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P38 questions

Mauser4me

Senior Member
Hey guys so I just bought my very first WW2 handgun, an all matching byf 44 P38 't' block. I haven't actually received it yet from the seller (gunbroker) but I'm very excited for it.

Anyways I started looking into getting one or two spare & original mags and holy cow the prices vary. From what I gather, correct mags for my P38 would be WaA135 marked upside down on the backside, and have P38v on the lower side.

When I looked for these on eBay or Gunbroker they were anywhere from $100 to $250, with no major condition differences that I could tell. How much do they usually, actually sell for online? And am I correct in my mag markings which are correct for my P38? Also what type of holster would be correct?

All help is greatly appreciated guys.
 
Yes a WaA135 mag is most appropriate. There’s no reason to ever pay more than $150 for a really nice, common mag. Mid war Mauser and Walther mags are common. If you want a 1944 holster I’ve got a spare one. Send me a PM if interested. I might have a spare mag for it too, have to look.
 
Also, as I understand it, JVD mags are replacement mags and correct for any make.
 
Agree with Nathan on all of the above; the e/135 on the spine (not sure it needs to be upside down.....) and the P38v on the left side would be right for that manufacturing date for Mauser.
 
Agree with the other guys. P.38v with an eagle 135 marked mag ;-) Here's my byf44 y block with the correct mag.
 

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Hello,

Congratulations on your first P.38! A P.38v E/WaA135 would be most appropriate, however a JVD mag is also considered acceptable. Later in the war Mauser and Walther P.38s were issued with JVD magazines, so either is considered acceptable. I am not sure there is a clear cut off. That being said, Mauser made the switch from E/135 to E/WaA135 right around the time they switched from BYF43 to BYF44 (p-q blocks), so I would not consider a E/135 acceptable for this gun. My rule of thumb is go with whatever is on the gun. Some guns have both E/135 and E/WaA135 that were produced during that transitional phase and I leave that up to collectors choice on the type of mag they want to put with it.

The sellers who are listing standard magazines at high prices are just looking for someone in a bind or people who don't want to shop around. Quality can drive price up, just like with anything. So "mint" will be worth a premium. However, magazines will commonly come up for sale on forums and if you're OK with not perfect condition (which I usually say why not? It just goes in the gun anyway) then deals can be found.

There's a good book that has all of the details (http://pistole38.nl/p38-mags-and-grips-book) or you can just look at this website: http://pistole38.nl/p38-accessories/p38-magazines

Nick
 

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