WWII Walther 7.65

[ktoyz]

My Grandfather brought back a Walther Pistole from WWII. The story was that he picked it up at Hitler's Summer Home when the Army raided. We have no documentation to back this up other than a permit from the US Army declaring him the owner of the gun as a war trophy (it doesn't give location info). We later found out that all additional documents were lost in a big fire at the Military Archives warehouse.

The gun has been stored in a towel in the closet since the 1940's. I inherited the gun when he died. I had a gun enthusiast look at it a couple of years ago and he was impressed with the amount of original bluing apparent and said the gun looked as though it was kept in a gun safe all these years. The only exception was near the muzzle, where there is some loss of bluing.

The gun has some wear on the left grip by way of a couple of dings and nicks (see photo). There is also some wear on the left side where part of the stamp has been worn off (not completely and you can still read it). I don't think this shows well in the photos, but it affects the portion of the stamp that reads "Cal 7.65" and right below, where the word "Walther" is stamped.

The serial number is 135XXX, if that helps.
I would love to know anything you can tell me about this gun. There is no holster, but there is a full magazine's worth of bullets that came back with the gun.

[RJay]

Not a World War II pistol but rather a World War I, You are the proud owner of a Walther Model 4, made between 1910 and 1924, variation 2 or 3.It was a very successful pistol for Walter and many were purchased for the police and Imperial Army. I can not see all the markings so I can't tell if it was a civilian used gun or other wise. While a very well made and wonderful heirloom, it does not have the mystique of the WW II Walther PPs and PPKs. Value would be between 450 and 350. The bring back papers would be a 5 to 10 percent premium. Even if the records had not been destroyed they would not have contained information on where the pistol had been obtained. These are also not " long term " records and would not have been kept other than at a local level for a period of time and then destroyed. Nice story, but unfortunately it is only that and adds nothing to the value. Not to cast any disparagingly doubts on your Grandfather, but every GI bring buy was personalty taken form either a SS Colonel or Goring Himself. Hope that helps, if some one has better info on the value please chime in. By the way, if you have not done so, empty the magazine for long term storage and to prevent accidents.

[ktoyz]

Thanks for the info, and I have emptied the magazine : )

I don't know a whole lot about guns, but I will try and explain the markings that aren't visible in the photos...

There is a crest type marking on the finger guard, just below the barrel that looks like a shield. The monogram within the shield looks to be a g (or an upside down 5)and the letter M or an upside down W.

There is another imprint to the left of the handle grip, near the top and just below the serial number. This appears to be a sideways N or the letter Z with a sideways crown.

There is another imprint near the back of the gun, still on the left side of a letter F. This is covered up by the safety lever when in the on position. Moving the safety to the on position also reveals an imprint of the letter S, which is partially obscured by the grip plate.

Do any of those help you determine whether the gun was civillian or officer issue?

[RJay]

The letters F and S mean safe and fire ( I believe ), the N over Crown are proof markings, with out seeing the crest I don't even want to make a guess. I make enought mistakes even when I have a clear visual picture :)