Thanks guys.
By locking block recess, do you mean on the barrel where the locking block slips in, held with that little bent spring clip? I’m trying to picture where this might be, so I can have a look with a strong light.
Yeah, on the decocker, it works, but I hold the hammer so it lands gently.
And also there you can see some P38 slides with cracks:
google.de/search?q=walther+p38+crack+in+slide&tbm=isch
Example:
Last edited by P30; 04-01-2021 at 07:07 PM.
Thanks again for all the help.
I've field stripped it again tonight. Both recoil lugs on the slide are whole and appear little used. The slide is without visible cracks in the area of the locking block area, and all the metal appears in good condition. The interior of the slide seems to have little wear.
Both mag springs compress smoothly all the way down to max compression without binding or early stoppage. Just a smooth press with a chop stick has them all the way to min length.
I checked the chamber and made sure it was very clean. I am thinking of going with the AE 124 ammo. It shoots slightly slower than the 115 AE (1,150 fps vs. 1,180 fps), but seems closer match to one of the "Wartime" loads I saw referenced in a collector thread. I did a plonk test in the chamber with 10 rounds, all the rounds seated perfectly and tipped out easily under gravity. I was able to load 8 rounds in the magazine without needing a Maglula or the Jaws of Life, which was a treat.
That is one of the benefits of old-school, single stack magazines, innit? I was late in getting around to actually firing full auto weapons from Der Krieg, but when the time arrived I found out PDQ that some of the submachinegun magazines didn't load quite as easily. I also got to compare the MP40 and M1A1 Thompson side by side, and began to understand why my uncles loved the "Tommy Gun."Originally Posted by RJ
If the P-38 owner ever wants to get a correct holster for his 1941-date P-38, they are available:
https://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer...s/H077382.html
gn
"On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."
There are also more modern ones surplussed from the Bundswehr, both leather in the WWII style, and modern ones (well, more modern...) in codura fabric in flecktarn camouflage pattern.
Best, Jon
I will relate a personal anecdote. I was in high school in the 70s, and was completely fascinated with European WWII history, in particular, since I grew up in Germany (Army brat). I saved up from my part time job at Hechinger's home center and convinced my parents to let me buy a replica MP-40 (with working bolt!) as well as a P38. Although both were non-functioning, they were very close to the correct size and weight. The MP40 was not dissimilar to this:
https://www.worldwarsupply.com/produ...0-gun-replica/
As I recall, I bought it at an arms dealer in Alexandria Virginia. It may or may not have been Interarms, which at the time was pretty busy with real firearms sales.
Indicating how much times have changed, I brought the fake MP40 with me to college when I went to UVa the fall of '77. Fun times.
I was doing some more research and decided to take out the recoil springs to examine them, the channels and the retaining pins. All was in good shape. I just cleaned everything up with some Slip 2000 EWL and wiped it down. I used a pointed chopstick to compress the spring sufficiently to clear the retaining pin of the lug, then easily lifted the pin out. A bit fiddly but I took my time and did not let the springs snap into place by themselves.
The springs measure around 112 mm. I’ve seen some other figures of 115-117 for springs in use, and one figure of 126 mm when new. I’m kind of on the fence as to whether to get a spring kit or go with them as is. But honestly for $20 it looks pretty cheap to do so if there are issues.
https://www.brownells.com/handgun-pa...prod26234.aspx
(I find it amusing Brownell’s has a spring kit for a pistol made in 1941. Very cool.
I’m getting better at field strip. I found an armorers grip around the slide allows a very small amount of movement, sufficient to rotate the take down lever so the slide/barrel assembly comes right off. This is much easier than locking the slide back. Same on the install, just in reverse.
This is the exact model and year of the P-38 that I shot while growing up. I bought ammo by the case from Vic's For Guns in Galveston, Texas. Vic shipped it to Summit, Mississippi by railway freight. The ammo was European WW2 surplus. When I would shoot rabbits and have them run 50 yards and die, I begin to wonder about the round's effectiveness. Dad turned me loose with it at age 14, and it was my constant companion when in the woods and along rivers and streams.
I think the recoil springs at least are the same in the P5, so it went forward a bit farther than that, but yeah, still pretty neat that parts are easily available.(I find it amusing Brownell’s has a spring kit for a pistol made in 1941. Very cool.
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