LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Somewhat OT- Info on P-38 Stamped Steel Grips ??

G.T. · 05-23-2001, 03:25 PM

Hi John, I think Marvin has it pretty well nailed...according to Buxton, Mauser had a Lot of left over parts for P.38's in house at the end of WW2...most of them, as a result of their high reject rate (a tribute to Mauser's high standards)coupled with using workers from the repair shop to do assembly....Which ultimatly left a lot of

parts for the French to play with...I don't know when Mauser started to make the steel grip's, but I believe it was pretty late in the war. At any rate they had an adaquate stock of plastic grips so that, very few, if any were installed on standard issue P.38's during the war. In my opinion, I think the metal grips are pretty much on French svw 45 & 46 assembled P.38's. As a side note, of the many French svw P.38's I have seen over the years, I have only seen a few where the two steel grip halves matched in color...I have seen them range dramatically in color...silver, gray, pink, copper, rose, & black (Sorry Ted! No Plum!!)....that can make for some startling combinations, and they would probably all be correct!!......till...later...G.T.

05-23-2001, 03:25 PM	#5
G.T. Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chandler Arizona Posts: 3,541 Thanks: 1,342 Thanked 3,742 Times in 1,020 Posts	Re: Somewhat OT- Info on P-38 Stamped Steel Grips ?? Hi John, I think Marvin has it pretty well nailed...according to Buxton, Mauser had a Lot of left over parts for P.38's in house at the end of WW2...most of them, as a result of their high reject rate (a tribute to Mauser's high standards)coupled with using workers from the repair shop to do assembly....Which ultimatly left a lot of parts for the French to play with...I don't know when Mauser started to make the steel grip's, but I believe it was pretty late in the war. At any rate they had an adaquate stock of plastic grips so that, very few, if any were installed on standard issue P.38's during the war. In my opinion, I think the metal grips are pretty much on French svw 45 & 46 assembled P.38's. As a side note, of the many French svw P.38's I have seen over the years, I have only seen a few where the two steel grip halves matched in color...I have seen them range dramatically in color...silver, gray, pink, copper, rose, & black (Sorry Ted! No Plum!!)....that can make for some startling combinations, and they would probably all be correct!!......till...later...G.T.