Walther P38 Development

[@Solsys2007]

When we add up the auction prices, we find that Ian just handled 523,250 US Dollars worth of equipment.

[@Peter-ff1tp]

Adjusted for inflation this is now $1.8 trillion and three M1 Abrams tanks.

[@danhammond8406]

​@Peter-ff1tp we are now up to 659 trillion dollars worth

[@grc70]

The P-38 is what I would call the prototypical German pistol. Elegant looking. Quality built. It was made to shoot well and reliably. Made almost too well.

[@sammoon2906]

+Ross Collicutt You should really shoot a 1944 or 1945 made P-38 before claiming they were made 'too well', the late war guns are rough as hell, and really, all P-38s have terrible triggers. Heavy on single action, almost impossible double action pull That said, I'll be buried with my AC-42, my Dad has a CYQ 43 that Grandpa brought back from the War, and the ever popular Beretta 92/M9 is essentially a P-38 with a double stack mag, a single recoil spring instead of two, and a redecorated front end. The internals are nearly identical though.

[@MsSoulProvider]

@@sammoon2906 The late WWII Pistols were of poor quality due to Ressource and Logistic issues as a result of years of heavy bombing. These guns are not representive for the usual quality af the Weapon. I recommend a Post War Modell or a P1,- just beautiful made pure German craftmanship. Cheers

[@prof.m.ottozeeejcdecs9998]

The one ... "almost too well" that's a funny remark! ;-) What I found with 99% of Walther designed handguns is, they fit like a glove, even without fancy wooden grips! ;-) pick one up, and it just fits.... unless of course you are a giant or midget!

[@danbarb9728]

maybe you made something wrong? The P38 was also adopted by the german military after ww2 and it was in service until 2004, at the local gun range here in germany you have people with P1's and Luger P08's as well and they are not bad, remember in germany almost all gun ranges are 25m in distance for pistol and revolver, that is the standart distance. Maybe your P38 was just to old and "rusty"? @morton christie

[@bjornsvalling1066]

Adopted by Sweden? Are you sure? To my knoledge we only have the m/07 Browning in 9*20 and the m/40 Lahti in 9*19 before the Glocks.

[@krmould]

Hi Ian. Another outstanding video. It goes to show that these auction house videos are an excellent opportunity to show people firearms that 99.9% of people will never get to see in person. In addition, it is an opportunity to document rare prototypes and developmental firearms before they disappear into another private collection. To all those rare firearm collectors out there, I urge you to reach out to Ian. He is an excellent ambassador for the firearms community. I would love it if he was invited to tour some of these rare private collections while their owners were still alive to add context.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+krmould Thanks!

[@b2kid123]

Michael Eversberg II I would call up Calico if I was you.

[@wastedangelematis]

+krmould i think somewhere in /k i read : "Gun Jesus reads the Walther bible" as a new episode, not sure if it was for this episode

[@wastedangelematis]

yup, i only view /k and /f though, not weird stuff

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

4chan is an autistic's hangout

[@VicariousReality7]

That stamped gun is amazing

[@Blechfuchs]

I think this was an attempt of possibly going the same way as Rheinmetall did when developing the MG42, which also largely used stamped sheet metal parts for the housing, instead of milled block material.

[@stonewalljackson6168]

The P38 is one of the nicest looking pistols in my opinion.

[@bbbbBEOTCH]

+Theodore agree =]

[@megamanx503]

+Theodore yeah, it does look nice, personally i think the glock is my favorite pistol, in terms of shape, but the P38 is defiantly in my top 5 pistols

[@amaethon2117]

+megamanx503 Totally agree

[@leathery420]

I think the Military one looks a bit funny, but I understand the choices. I really like the gun at 3:00, even with the longer barrel, but I think it would look great if they shortened the barrel a inch or two so the front sight is only out a bit from where the frame starts. Reminds me of the HK socom, except it's barrel is longer, and the front sight is connected to the barrel instead of the frame. The grip angles, and controls are very similar.

[@TacticalSeagull]

I think it looks weird, like the long barrel desert eagle. Kind of an uncanny valley for me to see the barrel protruding like that

[@m.paulsen2290]

Hi Ian. I'am so glad I came across your videos. You really changed my view of gun owners. I live in germany and guns are kind of a taboo here and there are a lot of rather negative stereotypes of gun owners and I have to say I shared them...until I saw your videos and experienced your approach to weapons. Your way of presenting them is as much educational as entertaining. I'am looking forward to your next videos and if you ever have a bad day just thing about me and how you helped that guy overseas to overcome his stereotypes. ;)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+M. Paulsen Thanks!

[@SurvivalRussia]

Thank you Ian. Awesome run down on the P38 development.

[@Toad_Hugger]

Survival Russia didn't think I'd see you here! XD My 2 favourite youtubers in one place :o

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

Armourer: "Here's your gun." Officer: "... Let me get this straight, I'm trying to apprehend a potentially dangerous suspect and you want me to point my PP at them? ... Do you have anything else?"

[@presbyterosBassI]

I love the quality of machining. Everything goes together with a very satisfying CLICK.

[@oregonborn9769]

The sheet metal one in contrast to the evolution was the cherry on top. That was by far my fave part

[@rmblwgn]

i found 2 walther p38s on my attic along with a winchester 1886 and 1890 .22lr. my dad had found one p38 in his fathers house and another years later on an estate he was working on after occupants passed away. he never told me about any of them until i was in my 20s.

[@Evergreen1400]

And you did what with them?

[@gummin.t.857]

A short story of history, and it's great! Thank you for showing this rare models.

[@CowboyLuigi]

I'm more of a deagle and revolver kinda guy, but thanks to Lupin the 3rd, I have a lotta respect for this Walther.

[@TPDManiacXC626]

I credit Indiana Jones, G1 Megatron, and Lupin the Third for some interest in the P38 on my end.

[@Polvitaide]

Pistols with shoulder stocks always look cool. Also the stock working as a holster is neat idea.

[@richardtravalini6731]

But not new as the Mauser C96 (that's 1896) was the first or one of the first.

[@dillonc7955]

According to the ATF, shoulder stocks on pistols makes them automatic to fire 8 bullets a round. Oh not to mention the increase in power to where it can blow the body right out of the lungs. It's flabbergasting how science works.

[@AluminumStud]

Wow, that's too bad that those are all being split into separate lots. It's a good thing that you had a chance to get them all on camera at once. They might never all be on the same table again.

[@fhsreelfilms]

Very cool! I love these videos that show the full development of a firearm. It's fascinating to see the design evolve.

[@xray86delta]

Loved it! I've been a P38 guy for years, having owned four different ones, and currently owning one.

[@regsparkes6507]

I am in the market , and chatting with a dealer now, who has a few of the later P38`s, so this video is just super for me. Thanks for all the good information. You have presented these models, very well. Cheers.

[@bcaffrey98]

Yet another outstanding and information packed video by Ian. Well done, sir! And I echo krmould's suggestion for collectors and others to reach out to you to review their rare, unusual or simply forgotten weapons. What a boon for us and for collectors too. I will mention, for fans of the P-38, the design was used as a basis for Smith & Wesson to develop their own early 9mm double action pistol - the Model 39 - in the 1950s for Army trials which never took place. So it became a commercial firearm and launched a 40 year succession of models in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP (plus 7.65 Luger for exports). Keep up the great work Ian.

[@Ryhnhart]

I've never had the chance to see any Walther's up close, but these are beautifully made. Very elegant and even the unique and exposed barrel making it look good.

[@saxon215]

Really? I dislike the look of the exposed barrel! Each to their own

[@Ryhnhart]

Spark Gap I usually do aswell but on this and the Luger they look good. Maybe it's just the sheer familiarity of seeing it.

[@schneir5]

"Simple blowback isn't ideal for pistol cartridges as 'hot' as 9mm" Hi Point: "Hold my beer.."

[@VMEMotor5]

Which is why Hi Points are so big and heavy compared to comparable pistols.

[@johnnydoe7846]

High Point: “Hold my Pabst Blue Ribbon beer”

[@richardtravalini6731]

There is an other, older 9mm Luger straight blowback pistols that were very successful. The Astra Model 400 started in 1921 and is a fantastic pistol. It ended production in the 1950's. Made of all forged and machined steel, I own one and have shot thousands of rounds over 50 years and never had a malfunction.

[@comradeboris]

Fantastic. I have a mid '80s P1 but have always had a soft spot for its predecessors. It would be absolutely amazing to see the whole lineage together in person, awesome video!

[@ihcfn]

You can tell Ian is struggling to contain his excitement at being able to handle these historic weapons 😊

[@VMEMotor5]

That 9mm Luger PP is one of the neatest pistols I've ever seen. Pretty sure it wouldn't be much fun to shoot though.

[@rcbishop7580]

Thanks for the post! Huge Walther fan and have basically just finished my modern day collection. Now to add some classics to the collection!!

[@frankemcgillivray6695]

Thank the Goddess for the ardent collectors. How often can we find, in one place, the full development of such an iconic firearm? Thanks Ian, masterful, as always.

[@jameslooker4791]

I can't believe how many guns Ian gets to handle that are basically historical artifacts. Any time someone says "this is the only one known in existence" they should follow with "so we are especially lucky today."

[@deniscleaver7544]

Fantastic, thank you for this presentation, I learned quite a bit history of this iconic historical handgun.

[@swiley223]

Oh my God! I want that stocked AP! It was just goofy till you pointed out the holster feature......now it's just genius!

[@BigHosMan]

Wonderful historical tutorial,sir. I know I have a book somewhere with all that info,but...way more convenient this way (youtube). I bought an INTERARMS West German Police "trade-in" P-1 in the 1980`s which came with the original extra mag,white leather holster and cleaning kit. Still my favorite handgun (and first!).My pistol was one of the MANURHINs with the Berlin Police markings and corresponding serial numbers. Very accurate-shooting and ergonomic; a true joy to shoot. I highly recommend the P-38/P-1 both for it`s performance and "old school" sinister looks.

[@thelostworlds3]

What timing! I just bought a Mauser made P38 this weekend, 1942 all matching and no import marks!

[@3.2Carrera]

Great video. I had a P38 collection and for a while I carried a Walther P5, which was the last in this development line for this basic design.

[@simonredes859]

5:54 the wood used in this gun looks so beautiful

[@PaisleyPatchouli]

The developmental stages of this iconic pistol show the utter brilliance of the designers; likewise this presentation shows the understanding of the presenter. The value of these productions is irrefutable... Keep up the excellent work!

[@peteradstahl]

Amazing collection, in regards to the last gun I feel you’re exactly correct, from my best armchair speculation, watching your video about improvised weapons, the magazine was almost always from another gun and they built the rest around that, to also have a unique magazine, it’s hard to believe it’s a late war last ditch effort, but just an early mock-up, because even with their issues late in the war, they could still probably find a production magazine.

[@richardtravalini6731]

It's not a late war gun as the war started in 1939 and the P38 started in 1938. But just like the MP38 and MP40 sub machine guns, Germany recognized the need to make things better, faster and cheaper.

[@ClarenceCochran-ne7du]

That's a really amazing collection, especially including the one off design concept. I'm a bit of a Waltherphile, though other than a PPK, all my Walthers are newer, much later designs. Though I'd live to own any of these, they're all way beyond my income.

[@lkcampbell9795]

That detachable stock was really well done. Great video. Thank you.

[@max_archer]

That magazine on the stamped gun seems like a pretty major indication of the gun's history. Had it been a late war prototype, they almost certainly would have done the same thing they did with VG rifles and used an existing magazine design, which in this case would have been the normal P.38's mag.

[@ritathehamstew3726]

The Luger is still my favorite pistol, but these are really nice too, and probably more functional as a military sidearm if we're being honest. I noticed that the action, at least visually, looks pretty similar to the Mauser 1914. The Germans didn't seem to be as fond of full slides that covered the entire barrel like you see with most American guns, but rather they had an exposed barrel and the ones that did use a slide were partially cut. I personally like the silhouette this creates. Very distinctly German.

[@t.c.mcqueen2350]

Great anthology of the P38. Thanks Ian.

[@thereallantesh]

Wow what an amazing collection. I really enjoyed seeing the differences, and changes with each prototype.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Very interesting! I've always liked the Walther P-38, fascinating to see the developmental process here.

[@dbmail545]

What a collection! Would have liked to see another one of those rotary barrel versions.

[@therugburnz]

When I was about 10 or 11 I found a plastic P38 at my local model shop. AFAIK it was an accurate part for part replica in plastic. Of course some of the parts including the slide and barrel were supplied in two bookmatched halves. It even had cartridges with primers one had to build. I didn't begin to build it until I had made a few cars and planes and two years went by. I learned more about firearms than cars thanx to my brief model building. Any one have experience leaning about gun mechanics through building models or taking replicas apart. I've not built a model anything since I started making real(not firearms). Seams like a decent way to learn the way guns work without buying thousands of bucks.

[@ashleysmith3106]

I still have all the plastic model construction kit pistols I built as a kid! I'm now seventy, been collecting real ones since I was old enough; but still learning thanks to Ian, Othias, Mark and the internet in general. Thanks, guys !

[@TheHylianBatman]

I really hope these all stayed together. I hate to see collections broken up.

[@troy9477]

It is always very interesting to see the lineal development of something like this or the 1911, especially when prototypes are so rare, as these are. Great job and a nice find. If you include the Beretta 92 descendant, i suppose one could argue that the P38 and its descendants probably equal more military issue pistols than the 1911- german plus italian plus US M9's. I don't think the 1911 and 1911A1 reached too much over a million, the P38 and 92 and M9 probably have. The P38/P1 was West German issue into the early 80's at least. My P1 had 1979 dates in the slide. As i recall, the Sig 225 came along about 1983-84 as a police pistol to replace the P1 and older PP's and whatever else. Anyway, great video as always. Thank you

[@brianreddeman951]

Ian at the right time at the right place again. Awesome video, thank you again sir. Time to bump up the Patreon amount. :)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Brian Reddeman Wow, thanks! :)

[@brianreddeman951]

+Forgotten Weapons You should check it now :)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Brian Reddeman I did :)

[@thermionic1234567]

Brian Reddeman I thought pistols were illegal for civilians in the ROK?

[@mikewysko2268]

WOW! What a collection. Thanks Ian & RIA..

[@JenniferinIllinois]

What an awesome collection of P-38s.

[@mememaguire3310]

My grandpa collects guns and has 3 p38’s. His uncle was in Europe after they took back France and they had a pile of German weapons and they let the soldiers take 1 home. He took home an original p 38 and he lets me shoot it often😀

[@timm4499]

i was really hoping for a video like this after i saw all the models listed in the catalogue

[@frasiercrane5415]

Thank you for the unique content!No other channel comes close.Not even othais has access to line-up's like these.

[@richardwelsh8448]

Hi ian, this is my first time comment, I have one of these, it is a 41 made by walther, s/ n reads ac 41 I absolutely love it, always fires, never had a problem I love your work, thanks and be safe, Rick

[@rbrant65]

Truly excellent video, Ian (as usual). P38 is one of my favorites and it was great to see the development timeline so intelligently laid out.

[@sithyarael6807]

So nice looking guns there and thanks for the history lesson on them.

[@vincentsilva5663]

I have a walther P1 fantastic handgun probably one of my favorite single stack guns I own

[@leroyjenkins4811]

I never liked the look of the P-38. I never found the long exposed barrel with the shortened slide particularly attractive. I do appreciate the way the gun works and it’s quite reliable. The Beretta M-9 and 92 series guns borrow a lot of the same features and I like those.

[@vidyaorszag]

That stocked, long-barreled Walther is absolutely sexy. Reminds me of the Lange Luger/Artillery Luger. Too bad I'm poor.

[@TheOneTrueAJ]

That prototype is very interesting. Definitely a rare gem.

[@stephenwoods4118]

While I'm not a P-38 fanboy I still found this a fascinating Video. Thank you

[@paddlemaker1]

That was awesome Ian! I wish I had a half-mill. sitting around.

[@ironwolfF1]

Beautiful pistols, and an excellent over-view of P38 development. Now if it wasn't for those damn gun laws, a (reinforced) polymer shoulder stock / holster would be a thing. 😒

[@Blastmaster1972]

Very interesting video Ian, thanks for taking the time to make it!

[@nervenqual]

Thank you very much Ian für this very informative video. I just got my permission to buy one of these beautiful pistols. Greetings from Germany.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

It's great to see how the P38 developed, and how the designer's minds worked.

[@FelisDestructicus]

I'd love to see a modernized p-38, with all the bells and whistles, yet still respecting the aesthetics.

[@LocustMtn]

Very interesting presentation of the development of the P38! Thank you for doing the research and legwork to put this together. I imagine that must be a neat feeling to hold in your hand the "only known example" of a hand gun. Pretty cool.

[@OakStairs]

Looking to buy my first firearm and have been looking at p38s. I just really enjoy ww2 firearms, especially German ones

[@pedrotome9119]

The HP P-38, you show here, is exactly the same that Portugal adopted in 1961, if I am not mistaken!! Thousand thanks for this video, I cam to watch just another time!! ❤❤

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

I know a 32 Battalion vet who used a Walhter P38 when he was in Angola. He preferred it over the Star pistols officers were issued.

[@kavinskysmith4094]

That sheetmetal prototype has an extractor off of a rifle bolt on it, safe money would say its off of a mauser 8mm bolt.

[@PositionLight]

You forgot the one with the scope that turns into a robot.

[@EngineeringVignettes]

+Jersey Mike's Rail Videos He covered the Japanese pistols last week...

[@sammoon2906]

+Deathlok67 He's referring to Megatron...

[@EngineeringVignettes]

Sam Moon I know.

[@sammoon2906]

Deathlok67 REALLY?!!? So, last week he covered Megatron?!?!?! LINK PLEASE!!!!! The Japanese version of Transformers came out after the Hasbro cartoon; Megatron isn't Japanese...

[@Brawler_1337]

That would make for a good April Fool’s joke.

[@Holret]

Amazing, Thanks for showing a German Army P38 model. Black grip and all as it was meant to be...

[@lonewanderer3603]

The pp was one of the best pistols I ever had. Wish I didn't sell. My only complaint about the p38 is it tends to kick the spent casing straight up into your face instead of out to the side.

[@NekitaNet]

It's a bit of a shame it's not one lot at auction. As a whole set these would serve a museum collection very nicely. Thanks for the video! :-)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+NekitaNet Heh...there are very, very few museums that could afford to buy these as a set.

[@57WillysCJ]

How much was the cost savings of the Walther over the Luger? It's funny to see that a Luger could be bought in the 1920s for less than $20. Then again a 1917 Springfield sold for $12.50 in 1925. A time machine and a pocket of money would be a blast.

[@hasudasekiyama]

Walther Heeres Pistol, with long barrel, with shoulder stock, I like it.

[@brianmoran3450]

Cabella's had surplus p-38s post- war a few years back. I picked one up for 350.00 bucks . Solid all around,fun to shoot at the range or for home defense.

[@Piterdeveirs333]

As a Walther I found this fascinating

[@rhinely850]

Well done and educational. Many thanks!

[@NeptuneBluez]

An outstanding video covering one of my favorite pistol - the P38.

[@stevetalbert2727]

I have 2 1944s that are flawless. They both shoot great.

[@JgM-ie5jy]

Great development history lesson. I am amazed that a collector could obtain the various development prototypes. These have to be extremely rare. Truly a one-of-a-kind collection. Too bad it will probably be broken up ... Several things made the P-38 stand out: 1. its sight. Vastly superior than those of the Browning Hi-Power. 2. its design was extensively copied in the design of the Beretta 92 / M9: external trigger draw-bar on top of the right grip panel, wide ejection clearance and especially the locking block.

[@bwhog]

The sheet metal gun is the most fascinating to me. It could well be that this was intended more as a mechanical prototype rather than a functional prototype. Kind of a "let's get this design in three dimensions and see what it all looks like and we can discuss it from there."

[@markgman4157]

Excellent video. I am going to Yellowstone in a couple weeks and looking forward to stopping by the Cody Museum per another of your videos.

[@andriessnyman]

As a young policeman in South Africa I was issued a brand new Walther P38 9mmP pistol in 1979, serial number 338548. It was a German made pistol and not a Manurhin copy and I used it until 1985, when it was replaced by a Beretta 92 9mmP with serial number B27397Z

[@pmodd]

Damn that sheetmetal prototype will sell for a lot. Rarity due to low production numbers or destruction are one thing, but the literal ground-zero-#0001 of the entire line is a completely different beast.

[@Eralen00]

I really like how informative and historical these videos are! Just a small tip, Walther is pronounced like Vaulter (in German, W is pronounced as V, and th is pronounced t)

[@kennethcohagen9037]

Thanks Ian. I love these developement videos. There's a lot to be learned ab out the end product when you see what the manufacturer. One question about the stamped steel version, is it lighter than the other machined versions? I think you're right about it being an early experiment, and I think light weight nod ease of manufacture would have been the design goals as they were looking for a cheaper alternative to the Luger.

[@jagx234]

I really love the couple of "development of" videos you've done. Hopefully you can come across more collections like these for awesome videos!

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+jagx234 I hope to be able to do the Bergmann and Mannlicher systems later this year...

[@jagx234]

+Forgotten Weapons Yes! Now I eagerly await those!

[@bigsmiler5101]

Other sources have mentioned a significance to the shape of the block or sheath around the firing pin. I noticed you showed some with a round block (that sheetmetal example didn't have any separate insert.) However there was also a rectangular block/insert -- I think moreso with the police version. I'm particularly interested in this topic because I have a P38 that doesn't seem to fit any of the versions and has many stamped marks, some...odd. Do you have a more detailed video about P38s?

[@everettomailia8668]

DECEPTICONS ATTACK!!!!! (for those born after the 1980s Megatron used to turn into a P38)

[@johnhuttner9991]

Ian....Thanks ...very interesting...it would be good to show clips ( if you can find them) of production of these weapons.

[@reinaldogarcia70]

One of my favorite German military pistols P38

[@aljr357]

These plus the Walter ppk would be in my dream collection.

[@tillmannfischer]

The optical similarity between the PP and a P38 with the barrel sawn off are quite interesting. Although in my opinion, the PP beats every other pistol aesthetically, the P38 with the barrel shortened and the receiver and slide lengthened (so that the barrel and the slide end at the same point, similar to the PP) would be pretty close...

[@Guhonter]

Maybe the shrouded Hammer wasn't such a good idea for the military, as it took quite some effort to squeeze off the first round if uncocked (at least with the P1), which could have you miss because of the force you had to apply. Iirc it also could be cocked half-way, blocking the trigger when loaded and safety off.

[@jondellar]

Interesting, how many of Walther's designs have that kind of "Napoleon clock" shape when viewed square-on from the front. It's there in the P38, PPK, M9 and others.

[@Farmer-bh3cg]

I have one given to me by a relative. I've always liked the P-38 as it's looks, feel and shooting all seem to say Deutsches Automatische Pistole. If I had to come downstairs in the middle of the night after hearing the thumps, bumps and clatter of the plate being stuffed in a sack this is what would accompany me. I'd bring it as opposed to better choices just so i could say "For you, your criminal career is over. Your hands...UP! (Said with the best of good humour.)

[@Ethnarches]

The sheetmetal pistol also lacked the bridge on the slide like the MP-PP, just another hint of it being a very early prototype.