P38K: The Real One, not the Nazi Fantasy Piece (Ad-free)
Added 2025-05-05 12:00:05 +0000 UTCThe P38K is both a fantasy WWII concept and also a real pistol made in small numbers by Walther in the 1970s. The idea is simple; just cut down the barrel on a P38 to barely in front of the slide (2.8 inches on the real ones). This does make for a shorter gun, although it retains the large frame and limited capacity of the standard P38, and it’s not really much more concealable than the original.
The real P38K went into preproduction in 1972, with several dozen guns made for Munich and Bremerhaven police in 1972 and 1973. It was really not so much a P38K as a P1K or P4K; it uses the aluminum frame of the P1 and the solid slide of the P4. Full commercial production began in 1974, with serial number 500101. The first 400 guns formed a first variation - these have dovetailed-in front sights and unreinforced frames. From 500501 to the end of production (502595) they would get a hexagonal reinforcing pin in the frame and a front sight milled into the side as a fixed element. Production ended in 1981, with a total of just 2495 production examples made (mostly in 9x19mm, with about 200 in 7.65x21mm).
Comments
Note the solid P4 hammer instead of the hollow P38 version. That fat P4 slide is an apparent improvement over the P38/P1--no top plate to (reportedly) wear out with use/repeated disassembly and then depart the slide with various innards. Despite their quirks and limitations, I'm fond of Walther pistols, initially because of exposure to American spy TV, then because of many rounds downrange with PPs and P1s.
ViejoLobo
2025-05-06 19:42:13 +0000 UTCwell the sights look great with that reference marks. I just don't like walther pistols much. a later p225/p6 would run circles around that and much rather a hkp7/8, too. still, there were NO potatoeship m+p shield or those platicwonders in 75! from a history / diversity point of view great it was that way, from a logical given the similar task at hand... german states as US EACH department/agency, why they didn't a mcnamary (yeah I know but who else did this) kind of thing and agreed on ONE model of hansgun fullsize one concealment....
Guido Schriewer
2025-05-05 15:18:58 +0000 UTC
