Got mine! Walther P38 ac42

[buellmeister]

Gentlemen,

Finally get to check off one of my must-have's in Miltiaria Collecting. Still need to find a Luger, Pickelhaube, Prussian Pilot's Badge, Visor Cap..... etc. The list goes on and on...LOL! Doesn't it ever right?

Here was an opportunity that presented itself the other day. It is a 1942 Walther P-38 first variation, Serial numbered 1706b and was one hundred away from the end of this series of production for the month of March 1942. All of the tell-tale E/359 stamps are abound and I can't wait to clean it up and fire a few rounds through it.

Regards,

Joel

[buellmeister]

One more picture with a little oil and alot of TLC.

Regards,

Joel

[Hauptmann]

Hi Joel,

Been meaning to comment on this... she's beautiful! Congratulations on obtaining a beautiful example and it's certainly turned out quite well after you added your TLC treatment. Hope she fires as nice as she looks.

Mine is great in that department... very smooth action. But a friend of mine, long since passed on I'm sorry to say, had one in his collection... museum quality. He brought it up to our place in north Florida once and allowed me the privilege of keeping it up there and firing it. I only ran a few rounds through it and I must say it was as quiet as a .22 (believe it or not!) and had an action on it as smooth as silk!!!! I got the impression he was going to will it to me, possibly along with the rest of his pistols and he had a unsurpassed collection... many rare pieces. He knew how much I loved such things and that I would not break them up and would care for them till my dying day. Sadly, he went to the hospital for a routine treatment he underwent periodically only this time he didn't come back. Blood clot! He'd planned to draw up his will when he got back.

Without a will his collections went to his mother, and she gave his brothers the guns. They were immediately sold off to the four winds to finance them tinkering with their cars and trucks. A lifetimes love, passion and collecting out the window in a matter of days.

Year's later someone I used to deal with down there owed me some money on a deal... knew that I loved P38's and wanted one. He came over one day, handed me a gun case and said check this out. Inside was a P38 with the brown bakelite grips that I loved. I figured it was one of his brother's collection and he was just showing me. But he'd found it for a good price and said if you like it take it for what I owe you. I didn't hesitate. She's been one of my favorites ever since and has never failed me in all these years.

They're great guns! Now all you need to do is find a nice wood case for her and make inserts for her and all her accessories. Add an IC or other similar award and you'll have a gorgeous set!

Let us know how she does at the range.

Dan

[buellmeister]

Dan,

I thank you for your interest and certainly sharing your heart felt experience's with the P-38. Love to see pictures of your gun collection too. I am certainly in agreement with your thought of finding a nice presentation box. A nice dark Walnut or even a beautifully patinaed Cherry box to accentuate the rose bakelite grips would certainly do the gun justice. Thank you again for your suggestions.

Kind Regards,

Joel

Edited April 17, 2007 by buellmeister

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

I thank you for your interest and certainly sharing your heart felt experience's with the P-38. Love to see pictures of your gun collection too. I am certainly in agreement with your thought of finding a nice presentation box. A nice dark Walnut or even a beautifully patinaed Cherry box to accentuate the rose bakelite grips would certainly do the gun justice. Thank you again for your suggestions.

Kind Regards,

Joel

Hi Joel,

Here's a link to several of my pistols:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16346

I've posted a few of the rifles over time but have a few more to go.

On cases... broaden your search... I've found most actually "gun cases" to be rather expensive although deals can be had on occassion. I look for cases all the time for guns, daggers, awards and other collectibles.

Here's an example. I found this one at Walmart in Florida shortly before we moved. I got it from their clearance aisle. It had no price... finally managed to get it for $7 if I remember correctly. It was originally a jewelry box. There's a mirrow in the top... now covered in self adhesive felt as it's easier than removing the mirror and risking it getting broken. I removed the original dividers and relined the base and it works well to store and display my Makarov but could be used for any pistol in that size range.

[Hauptmann]

[Hauptmann]

The wood is beautiful and the case is rather heavy and very well built and solid. I can easily change it out for another pistol or any other item I choose as long as the size is right.

Just keep an open mind and keep an eye out. Even if you find something that is nice but needs to be refinished it's often much cheaper than an original or remake gun case. And you can reline them easily as well and also can put in dividers if you like to hold the pistol as well as it's accessories.

But I've always found cased items tend to be much more impressive on display than just the item lying there by itself.

Dan

[buellmeister]

Dan,

Well done on the design of your presentation case! Seeing your case has actually given me a thought of calling a family friend who is a high-end cabinet maker who originally hails from Germany. I'm thinking of giving him a call and commissioning him on building an awards case and after seeing your's, a gun case too.

Dan , you have a very nice gun collection by the way. Someday, I'll have a broom handle as well and certainly no gun collection should go without the dateless style of a Walther PPK. I'll give you a range repoty once the weather gets a little better up here in the Northeast. Thanks again my friend for your interest.

Regards,

Joel

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

Well done on the design of your presentation case! Seeing your case has actually given me a thought of calling a family friend who is a high-end cabinet maker who originally hails from Germany. I'm thinking of giving him a call and commissioning him on building an awards case and after seeing your's, a gun case too.

Dan , you have a very nice gun collection by the way. Someday, I'll have a broom handle as well and certainly no gun collection should go without the dateless style of a Walther PPK. I'll give you a range repoty once the weather gets a little better up here in the Northeast. Thanks again my friend for your interest.

Regards,

Joel

Hi Joel,

Many thanks my friend! And again... keep your eye out. I believe Walmart still carries those same jewelry cases... even at full price they're only about $20 some odd if I remember correctly. The self adhesive felt is something they also carry back in the crafts section... only about .60 some odd cents a sheet which is not bad at all... and they have about any color you'd want. If you want dividers within the case you can get some good wood in about the size you'd need, cut out the lengths to fit and then cover in the same felt to match. I used green because I left the edges in their original green flocking and it was a close match. Saved me a ton of extra work. After measuring, cutting out the size pieces I needed it was a cinch and didn't take long at all. You end up with a very nice, heavy case for little investment, time or effort.

Looking forward to seeing what you get from your friend. I've always wanted custom and the sad thing is my dad could do all that. But he's been gone for some time now. I do have a neighbor across the street who "lives" for woodwork so hoping perhaps someday of hiring him to do some custom pieces for me. But I need to get my basement floor repoured first. After that and some expansion work from the basement up, I'm planning to redo the bunker and make it into my den, display area for my various collections and our home theater. But that's still a ways down the road. So not much point in getting special stuff built till then.

Dan

[buellmeister]

Dan,

I have to tell you an incredible story having to do with our current conversation. Today, at work I met a Gentleman by the name of Werner Tanner who actually was a Cabinetmaker by trade. He was telling me of his experiences of growing up in Munich during the War.

As Germany had surrendered he remember being around the age of nine and a friend of his found a fully loaded Luger still in it's holster that was thrown onto a garage roof. (Interesting to note is, that He stated that there were alot of items tossed up and onto roofs as the retreat and surrender had been conducted.) Being inquisitive and immature, he and his friends tried to unload the gun and a round was jammed. To all of there luck they pointed it away from themselves and pulled the trigger, a loud "Pop" was heard and fortunately the only casualty was a tree limb.

The interesting thing was that he still dabble's with wordworking and he offered his services to building me a medal case or gun box. Truly coincidental and what a nice guy to share his life's experiences. I'll keep you posted.

I also know what it means to prioritize and put the things that we want aside and take care of the essentials. I am looking at buying my first house and my Wife has stated that the Militaria purchases will have to cease for a while. I just told her that I'd work harder and she can Govern the entire house with the exception of my War Room. Yeah Right! LOL!

Regards,

Joel

Edited April 17, 2007 by buellmeister

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

I have to tell you an incredible story having to do with our current conversation. Today, at work I met a Gentleman by the name of Werner Tanner who actually was a Cabinetmaker by trade. He was telling me of his experiences of growing up in Munich during the War.

As Germany had surrendered he remember being around the age of nine and a friend of his found a fully loaded Luger still in it's holster that was thrown onto a garage roof. (Interesting to note is, that He stated that there were alot of items tossed up and onto roofs as the retreat and surrender had been conducted.) Being inquisitive and immature, he and his friends tried to unload the gun and a round was jammed. To all of there luck they pointed it away from themselves and pulled the trigger, a loud "Pop" was heard and fortunately the only casualty was a tree limb.

The interesting thing was that he still dabble's with wordworking and he offered his services to building me a medal case or gun box. Truly coincidental and what a nice guy to share his life's experiences. I'll keep you posted.

I also know what it means to prioritize and put the things that we want aside and take care of the essentials. I am looking at buying my first house and my Wife has stated that the Militaria purchases will have to cease for a while. I just told her that I'd work harder and she can Govern the entire house with the exception of my War Room. Yeah Right! LOL!

Regards,

Joel

Hi Joel,

Very cool! Too bad he doesn't still have the luger, holster, etc. But do hope you get some nice cases... and they'll definitely mean a great deal coming from him.

On the "budget restrictions"... simply become a bottom feeder. I've had to do that throughout much of my time collecting and it's truly amazing the great things one can find on an extremely limited budget. And of course trades are terrific too. But if you're anything like me, going through a long dry spell and not being able to get any new goodies will drive you bonkers!

Dan