..1943 Mauser P-38
 

For quite some time I have wanted to add a P-38 to my small Luger Collection.....I got in touch with Checkpoint Charlie who has a great website....talked to him at length about P-38s and he had one he recommended....a 1943 Mauser....that he had redone by a gunsmith friend of his.....it came in last thursday and it looks absolutely MINT.....all the markings are present...Waffenamts....and it is a real tack driver....only drawback is the right grip has small piece out of it so I'm on the lookout for a pair of the WW2 Brown/Red P-38 Grips..........so if anyone has a pair of the grips...I would appreciate it if you drop me a note.....heres a photo of my new BYF43 Hans Fischer

I like the gun, but I'm a little non-plussed by the statement "redone" and "absolutely mint".

If the gun has been redone, I would expect it to be "absolutely mint".

yes, i agree with alan, unless a heck of a deal, you can find an ac or byf original for around $800 or less

And Justin is a straight up guy, so no complaints there

Hans,

The gun doesn't look redone (refinished) but with it tough to give any opinion based on the sole photo you posted. The question is what was redone?

Douglas

Hi:

My byf 43 was anything but a tack driver!

Also, byf 43s are known to be slide crackers, mine for instance!

Nice looking pistol anyway!!


Sieger

Southern Manners.& Slide Crackers
 

As you guys know.....I recently became ....finally....the proud owner of a BYF43.....one that I had been looking for a long time...and now I see a note that "BYF43s are known to be slide crackers....at least mine was".......boy that sure takes some air out of your balloon when you see that......how many BYF43s did MAUSER make.?....over 250,000.? and they are "known as slide crackers.?"....maybe this guy used +P ammo...or submachine gun ammo.?..who knows...but to immediately come back with that comment.........Ive never seen a note before regarding slides cracking.......maybe its just me.....but when someone purchases something new......I have always offered good comments and congratulations rather than immediately start to disparage the purchase......but then Im an old Southern Boy and was always taught good manners...........so anyway.........weigh in guys..........however it turns out.....Im still proud of my BYF 43 Hans.

Hans,

If it's refinished? It appears that someone did a nice job of it. It speaks to Charlie's good reputation. He could probably have passed this off as original.

I've never heard that any P.38 was more prone to cracked slides than any other. If you're going to shoot it? Just keep the ammo used, to specs. I've owned and shot many P.38s over the years, never had a cracked slide.

Mauser made 144,300 P.38s in 1943. Yours is a "p" suffix 2nd variation, 88,000 produced as per Mark Castell's web page.

Ron

Hans..Congratulations! Always good to get a dead on tack driver...I have had many pistols and I always keep those that shoot where you point them!

I have seen more than one of the French Manhurin pistols, P1's with cracked slides. I have also had a Mauser Luger with cracks all over the bolt and slide..so fine you had to look really hard to find them but they were cracks clear through.

Hey..it isn't cracked now so don't worry till it is..maybe never!

BYF 43 comments
 

Thanks guys for your good replies to my post......once again you have proved that this is a Forum with Class........

Hans,

You have a very nice looking P-38 pistol. I have owned an AC43 P-38 since the late 50s. I purchased mine from the person that brought it back from WWll. I got the well used over the shoulder holster with a German's name carved in it. Mine is not near as nice as yours, but I like it just the same. I wish I could shoot mine better, but I don't take it to the range that often, so I guess that I can't complain. Anyway, congtats on your new purchase.....oh, and by the way, I haven't seen any cracks in my slide, and I am very sure that my P-38 has been shot a bunch!!

Hans, I have an AC43 P-38 that i have shot several thousand round out of. Never had a problem. Some folks seem to focus on the negative side of getting a gun, particularly a military pistol. The positive side is that its fun to shoot unless its a rare collectible. We get these old military guns used and never know what kind of ammo has been shot out of them before we got them; their prior history can make them prone to breakage but thats a chance we take. I just use moderate powered ammo and enjoy the heck out of shooting a real piece of history. Have fun.

Charlie