[Mark]

The French continued making P38s at Mauser after the war picking up where the Germans left off in the "g" block. The pistols had metal grips and were imported in the thousands by Interarms, who I believe bought the entire stock. Most of the Interarms guns have import markings that were cleverly hidden under the slide rail. You can sometimes find one of these guns that are not import marked, brought in pre 1968. This pistol is one of those guns and has the original matched mag.

Download Attachment: SVW45French.jpg
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[45Auto]

Interesting. The French numbered the mags. Germany stopped numbering mags early in the war.

 

[Ron Smith]

Mark, How do you find this stuff? Great looking pistol. Hope to run across one like it someday.
Ron

 

[Orv Reichert]

Actually, German production at Mauser ended in the rather early F block and there is a gap from there to the French guns that seem to start with 1-g.

Interarms bought the remaining stocks but prior to that, France used them in Indo-China and donated a bunch of them to the Austrians in 1955.

I think they are fascinating pistols with a wonderful history.

Orv

Orvel L. Reichert
P O Box 67
Vader WA 98593
360 245 3492 tel
360 245 3702 fax
360 520 6520 cel
[email protected]

Quote.....A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. --G B Shaw

 

[Mark]

The East German post war rework guns and CZ 46 P38's had matched mags in most cases, I don't know why since the point of making a new weapon for the Germans in WWII was interchangeability of parts.

For those of you not familiar with the P38, it can be completely disasembled, down to the last pin with no special tools.

I am curently working a post war numbered mag variation photo identification which includes the Austrian reworks. Most of the post war mags including the French guns do not include the letter block on the mag, some are electric pencilled on the base plate, some are stamped on the plate and some numbered on the left side.

As Orv said, these guns are fancinating pistols with a wonderful history and I would like to include the East German, Czech, Norwegian and French guns in that grouping.

Mark

 

[Guest]

What value do they hold...my local gunshop has, what looks to be a brand new black phosphated svw45 with french marks only for about $500.

 

[Orv Reichert]

NIB with papers would bring about $500-$600 these days...there are also some minor sub-variations that might bring a bit more.

Orv


Orvel L. Reichert
P O Box 67
Vader WA 98593
360 245 3492 tel
360 245 3702 fax
360 520 6520 cel
[email protected]