Wartime P38 Finish ac41

[Grimble]

Hi, I have a deactivated P38, ac41 produced by Walther in December 1941, j being the first batch with the wartime finish as opposed to polished blue.
It appears to be mint, but as it has the infamous X on the frame (not the usual slide position), I have always assumed that is has been refinished by the Russians.
This is backed up by the lack of any paint on the safety lever positions (it doesn't look like they were ever painted), and some of the pins being blackened also.




But, the metalwork is immaculate (with matching numbers), and it does not have the 'jelly bean' gloss finish often referred to. In fact many areas are particularly matt, such as the front and sides of the trigger guard.
Can anyone comment as to whether this is actually the original finish, or if it has been refinished please?

[mauser9]

Just my opinion but does not look to have been refinished. Wish I had grabbed one of these before price went sky high.

[Grimble]

Thank you, that's the way it looks to me too, just wouldn't have expected it to have survived as well as it appears to have done. Agree I was lucky to buy when I did, but then I sold an mp44 about 25 years ago, just before they skyrocketed...

[Toecutter]

I think a refinish,the locking block and plunger should be in the white,the finish is not as high polish as would be normal.Red paint missing from F for fire is telling,has an X which is usually a Russian capture mark,reddish grips are from a later p38 IMO.The last 2 proofs on the slide should show a white bunishing as they were stamped after finish.

[BrodieBartfast]

I'd also say it was refinished. I have a Spreewerk example with an identical finish, which has gone over surface pitting in places.



Regards, B.B.

[texasuberalles]

IMHO it has been nicely refinished.

[Grimble]

Yes, they are all my main points of concern, although the burnishing on the stamps is a good point. I hadn't considered the grips, I only know that they are AEG. Did the Russians also use a more matt finish then?

[Grimble]

Thanks for the comments, and yes that does look a comparable finish, perhaps proving that it's not always the more lacquered finish that we expect from the Russians (or they didn't refinish it)

[Toecutter]

Yes,these Russian captures were dipped in a blueing perservative solution,the grips were removed before and put in a bin.They didn't bother to remove the locking block so it got the blue solution too.Then the grips were just grabbed from a pile and put on,they didn't worry about keeping the original grips with the pistol.Thats why most of these RCs have incorrect grips.Its still a nice p38,a piece of history in its own right.Here are the grips and finish you would expect to see.Although this is a b block and yours is a later j block,they still have a fairly hi polish finsh and dark brown grips.

[Rescue190]

I agree with previous comments on being a Russian capture that has been dipped.
John