I've wanted a P.38 for a while. Was watching a bunch at a pre-Christmas auction, and, well, uh, if they're going that cheap, I might as well get a representative of all three manufacturers. They arrived last week, so here are a few pictures. Crappy indoor lighting but the bluing is quite nice on the Walther, a bit worn on the Spreewerk, and the phosphate treatment is in good shape on the Mauser. Edge wear, as expected.
Walther designed the Pistole Modell 1938 (P.38) in the late 30's and began production in 1939 but in 1942, two additional manufacturers were added. The Walther (ac code) and Mauser (byf code) were made in August 1943 according to the serial number and letter block tables. The Spreewerk (cyq code) was made in January 1944. Both the ac and cyq are blued while the byf has the grey phosphate (Parkerizing) treatment. Walther, Mauser and Spreewerk produced a total of 585K, 323K and 283K, respectively, for a total of about 1.2M.
None of these are import marked, and none are perfect, but I'm pleased to have filled the hole(s) in the collection
My depth of knowledge on these is shallow so all input is welcome. Thanks.