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Brothers in arms...

By The Armorer on October 10, 2011 | | Comments (20)
I have a surprising amount in common with these two pistols.
brothers_2_web.jpg
[This pic will embiggen if you click on it.]

All three of us were born in Germany.  The beat-up P38 in 1944, and the mostly pristine P1 in 1980.  The P1 and I started our military careers in Germany in 1980, though I rather think I had a somewhat more active career...  

And all three of us ended up as retirees in Kansas...  The P38, for all that wear and tear, is rather more functional than I am, I admit.  He's just as dangerous as the day he was made, he just shows the mileage...

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20 Comments

By Rich in KCK on October 10, 2011 11:45 AM
Okay John, ya haven't been on Sons of Guns now, have ya?

Regards

Rich in KCK
 
By Joe in N Calif on October 10, 2011 12:38 PM
Do those feel as clunky in the hand as they look? 
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 10, 2011 4:23 PM
Not by my reckoning, Joe.  The sights on the P1 are an improvement over the P38.
 
By Jerry on October 10, 2011 4:36 PM
Nice, I have been considering diving into "early era" modern fireams with a Mr Moses Browning FN1910, that or a Springfield 1903 :)
Jerry
 
By Rod Thorsen on October 10, 2011 5:41 PM
Thanks for showing those.  I'd forgotten about the Manurhin P-1 I'd had back in the '80's.  Found out about it's loaded chamber indicator right off the bat when I'd performed "immediate action" on it with the first mag throuth it.  Just checked, yup, still have the scar.
 
By Oldloadr on October 10, 2011 5:57 PM
"I have been considering diving into "early era" modern fireams.."

Saturday, I bought a Mosin-Nagant M91/30 (1942) at a gun show for a whopping $119, along with a 440 round can of Bulgarian 7.62x54 ($109).  We took it to the Shaw AFB range on Sunday and had a great time shooting it; especially since the ammo was sooooooooooo cheap.  I plan to go after feral/wild hogs this winter with it. It is typical Soviet workmanship (functional, but 0 frills), which makes it a very loud history lesson.
 
By Quartermaster on October 10, 2011 6:58 PM
 The 1911 looks like a clunker. I shot one the first time at Kelly AFB when I was still in Hi Skool and didn't think it was clunky after I held that wunnerful piece of hardware.
 
By Neffi on October 10, 2011 7:20 PM
Ooh, a Spreewerk!
 
By Neffi on October 10, 2011 7:32 PM
I once owned an AC43 that I aquired as a vet bring-back along with the Heer dagger taken from the same prisoner. I sold the P38 (with holster) for the same price as I'd paid for the set, so the dagger was free and I was a clever lad!
But the pistol and holster were  in excellent shape and I wish I still had them... :-(
 
By Neffi on October 10, 2011 7:35 PM
Hey, wot's that button for, behind the take-down lever on the P-1?
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 10, 2011 9:08 PM
 It's not a button, Neffi, it's the steel reinforce for the alloy frame that the locking lug impacts.
 
By Chuck Simmins on October 10, 2011 10:16 PM
Who scratched P38 on the pistol?
 
By Joe in N Calif on October 11, 2011 1:30 AM
Thanks John.  Just looking at them that grip looks awfuly straight to me.  And like it would be really light at the muzzle, all the weight in the hand.  Unile the 1911 which has a touch more rake to the grip and more weight forward.
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 11, 2011 6:53 AM
That marking is stamped, Chuck, I told ya the P38 was showing his mileage.  He was a battlefield pick-up that had probably lain around a  while, and then spent a lot of time in storage in the beat-up holster that came with the pistol.  Storing your weapon in a leather holster is usually not good for the finish.

Joe - yes, they are a touch light in the muzzle, but it's a 9mm, so that isn't as important as it is for a .45.  Plus, they were built for battlefield accuracy, not competitive shooting.  The P38 doesn't lend itself to much tweaking, either.
 
By JW on October 11, 2011 8:32 AM
The P-38 is an improvement over the P-08 if you ever carred one or owned one.  Cool factor aside, the inovative SA/DA firing mechanism is much safer/functional, it is less prone to breakage and malfunction, and the  grip is at a natural angle compared to the P-08.  Compare it in function and field stripping to our current M9 and there are a lot of similarities, but those crafty Germans had it in WWII.
 
By Martin VanMeter on October 11, 2011 9:27 AM
interesting site for info on Spreewerk's P38 history    http://www.p38guns.com/Spreewerk.htm
 
By Joe in N Calif on October 11, 2011 7:15 PM
I can't shoot a muzzle light gun worth beans. I like a little weight out front.  Colt Dragoons are just about right.
 
By Joe in N Calif on October 12, 2011 12:34 AM
John, I can't shoot anything light in the muzzle worth a darn.  I like some weight hung out front, seems to point better for me that way.  Something like a Colt Dragoon.  Walkers are a touch muzzle heavy. 
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 12, 2011 7:28 AM
Joe, you can't shoot anything that doesn't use separate-loading ammo, can you?  8^D
 
By Blake Kirk on October 12, 2011 9:51 PM
I've got a 1943byf that my Dad brought back from Germany in 1946.  I've always liked it, and it shoots decently. Since I got the Carry 12 it's sort of the backup gun for whenever the wife runs out of half-moon clips for the Webley.  She LIKES the Webley.