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Walther P38 ac43

alfisti
Hi,
I just came into possession of a Walther P38 with ac43 stamped on it. It has a small import mark on the handle, but bears no real sign of Russian capture markings. (ie renumbering, x in the slide, parts gun etc.) All numbers match and put it in April of 1943. I would say it is in 85% condition. It has a Waffen stamped magazine, but lacks a holster. The original bakelite grips are in good condition. I paid around $500, is that too much?
Thank you!
alfisti
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    The way the market is for guns nowadays, I would say it was. The import stamp makes all the difference unfortunately. 85% would be at best marginal as far as collectors were concerned, even without the import stamp.

    Hold on to it and used it as a shooter until things turn around. Hopefully you can cut a deal to upgrade it to one in better shape, with out the importers marking.
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  • gary wray
    quote:Originally posted by alfisti
    Hi,
    I just came into possession of a Walther P38 with ac43 stamped on it. It has a small import mark on the handle, but bears no real sign of Russian capture markings. (ie renumbering, x in the slide, parts gun etc.) All numbers match and put it in April of 1943. I would say it is in 85% condition. It has a Waffen stamped magazine, but lacks a holster. The original bakelite grips are in good condition. I paid around $500, is that too much?
    Thank you!
    alfisti


    alfisti....welcome to the GB ATE Forum! And thanks for your question. Really can't tell you much without photos of your pistol but IMHO anytime you can get a P38 in "good" shape (and remember that good (85% or so) varies from person to person) you have done well! Waffen proofed mags can go for as much as $75-100 so the other way to look at it is you got one of the great combat pistols in world history for $400 or so. Now shop for a correct holster for it and you will have a nice rig that perhaps you can upgrade in the future as rufe has said. Hope this helps and have a great Holiday[^]
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  • alfisti
    Hi,
    Thank you so much for your feedback. I just returned the gun, as after field stripping it I discovered the barrel was pitted and rusted, which makes shooting difficult. I'm going to stick to my commercial P38 from 1962 that is in 98% shape and shoots really well. Any views on the Polish RADOM pistol in 90% with WaffenA?mpter markings? I'm considering potentially getting one that is priced around $800.
    Thanks again for all your help!
    alfisti
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by alfisti
    Hi,
    Thank you so much for your feedback. I just returned the gun, as after field stripping it I discovered the barrel was pitted and rusted, which makes shooting difficult. I'm going to stick to my commercial P38 from 1962 that is in 98% shape and shoots really well. Any views on the Polish RADOM pistol in 90% with WaffenA?mpter markings? I'm considering potentially getting one that is priced around $800.
    Thanks again for all your help!
    alfisti


    Be very careful shooting the early the post W W II P 38's with unreinforced alloy frames. The frames are subject to failure/cracking. Because of this the German military P 38's/P 1's were manufactured with a reinforced frame, also a steel hex shaped bolt just above the trigger. This was done circa the early 1970's.

    The Polish Radoms made for the krauts circa 1939/44 were made in a number of different variations. I believe that US collectors have denoted at least 3, maybe more with sub variations. Because of this prices are all over the place depending on variation and rarity. It would be best if you could post quality photos of the one you are thinking about buying for identification and valuation.
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  • gary wray
    quote:Originally posted by alfisti
    Hi,
    Thank you so much for your feedback. I just returned the gun, as after field stripping it I discovered the barrel was pitted and rusted, which makes shooting difficult. I'm going to stick to my commercial P38 from 1962 that is in 98% shape and shoots really well. Any views on the Polish RADOM pistol in 90% with WaffenA?mpter markings? I'm considering potentially getting one that is priced around $800.
    Thanks again for all your help!
    alfisti


    alfisti....well, let's hope you get a better Radom than the P38. As to the Radom, the best are the Polish Eagle's made before the German invasion in Sept 1939. Great quality, great guns. Interestingly, the holsters are also quite rare and valuable (double mag). When the Germans overran the Radom factory they kept the pistol in production and it became popular with the military. The SS received quite a few of the Radoms and they served that force quite well. But, as with everything else, quality began to slip, shortcuts were made in production, and things went south in 1944/45. So quality varies a lot with the Radom. As rufe said, there are several variations, some more valuable than others. For the same money you could get the real deal P38 (all matching, 90+ shape) maybe, with some careful shopping, an ac42 (if you have a sharp eye). Now is the time to buy as the market is down and those who prepare and shop wisely can get some really good deals. While I like the Radom and have several (including a 1938 Polish Eagle with correct double mag holster) I would much rather have a correct P38 with a correct holster than a German Waffenmarked Radom. Anyway, whatever works for you. Good luck[^]
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  • alfisti
    Yeah I think a correct P38 or even a wartime Hi-Power are both better options than a RADOM. I see there is a decent ac42 on gunbroker now for $649 with no reserve. Looks to me like it's not Russian capture, although it is reasonably pitted. What should I be prepared to spend for a good correct bringback P38 with a holster? These Russian capture guns are starting to come out of the woodwork in my hometown, with at least 3 gun stores having examples for sale, all in the $500 range. I don't want a reblue though, and the thought of grubby Communist hands mucking up fine German machining is a turn-off. Any other places I should look for a good one for sale that you can recommend?
    Thank you!
    alfisti
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  • gary wray
    alfisti....well, remember that condition is everything so you will typically pay more for a better conditioned pistol. My rule of thumb is to pay for the best conditioned pistol I can, even if I have to stretch to reach the price. The good news is that folks need money now and are going deep into the safes to bring out stuff they have had for years (back when the pickin' was good) to convert to cash. That is why today is a buyers market. A super good all matching ac or byf P38 with a very good holster should/may cost in the range of $1k+. I would try to match the year of the pistol with the year of the holster (and condition is everything there also) to a have a year matched set....a super good holster can go for as much as $200+. You are right in that you can wait to buy a really good non-capture gun that has been "reconditioned" when the real deals are available for the perceptive eye. Of all the pistols I my safes, the one I keep by my bed and one of my most accurate pistols, is a byf 43 P38....I even CC it sometimes! It is a tackdriver! Anyway, good luck to you on your quest![^]
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  • nmyers
    Alfisti, you have been guided in the right direction by the guys on this forum. Fortunately you were able to back out of your first misstep, as the P38 with the bad bore that you returned was worth no more than $200.

    When you are looking to buy, you've got to do your homework first. You must know what you are looking at, & what the market price is. I suggest that you buy a copy of Fjestad's Blue Book of Guns, a handy reference that gives you a start in identifying most guns.

    The problem with buying guns is that you see so many poor buys out there, that you start to think that's all there is. Not so. Collectors tend to sell their lowest quality guns, hanging on to the "good" ones until they die, or are forced to sell due to a poor economy (like today's). So, you have to look at dozens of junkers before you find one quality gun. Before the Internet, it was even worse; it could take years to find a prime collectible.

    The GB site is where I buy & sell most guns today. You just have to know what to look for. You should use the Advanced Search feature to look at COMPLETED AUCTIONS to find the "real" market price of any gun you are considering.

    I always stop by gun shops to look at their stock, local auctions, gun shows, & garage sales. Before my local paper banned gun ads, I always checked the Sunday classified ads. Wearing a gun-related T-shirt has been a big source: Friends, neighbors, & co-workers often say, "I didn't know you had guns; my brother/father/whatever has some he wants to get rid of."

    Check in with this forum if you have more questions. If you can post photos for us to look at could help you.

    Neal
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