Author Topic: One P.38 from my collection  (Read 4985 times)

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Offline Donp236

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One P.38 from my collection
« on: February 19, 2015, 11:56:02 AM »
Here is a Phosphate Dual Tone SVW45.  The SVW code supplanted the BYF code for Mauser in early 1945. Although due to abundant numbers many BYF44 slides were inter mixed with SVW45 slides throughout the 1945 production.  the SVW45 I show below was German production, made in early mid March 1945.  The Mauser Plant was captured by the American army and handed over to the French on the 20th of April 1945.  The French then resumed P.38 production within a month, using left over BYF44 and SVW45 slides and phosphate frames and barrels until 1946 when they began making new SVW46 slides.  The all phosphate SVW46 with metal grips was called by the importer InterArms the "Grey Ghost".

The gun all serial numbers match.




« Last Edit: March 10, 2019, 06:42:36 PM by Donp236 »

Offline Dannyboy53

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2015, 12:13:04 PM »
Donp that's awesome! Do you fire it?

Offline Phosphorus32

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2015, 02:39:51 PM »
Very nice P38.  I definitely need one of those some day.  I gather you have a considerable number of different years and manufacturers of these P38s.  Are there generally agreed upon rare models or years?


The Mauser Plant was captured by the American army and handed over to the French on the 20th of April 1945.
A rather fitting present to the French on Hitler's birthday  clap1  :)  I see you said it was made in May.  So by German production, I guess you mean it was assembled from German made parts after the French took over.

Offline Donp236

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2015, 02:56:09 PM »
Dannyboy53 The day i brought it home I shot I magazine through it to make sure it functioned correctly, then put it in the safe.

Phospherous32 I have several years of Walther,  Mauser and Spreewerk but mostly Mauser.  The SVW45's like the one above is quite rare as well are the police contract P.38's with the E/L and E/F stamps.  The last SVW45 I saw sell was for $3100, was not mine, and the last E/L, $2800 and the last was E/F $4200.  These are all current values, rare in 95% or greater in condition


Offline Phosphorus32

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2015, 05:24:55 PM »
Dannyboy53 The day i brought it home I shot I magazine through it to make sure it functioned correctly, then put it in the safe.

Phospherous32 I have several years of Walther,  Mauser and Spreewerk but mostly Mauser.  The SVW45's like the one above is quite rare as well are the police contract P.38's with the E/L and E/F stamps.  The last SVW45 I saw sell was for $3100, was not mine, and the last E/L, $2800 and the last was E/F $4200.  These are all current values, rare in 95% or greater in condition
Wowza!  Those are some rich prices.  I think I'll start by trying to find a more "common" variant that's a good shooter, since my interests are very broad, and my disposable income is limited  :))

Offline Donp236

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2015, 11:54:02 AM »
Dannyboy53 The day i brought it home I shot I magazine through it to make sure it functioned correctly, then put it in the safe.

Phospherous32 I have several years of Walther,  Mauser and Spreewerk but mostly Mauser.  The SVW45's like the one above is quite rare as well are the police contract P.38's with the E/L and E/F stamps.  The last SVW45 I saw sell was for $3100, was not mine, and the last E/L, $2800 and the last was E/F $4200.  These are all current values, rare in 95% or greater in condition
Wowza!  Those are some rich prices.  I think I'll start by trying to find a more "common" variant that's a good shooter, since my interests are very broad, and my disposable income is limited  :))

Yep that true the prices are really up there and will only increase through time..  Walther post war P-1's which are P.38's with Dural frames, an alloy.  they are reasonably priced, under $400.  Most have import marks but that is not an issue on post war guns including SKS's too. As there is not much in the collectibility in P-1's or SKS's.  Also in the cheaper or shooter P-38 realm are the post war imports of RC or Russian capture guns, these were "dipped" and miss matched grips and magazines and maybe parts too and are import marked too.  these were captured by the Russians put into storage for the next war and never issued.  they came mostly from stocks in Georgia (the country) and Ukraine in the 1990's. InterArms imported a number of them too

Offline Donp236

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Re: One P.38 from my collection
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2015, 12:03:46 PM »
Very nice P38.  I definitely need one of those some day.  I gather you have a considerable number of different years and manufacturers of these P38s.  Are there generally agreed upon rare models or years?


The Mauser Plant was captured by the American army and handed over to the French on the 20th of April 1945.
A rather fitting present to the French on Hitler's birthday  clap1  :)  I see you said it was made in May.  So by German production, I guess you mean it was assembled from German made parts after the French took over.

My mistake, I ment to type March 1945 the above P.38 is all German production.  I do have French, not import marked, P.38 in the G block with a SVW45 slide too that was made in May or June 1945 of all Gerrnan made parts left in factory after the French took over, pictured below.  This one has late war grips the more filler the redder the grip.  Black Polyamide 6 are seen on them too as well as the stamped metal grips which were developed by Mauser but never issued before the war ended.

Here it is

« Last Edit: February 21, 2015, 07:15:42 AM by Donp236 »