the P-38. It's a double action first shot with all follow ups single like the Walther. The saftey/decocker on the slide is the same hammer block type. Same capacity. The P-38 I did get to shoot was fantastic. Very accurate and one of those guns that kind of flow into the hand. A real pleasure to shoot.

Fun gun and video - thanks for making it. I own a P38 made in 1969 - and love shooting it. too.

Beautiful hand gun one of my all time favorites

Thanks for showing us another cool gun.

I bought a "44" Mauser import and it looks next to new, I bought an extra mag from the same factory and marked the same year and bought a "44" holster, I can't wait for good weather and my next purchase of a Walther "43" P38 as well and already have a "43" holster, I plan on buying all three which will leave me a Spreewerk in my bucket list.

Thanks for the great advice about the ammo. And it's also important to remember to replace the springs, especially the recoil springs, in the P38. Thanks for the great comments and thanks for watching my video.

I bought a couple of these from a outfit in FL called AIM surplus back in late 2011 (this is not a plug to advertise). Just for a SHTF stockpile. Shot a couple hundred rounds on both and they worked fine. They were old captured German un issued pistols the Russians had. Good deal and good pistol.

Great job!

Very surprised nobody makes a new version of the P-38. Beautiful guns.

I have a 1943 model also, that my father-in-law brought back from the war. My grip panels are more worn than this one. Mine also has all matching numbers and it's a nice accurate shooter.

Beautiful piece.

silkcity....thanks for the great comment. The P-38 was and still is an excellent design. Any chance you might do a video on your P-38. I would love see it.

GREAT VIDEO AND INFORMATION. THANKS.

I have a 1943 all matching number American bring back with paperwork and i shot it for the first time the other day and my p38 was giving me the same problem, now im gonna order new springs for it thanks for the video

Sounds just like mine, and it is my favorite pistol after I got over the initial intimidation of owning a military weapon. It does shoot great, and it accurate enough for my purposes. I can hit what I aim at, and don't worry about 1" groups.

great vid keep up the good work

Walther manufactured most of the P.38 pistols. Their facilities used the alpha designator "AC" in a "production series beginning with 480AC , then specifying the year of mfg. e.g. AC40 , AC41 through to AC45 as the final year of war production. The only anomaly of the wartime production series was the AC43 "stack" -- that had the AC struck on the slide directly above the 43. This is the model that I own. Later in the year, Walther reverted to stamping the AC on the same line as the year. Because of the high demand for the pistol, Walther sub-contracted mfg. to Mauser from 1942 to 1945. Their serial numbers were stamped Byf42, Byf43 etc. Spreewerke also was given a contract beginning in 1941 with the code prefix Cyq and initially, the pistol did not bear any year of manufacture. A fourth factory was used from Jan. - March '45 to stamp/assemble/test parts manufactured by Speerwerke. That was Joseph Rathgeber Muchen 54. Their code for this final war production was Cvq. The Walther P.38 was a very good semi-automatic firearm in its day -- a bit heavy and a limited magazine capacity (8 round) but very reliable and quite accurate in good hands. There has been some claim that the pistols manufactured near the end of the war were junk. It's hard to believe that Walther, Mauser or Speerwerke would alter/modify the production design ; but perhaps, the grade of steel was inferior toward the end of the war or maybe the barrel rifling became second rate. If someone has knowledge of any specific defects in the late war production/assembly, please comment.

I just got one in better shape, all matching GI bring back, with a serial number that puts it in August 44'. Its a real piece to just hold in your hand.

I found a good clean and well oiled solved my chambering issue. Many have hardly been fired and cycling the action helps. So far the original springs are working as designed. I would say the only outdated feature is ammo capacity.

I inherited a walther p38 from 1943 it only shoots good with steel cased ammo but I love it. It’s my prized possession

Great vid!

Nice shooting, and nice pistol!

GREAT VIDEO; I like the detail. I own a pre-war Walther P-38, built in 1940 in the Mauser plant. It was a gift from my uncle who brought it home with him from Europe. One very small criticism I have of the great, detailed video here is the statement that the P-38 is somehow outdated. It has been surpassed by modern pistols in magazine capacity, I admit, but if you look at the safety system and decocker of the Beretta P9, and all the variants in that series, you will see the EXACT same safety system, probably the best in the world. The classic Walther PP, PPK, (which predate the P-38) and more recently produced PPK/S all enjoy the same safety system, decocker, and round in the chamber indicator.

Excellent video.

Yes. and you can also go directly to Wolff gunsprings and order direct. "Service Pak Type I - For the P-38 contains the following springs to replace weakened or broken springs, returning the pistol to original factory condition: 2 recoil springs, hammer spring, extractor spring, auto firing pin lock spring, retainer latch plunger spring and cartridge indicator spring." $16.99 + shipping. Individual springs available. They have magazine springs also. Have purchased from them before.

Nice vid. I have one same year and factory. very nice. love your vids

I used to explore the old three kids mine about 35 years ago with a buddy of mine :) The German military inspectors office for Spreewerke used the Waffenampt stamp (or proof mark) of E/88 or 88 under the Nazi eagle.

I just love that pistol. You are a very lucky man indeed.

I own a AC42 P-38. It's a war trophy given to me by my father. Great shooter!! My son has it now!!

Lovely P38 , I like the echo on the back ground......

I just purchased a walther p-38 ac43 at a gun show.. all parts match .. just bought an aftermarket firing pin and wolf spring kit.. very excited about this pistol in great condition.. thanks for inspiring me to get one! :)

Beautiful gun !

I have the exact same pistol (my first) but the grips are black. Any explanation for why yours would be brown? And speaking of springs, I replaced the cartridge indicator spring with the spring from a ballpoint pen. Worked great!

great video!

Thanks....I appreciate the great comment.

You have a piece of history, congratulations from argentina

Great job. I love my German WW2 P38 and Luger.

Still a fantastic handgun to this day.In fact the M9 or Beretta 92FS takes on it's feature like the breech block,hammer drop safety,and double action mechanism.The old P-38s from WWII and it's replacement the P-1 have better breech blocks than the Beretta reason is because it's semi captured by a leaf spring so there is no side to side movement during firing when it is locking and unlocking.Berettas have a bad tendency of breaking breech blocks around 5000 to 10,000 rounds during it's normal life cycle.This part has to remain lubricated with heavy oil or grease because the violent action takes place in this region of this pistol by design.

I brought P-38 CYQ in 1978 for $130.00 in Upper Darby Gun Shop near Philadelphia. The gun has original match S/N but the slide was chrome plate and the metal on the slide has a bobble pin hole due to war time fabrication that not completely refinished. I shot this gun at he range and it was very accurate in 15 yards score 8-10 in 2" group. I was offered $180.00 4 months later from the persons at the range with $15.00 FFL transfer fee (that made a buyer from NJ very upset for transfer fee for out of state gun), I love the gun and it was sold very quick back then even it was chrome plate partially. I then brought French Manurin P-38 with hostler and spare magazine and original box in 1982 for $230.00. I also have Walther PPK 7.65 that has the same chrome plate style with Nazi proof mark with bobble mark in slide. I stll have PPK that I brought in 1980 for $299.00.

ALSO AN EXCELLENT ACCURACY.

Good introduction to a great pistol. Late-war CYQ pistols are reasonably affordable too.

5:48 bottle was like: Have mercy please!

A friend of mine owms a p38 his grandfather brought home that is just like this with swastikas all over it really cool to be able to see a piece of history like that

Thanks for the interesting video. The Spreewerk inspection stamp consisted of an eagle above the number 88. CYQ was the secret code for Spreewerk. My father brought one back after WW2. It was made by Mauser in 44. It has a '4' on the left side of the front sight and in addition to P38 on the magazine a 'jvd' stamp above it. I have know idea what those are about. It has a holster but nothing like the ones shown for a P38 on the internet.

Good video!

Just bought a 1944 and I love it, decided to make it my carry gun. Because, why not!?

0:35 I know it's an older video but I would argue that the Browning hi power was a more modern capable handgun at the time.

Spreewerk was formed in September 1935 in Spandau Germany as a subsidiary of Deutschen Industrie-Werke A.G. Spreewerk was involved in weapons production from its formation until April 1945 at the Spandau complex; and from June 1942 to April 1945 at the Grottau, Czechoslovakia factory named Werk Grottau. So your gun was actually made in Czechoslovakia. I have a 1945 copy.

Awesome gun!!

Thanks.....and thanks for watching.

Bullet nosedive on feed might mean too short a bullet. Try Wolf 115gr (dirty but dependable) or Blazer 124gr brass (in that order). QUESTION: why not shoot it very much? Value or wear? Thanks for the tips! Will be ordering a spring kit.

steve....thanks for the info on the Eagle/88. You certainly know the P38. Thanks for watching my video.

in my army time i shot 3 times gold at 25m with my P1 (P38 with aluminium handgrip). Problem was always the first shot using double action ;-)

And they have, "Recoil Spring Paks" Recoil Spring Paks contain 2 factory standard (6 Lb.) or extra power (8 Lb) recoil springs to restore factory functioning and specifications to pistol.

Cheers. An old vid but I only recently watched it and you solved my problem. I have a 1939 Walter PP which did the same thing and advise was that's she is buggered. Ordered a spring service pack from Wolff who will ship international which is great. The old girl will live again! Now on to the next problem. Being a busy man I sometimes find that pressure can prevent me from, "Preforming" I sometimes...........

Have a P-38 in my Third Reich collection, a Mauser made BYF44, all matching. Haven't fired it yet though. Don't know if I ever will. At one time I was thinking of getting all three examples of the P-38 produced during the Third Reich. An AC code Walther and the CYQ Spreewerk to go with my BYF Mauser. The three together would make a great display, and would hope a great investment.

Great Video! BTW - What's the rationale in design for the P38 to eject shells to the left instead of the right?

Megatron. With a grip snap-on stock, scope and extended barrel. Get 'em young.

I had a few. But the rarest one was a squirt gun made in China. About 3/4 size of the real one. Found at a yard sale. Why I am writing this. The manufacturer was so precise that the copy had all of the lettering and although not perfect you could see the waffen stamp on the receiver. By the way it also was somewhat accurate to about eight feet. When showing my collection every one liked it the most.

I'm sure you'll love it. It's a great pistol and a great design. Enjoy.

Nice video

A version of this gun, the P1, is still in use in the german army. its a great gun but it has a very limited magazine capacity. thats why it gets replaced by the P8 (H&K USP).

Tyler....hopefully you have had a chance to shoot that P-38. That would be an experience you wouldn't forget. Thanks for a great comment and thanks for watching my video.

Great review. Mine is a 1944 BYF all matching no import marks as well.

love it.

@Mixup98 Your point about the stories it could tell is something that I have been thinking about all day... I just bought one today. It is from 1943...I think made in December (the number ends with an N). A woman's father brought it back, and allegedly, he took it as a trophy from a Nazi he killed. For some reason, perhaps because of the manner in which he earned it, he painted the frame black. I am in the midst of trying to scrape as much of that paint off as I can. By the way, do you have any suggestions for how I can better get the paint off? Is there a solvent that is safe for a 75 year old gun? Also, did you find that it shoots downward a little? Are you just able to compensate for it so well, or is was yours adjusted?

theeh94.... I had a blast making this video. Thanks for watching it.

I believe I saw that gun in use at the three kids mine many years ago. ha ha! Do you know the meaning of the 88 under the eagle?

I have a 'date' with one of these tomorrow ( Oct. 15/15 ) to see if I like these guns. The only one's easily still available here in Canada are the P1's, although these have the alloy frame they do have the hex bolt or pin to make sure they don't break apart. I'm told they are practically the same gun , the P38 and P1 with difference being the metals they are made with. Thanks for leaving this video up.

a beauty!

Does anyone know how to track where batches or individual P38s were sent? Was thinking my 1942 Walther-made model could have seen service anywhere between the Pyrenees and the Urals...

I love my "modernized" P1 (version of the P38)... As of today its hard to find any on the online surplus gun stores... Even more difficult is finding a nice (or any) P38... Thanks for the video and the info...

Getting a like-new P1 this summer/autumn. It's supposed to be an early one with steel frame. It will be shot a lot so no sense in hunting a vintage P38 with historical value.

that opening sure scare the living crap out of me

WWll was the last war GI's could bring back weapons. Avoiding import marks.

Chris....I did point it twice at my face....but as seen in the video I made absolutely sure the gun and magazine were empty. When I clean my guns I always look down the barrel of my pistols and rifles, but again, I make sure that the guns are empty. Common sense must always be used when handling firearms and safety is always my number one priority, especially when looking down the bore. Thanks for watching my video.

Do you know how to tell what month k98k was made?

I own an original which was taken off of a dead German pilot. All matching numbers and it shoots like a champ. I have the original clips and holster also. Personally, I don't think any other nines come close to this weapon!

Good video: Few questions: 1. Isn't it a DA/SA vs DA? 2. Where is the loaded round indicator? 3. What pound pull from the DA state and the SA state? By the way, great shooting.

good idea replacing the springs, those things arnt meant to last, the springs probably would go first.

The Walter PP in .32 caliber is very popular in Europe but here in the United States the .380 is more popular. I would recommend the .380 because it produces quite a bit more velocity and energy then the .32. If you are sensitive to recoil then I would recommend the .32 because the .380 produces substantial recoil. You don't need a pair of spects...:)

I have a orginally wlther p38 fromm WW2 and I had never a problem when I was shooting with this gun. Is this a original from WW2 because my pistol hasn't a double action modus

mr grandfather has one he bought it off a german officer when he was stationed at Ramstein, Germany in the 60s

I just bought p38 I know it was made at spreewerk in nov of 1943 how can I tell if use in war wonder if army kept records