Arms, Armor and Militaria

9mm Para. 3.25" barrel length. SN: 3977c. Polished bright finish with straw colored small parts mounting smooth walnut custom two-piece grips. Short-recoil operated DA/SA autoloading custom made pistol fed by detachable single stack magazines. Item has been extensively modified from its original configuration by gunsmith John V. Martz. Sights consist of dehorned military pattern rear notch and front blade sights with relocated muzzle ring. Both the barrel and frame have been shortened from stock configuration. Additionally, the original heel magazine release has been omitted with a button release installed below and behind the trigger. Magazine has been shortened and cut to interface with the new magazine latch. The follower and spring have likewise been modified from their original forms. Original serial numbers are mixed, typical of guns selected by John V. Martz for modification. Marks to the slide restruck P.38 followed by AC/42, indicating the donor slide was manufactured by Walther in 1942. Left frame, barrel, and locking link show weakened {Eagle/359} waffenamt markings. Right frame struck with the circled JM signature of John Martz followed by a circled 20. Item comes with a custom made wood and aluminum display stand with rotating lid concealing storage for one magazine and seven rounds of dummy ammunition. The maker marking J V MARTZ is struck into the wood below the lid. Item comes with only one custom shortened magazine. It is finished bright, and shows a cut off P.38 mark. A handwritten note below the magazine reads, "Dear Sam, This Custom Bay P.38 stand is a gift to you. John."

John V. Martz began working as a self-taught gunsmith in 1968, initially using his metalworking skills to repair Luger pistols and fit them with newly fabricated spare parts as the wartime bringbacks began to show over two decades of wear and tear. By 1977, Martz had committed himself as a full time gunsmith. In the years that followed, he established an esteemed reputation for restoring badly damaged handguns to good working order, and for producing unique custom varieties of both Luger pistols and P.38 pistols. This lot represents one of his "Baby" pistols, a custom compact variant of the P.38 model presenting a surprisingly practical handgun despite its age. Martz died on July 15, 2013, having endeared himself to the shooting and collecting communities with his restorations, unique creations, and his eclectic sense of humor. {MODERN}