![]() ![]() Wartime guns were identified by a letter code. About a million P38s were made during WWII by Walther, Mauser, FN, Brno, and several other manufacturers. The P38 was adopted officially in 1938, hence the P38 (for Pistole) designation. Walther developed the P38 out of its PP, one of the very first double-action pistol designs. We just tested a wartime P38 against a later P1, the latter being about the same as the P38 of WWII, but made for the West German army, and having an aluminum-alloy frame instead of the all-steel frame of WWII. Many shooters simply wonder how good they were, and how they stack up against today’s products. Still, we recognize the appeal of famous names and well-known designations, and because so few shooters still alive today had to use these guns in anger, there’s natural curiosity about them. Current manufacturing methods and materials are naturally much advanced over what they were 10, 20, 50 or 100 years ago, so on a quality and consistency basis, today’s guns are usually better picks if actual shooting is in the owner’s plans. ![]() We remain mildly surprised by the ongoing interest Gun Tests readers have for tests of collectible, relic, or just plain old guns.
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