Walther P38 9mm Semi Automatic Pistol Review
The Walther P38 was the first true double-action pistol in 9mm, and was the only one for a good while. It’s a fine piece of engineering, and its staying power has proven that. At press time, the P38 continues to be available in the USA via imported West German police “trade-in” guns.
The P38 was originally a German military pistol, chambered for 9mm Luger (9mm Parabellum; 9x19mm), which at that time had been in German military use for more than three decades. The P38 saw much wartime use during World War II, and was subsequently produced commercially in West Germany for export and police use.
Many, if not most, commercially-made P38s have alloy frames. WWII military P38s had steel frames. The subject of this article is a commercial model with an alloy frame.
The photo shows the left side of the P38. This a “police trade-in” gun of recent import (though not of recent manufacture).
Stamped on the left side of the slide: Walther banner logo; “Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do;” “P38 Cal.9mm;” and a poor stamping of three numbers.
Also: A simple dot inside a circle; a stylized four-pointed star above it; “165″ inside a three-sided box. Research shows the “box” to be an eagle whose downswept wings form the box’s sides.
