Walther P-38 9mm, Germany 1938

Description of the Product

The automatic Walter P. 38 was developed between 1935 and 1937 in Germany because the former German military pistol P-08 was expensive to manufacture and not well suited for mass production. This new 9 mm caliber model Pistole 38 was approved as a service pistol by the Wehrmacht (German Army) in 1938 and mass production began in 1939. More than 1.4 million of these pistols were manufactured for the German army and police in 1939-1945, making this pistol a common sight on World War II fronts.

After World War II, the P-38 pistol was slightly modernized and manufacturing continued under the name P-1. Externally, these pistols are similar, only difference is in the roughening of the handle plates, so this replica is also well suited as a P-1 pistol for movies, theater and collections. After World War II, the German Army kept the P-38 pistol as a service pistol, and did not upgrade to a newer version until 2004. In the rest of the world, the Walther P-38 was and has been a common and popular pistol model. For example in. Sweden it was a service pistol during World War II, and it has been used by the French, Hungarians, Italians, Norwegians, Portuguese and Japanese.

Walther P-38 pistols were never officially purchased to Finland, but German troops carried these pistols in Lapland in 1944, so perhaps that’s how the Finnish army ended up with some pieces of this pistol, which was common elsewhere, during the war. The Paris Peace Treaty forbade the Finnish Defense Forces from buying military equipment from Germany, so these pistols were not acquired for the Defense Forces even after the wars. In the 1960s, P-38 pistols (the P-1 versions) were purchased for Finnish UN troops, military observers and peacekeepers in international work, as spare parts were available everywhere for this universal and reliable pistol.

The original pistol is double acting and has an external impact hammer. The barrel and slider move backwards by the force of the recoil, thus loading a new cartridge. However, this replica is single-action.

This replica pistol is made of light metal casting (samak) with handle plates made of plastic. In the original World War II version the handle plates were bakelite, which was similar in appearance, and in the P-1 versions made after World War II, the handle plates are plastic as in this replica.

• This gun is an exact replica of the original. The replica matches the original in size and weight, and the mechanisms of the weapon are working. The weapon can be cocked and dry fired like a real one. The slider moves but the magazine cannot be removed. Due to the materials used, the mechanisms cannot withstand continuous cocking and firing for long periods.
• Cast metal has been used to make this replica weapon. The handle plates are plastic. Zamac differs from steel in many respects, so the structure of the gun does not withstand pressure, it cannot be used to fire cartridges, nor can it be converted to a functional weapon by any means.
• Replica guns such as this do not require permits in Finland, nor in many other countries. However, since the gun looks real, it should not be carried in public.
• A replica gun is perfect for historical re-enactment, on a theater stage, in film productions, for collectors of historical memorabilia, and as decoration.
• Length: 24 cm
• Weight: 710 g
• Manufacturer: Denix, Spain

Due to the nature of this item please read about shipping options/restrictions if ordering outside Finland.   –More information about international shipping-