Mauser (svw) Model P38 Phosphate 5” MATCHING DA Semi-Automatic Pistol, MFD 1945 C&R

SOLD FOR: $4,015

LSB#: 160132WM31

Make: This pistol was made by Mauser at their Oberndorf factory.

Model: P38

Serial Number: 2842f

Year of Manufacture: 1945

Caliber: 9mm Parabellum

Action Type: Single or Double Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine. This pistol has a de-cocker lever.

Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “P.38”, “svw / 45” and “2842 f” (“svw” was the last code by Mauser Werke at the end of the war). The left side of frame is marked “2113 f” and with an “Eagle / WaA135” Waffenamt (as used at Mauser’s Oberndorf plant from 1941-1945). The right side of the slide is marked with two “Eagle / WaA135” Waffenamts with an Eagle holding a globe with Swastika in the center. The left barrel flat is marked with an “Eagle / WaA135” and the front face with “2842 / f”. The bottom of the barrel stop is marked “842 / f”. The right underside of the barrel above the barrel stop is marked “S”. The left rear of the barrel and the left side of the barrel stop are marked with an Eagle holding a globe with Swastika. The right side of the barrel stop is marked with an “Eagle /WaA1??”. The left side of the front sight is marked “4”.

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The pistol is mounted with a flat topped “U” notched rear sight dovetailed into the slide and a Patridge style blade front sight dovetailed into banded base on the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are serrated black plastic that enclose the backstrap. The left grip has a lanyard ring protruding through it from the grip frame. The grips show several light handling marks in both the smooth borders and in the serrations. The grips are in about Fine condition.

Type of Finish: The pistol has a greyish phosphate finish.

Finish Originality: The finish is original.

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 95% of its current metal finish. There is thinning on the front strap, trigger guard and the front edges of the slide. There is a very light mark on the top of the barrel, a few marks through the finish on the underside of the barrel at the frame, and a few light handling marks on the top right of the slide and the right side of the frame. There is also a tiny spot of very light pinprick surface erosion on the left side of the slide just in front of the proof marks. The serrations on the slide, safety and takedown lever are all sharp. The grip screw is sharp with light marks of a screwdriver. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol rates in about Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The single action pull has a small amount of creep. The slide is tight to the frame. This pistol was not manufactured with a magazine disconnect. We did not fire this pistol.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a total of one single stack 8 round magazine. The magazine is blued and its left side is marked “P.38” and the rear surface is marked with an “Eagle / 135” Waffenamt, showing it was made by Mauser. The magazine shows minimal war. The floorplate shows thinning on its edges, a scratch through the finish and marks through the finish from the magazine catch. It is in about Fine condition.

Our Assessment: The P38 occupies a significant place in history. It was the first locked breech pistol to have a single action/double action trigger. After the start of WWII, Walther could not keep up with the production required, and production was ordered to commence at both Mauser and Spreewerke in 1940. By the end of the war, Walther had only produced about 580,000 of the 1.2 million produced. Up until the beginning of 1945, Mauser Werke had used the code “byf” for identification, but in early 1945, they switched to “svw”. On April 20, 1945, French troops occupied Oberndorf and in June, the Mauser plant began making weapons under French control. Needless to say, the “svw” marked P38’s are among the rarest of the P38’s produced during the war by the Nazis. This pistol has matching serial numbers on the barrel, slide, frame and barrel stop, and is correctly marked for a Mauser produced pistol in 1945, including the magazine in the pistol. The pistol is in about Excellent condition with 95% of its finish remaining. It has a tiny spot of very light pinprick surface erosion on the right side of the slide just in front of the markings, a few light handling marks in the slide and frame, and a few marks through the finish in the underside of the barrel. There is also thinning on the front edges of the side and minor thinning in the trigger guard and front strap. The grips show s few light marks in the smooth areas as well as in the serrations. The bore is bright with sharp rifling. . With its nice finish and matching serial numbers, this pistol should be a big hit with the collectors. Late war pistols with matching serial numbers are hard to find, as the plants were all trying to assemble as many guns as they could as fast as they could, even though the war had been lost since the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Mauser (svw) Model P38 Phosphate 5” MATCHING DA Semi-Automatic Pistol, MFD 1945 C&R
Mauser (svw) Model P38 Phosphate 5” MATCHING DA Semi-Automatic Pistol, MFD 1945 C&R