# Walther P38 or P1 which one to buy?



## gilfo (Dec 5, 2007)

My local gun range/shop is selling P38's for 279. and P1's for 249. I can't tell the difference from looking at them. Which one would be the better buy both quality and price wise. Anything I should look for in either before I buy? Any help will be greatly appreciated.


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

They are essentially the same pistol. The P1 is a P38 with "P1" stamped on it, and built for German government use. Walther did some upgrades to the P38 at some point, so not all of the P38's out there will have them (depends on when it was made). AFAIK, all of the P1's will have the upgrades.

Some P38's will have some collectible value, while virtually none of the P1's will. I would bet than none of the one's you are looking at are of the collectible variety.

They are great shooters, and the P1 I have is one of my favorite pistols. If you can get a really nice example for under $250, jump on it....

PhilR.


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## flugzeug (Dec 9, 2007)

*These will have aluminum frames, so one thing you might want to look for on either, is a steel pin that was used on later models. It looks like a steel circle just behind the take down lever. The pin was used to strengthen the frame. When the slide slams home, it locks up against the pin instead of the aluminum frame.*


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