So this followed me home from the shop:
I’ve wanted one for a long time. They’re interesting historical pieces as well as what I consider the great-grandfather of the Beretta 92.
But really the reason I got this gun is because MEGATRON!!! I did grow up in the 80s….oh and this didn’t hurt.
So here’s where I need some help. I know NOTHING about these guns. All I know about this one is it’s marked “Walther P38” tho it has the Alloy frame, and is a post war gun date-stamped for April of 1958.
Where do I go to dig up all the proof marks and learn about what variant this is?
Oh and this video is awesome
There was a long time when they were making the P.38 with the alloy frame before they changed from the Wehrmacht heer designations to the Bundesheer P.1 designation.
I used one with an alloy frame for practical pistol competition, and wore it out in a short time. A steel slide on an an aluminum frame wasn’t a very good idea, in my opinion. I wish I had a “real” one.
P38forum.com, oddly enough. 🙂
Several years ago, I stumbled across Takara’s patent for the Megatron/P38 design.
https://www.google.com/patents/US4571201
They eventually inserted a hexagonal steel cross pin to bear the brunt of the locking block’s force. I have a bunch of Walther reference books, I’ll see what I can dig up. IIRC, many of the ‘P38’ marked Ulm guns went to the civilian and export markets.