John Martz Custom P38s: Babies, .45s, and .38 Supers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- John Martz was a WWII US Navy veteran who spent a career in metalworking before turning his gunsmithing hobby into a full time occupation in the 1960s. He is best known for his custom Luger pistols, but also worked extensively with the P38. Today we are looking at an assortment of his custom P38s - a baby model with a shortened barrel and grip, a standard pattern gun converted to .38 Super, and a long barreled model converted to .45 ACP.
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That baby P-38 looks strangely adorable.
More Marts. Cool.
I built a commercially available part for part plastic model of a P38 when was kid in about '73 0r '74. I wasn't even into engineering or pistols much. I liked rifles and targets and plinking like most 10 year olds. When I saw how it worked I was flabbergasted. So many parts that worked together. From then on I appreciated how the products I used were made, so much engineering. Tools that made tools; machines that made parts of other machines and all related. Fascinating !
Rant sorry. I ment to say,, Ian has a great channel let me watch it.
Damn, I want that Baby. The P38 always looked like you could just make the barrel short enough to barely extend beyond the slide, and turn it into a better PPK.
They could make it even shorter and just mount the sights on the front of the slide. The P38 is functionally a Beretta 92 anyway so they could just mount the sights the same way.
I think you mean that the other way around; the beretta 92-series pistols are functionally identical to p38 pattern.
My understanding is that they actually copied eachother since the p38 took the open slide from the small beretta pistols of the time and the 92 took the locking block design from the p38.
Mirdarion Er, they did. It's called the P38K. Also see the P5 Compact.
The P38k still has the normal length grip though, what I mean is a baby version like the Martz, but without the barrel extension. If you keep the grip at full size, the whole point of a PPK-like pistol goes down the drain, because the gun will still be large, compared to civilian designs.
P.S.: The P5 Compact on the other hand is ludicrously hard to come by, considering how few of them were made. It would IMO be the perfect pistol, if it were actually available. Quite a shame that Walther nowadays pushes nothing but ugly plastic guns anymore...
That first one is gorgeous.
John Martz conversions are brilliant. I love original guns but when custom jobs are done right they can steal my attention. A+ Mr. Martz
That long barrel .45 😍😍😍😍😍
I like the .45 ACP conversion reminds me of Megatron. Ah childhood.
Gorgeous. The baby P38 put me in mind of The Man from UNCLE (I know it's not the same). :) Thanks for the video.
Actually it's more like a P-38K that was featured on the 60'sTV series I Spy. But it's the same idea. Being a union stagehand with The IATSE (the same union that handles Prop Masters.) I once had an UNCLE Special I bought off a CA Prop Man. The dove tail & hammer were shortened. The stock was custoed, with a place to put the spies initial. and it had several slots to install a stock and a scope. There was no "Bird Cage" Suppressor available to me at the time. It's been in a collectors hands since the mid 90's when I started to travel with Rock Bands.
P38 (called P1) was my service pistol in the German Air Force in the early 1980's. Would love to shoot the long barreled .45 conversion, looks awesome.
A stock for that .45 one would be awesome
I think we all can agree high-end work like this isnt the issue its bubba in his garage with a hacksaw and mig welder
I guarantee that is how he started out
I actually like the baby p38 more then the baby Luger
Pete hiller heresy
Some people like kittens. Some people like puppies. l like German baby guns made by John Martz.
They are both really cool tho
Lugers are great pistols, but generally overrated in terms of their performance versus a contemporary automatic pistol made to the same quality standards.
The p38 was made to be a baby gun i always thought the barrel would look nicer shorter
Seeing as neither the Luger or the P38 are scarce or even uncommon (literally millions made) turning mismatched pistols into gunsmithing oddities makes perfect sense. Nobody makes a stink about modifying gold cup colts, or any colt for that matter. Much like Americans and cars, the cars get modified on purchase day +1, stock is boring. Consider how many hot rod model T’s are still extant vs. restored to stock examples.
People will get upset over the stupidest things rather than the things that actually matter.
I think you hit the nail on the head. It's similar to gunsmithing a SKS or Mosin Nagant, neither of which is rare or scarce.
I think I’m gonna keep my model T roadster stock
I prefer my classic cars completely stock visually
@@sitnam9054 someday they will be. It has historical value and your destroying it.
I wish Ian would do a special episode about the more rare gun finishes. Ive never heard of a straw finish, looks really nice. Ive gained so much more appreciation to machine work, engineering, and finishing work after watching Ian's programs. Makes me look at my modern sporting arms and then feel like they are disappointments.
Wow... terrific workmanship. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Baby p-38 were available from several sources; but John Martz were a work of art
Baby P-38 looks heavenly
I had a toy P38 and a P38K when I was a kid lol. This takes me back
Got to love the 38 super. 😍😍😍
that shortbarel one is such a great looking handgun.
The one in 45. looks amazing
Damn, I want all three
Those are seriously nice pistols, especially the long barrel .45acp
Mr. Martz's gun voodoo is spectactular!
At the time p-38s were 35-40 Lugers 50-75 $
Rest in peace, Mr Martz.
Recoil in horror? They're beautiful!
Axel Pingol that's the best part!
Only gun I've ever been disgusted by are My Little Pony themed SKS's and Mausers, and an Obrez'd Finnish Nagant some guy made, you just don't do that to a Finn Mosin.
I hope you get the biggest commission from sales in the world. I hope that you are happy in your life and I thank you for doing what you do. Keep doing what you love no matter what. Interesting and informative videos every single time. Fine details and background history on every video. You have to have respect for Ian.
I wants me one of them long barrel boys.
His p-08's are amazing. Beautiful guns.
Excellent Video Review! I like them all, but particularly that Baby P38! Such wonderful craftsmanship!
While I have more modern Pistols, I still love my three P38's!
Cool video man
the baby is fucking gorgeous, might be my favorite looking gun ever. definitely in the top 5.
These are perfect CCWs
Damn nice work
Wow, beautiful pistols!
Love the baby one.
That randy 1911 sure got around.
Beautiful guns indeed!
The 'gold' look is probably niter gold. That colour is achieved by putting the part into molten niter salts. It is not a durable finish by any means, but it looks nice and is easy to get. Larger parts can be heat blued/golden by heating in an oven, but for small parts niter is faster and easier.
I'll take 300 please
i'm gonna have to rate your comment 9 concentration camps out of 10
Perfect sixty nine likes
I would love that baby P38
God that baby P38. Look at the little stubby barrel, wearing its front sight like a big boy. You just want to cuddle it.
In the German Army there was a saying about the P.38/P1: 8 warning shots, 1 deadly throw.
Gfhjk Fghj They might have said the same about any pistol, given the sights of the period & typical training.
The P1 is still in use with parts of the Bundeswehr, so it gets compared to the P8, which has its own problems, but is generally a much better gun.
0:53 I think you meant the p38 and the luger Ian and not the p38 and the walther!
Or P.08 and the Walther.
the years of exposure to lead have not been good to gun Jesus.
he's sacrificing himself for our souls
Finished "in the white"!
Beautiful, I LOVE p38s
I wish a company did this sorta stuff but cheaper lol and nice deluxe ones too. I think p38s needed those options like the 1911 or glocks. I love the nit picky little differences between all 3 of those variations
Ian, you are the man! Your knowledge of firearms is amazing. You need to design your own firearm and i'm sure it would be a hit!
I'd buy the Baby one for sure.
The smolboi P38 is legit delightful
Thanks dad
OK Ian, you did the P08 and P38 - How about a P35 version ;o)
If I had the money, I'd give all three of them a loving home.
Wow I never thought a p38 could look elegant...
Not as elegant as a luger, but still...
The long barrel & short barrel looks like it was made specifically for a 1960s or early '70s "James Bond" movie.
Ian, have you ever considered doing a video on a L-35 Lahti pistol?
Those are great.
I would love a short barreled P38 with standard grip.
Can someone explain the silver finish to me?
Did he just remove the bluing, buff the steel up nice and oil it?
Is it a clear coat? Something else?
It looks great. Nice to see there are other options for a sliver gun than stainless, plating or Cerakote
The baby P38 looks just like a P5.
Anyone know exactly when he started smithing? I'm wondering if the baby inspired the guns in The Man From UNCLE. Or, did the prop guns in the show make him wonder if they were viable, so he made some? Fabulous craftsmanship. Is that hard chrome?
Not your typical Bubba.
Did the .38 Super need to have the grip widened as well?
I'd say that, based on the fact Ian says "Is of standard configuration" and Laird Cummings informative technical information, it doesn't look like it.
At 3:33 - was the seemingly haphazard alpha- numeric stampings a hallmark of Martz`s? I think that is pretty neat, if it is.
I like the 45 maybe with a shorter barrel!
I like the idea that he took mismatched, less valuable guns, and turned them into pieces that I know will go for a very handsome sum in the auction house. Imagine, someone will be doing this to all the Toks or Makarovs or something in my generation. If they weren't mismatched, I'd be horrified like you said, but you also mentioned he did this to doner pieces.
I love the baby and the 45ACP! I want them! 0.0
Rock Island's page for the additional P38 conversions seems to be down. Is that me, or are they having server troubles?
Did he perform any action work to smooth out the triggers on those?
3:30 Lets go
Wasn't the .38 Super about the same as the 9 x 23mm?
Still better than Star Wars fans turning authentic C96s into DL-44s...
Speaking of DL-44s, can you get your hands on one of those?
At least they aren't Chopping up STG-44's to make rebel 280 blaster rifles yet.
My thought on reading this "no fucking way do people do that..."
one research binge later-
"gun collectors aren't always happy seeing a vintage gun with real historical value milled and destroyed by geeks"
No... Why?
Is there any historical evidence of a short barreled P38 being issued? I've heard them called P38 Gestapo before so?
Personally I like the normal looking p38 better but I'd like em in 45 acp
The baby is cool but I definitely wouldn’t turn down a P-38 in 45ACP!
The .45 p38 is megatron from transformers!
I have a 1977 P1, not particularly valuable or rare. and I've been thinking about getting a gun smith to lop the barrel off just short enough to still fit the front sight. Make a carry gun out of it. And make it more interesting. Thoughts or feelings about this? I'm sure some will be outraged but hey it's my money.
IMHO, leave the P1 "as is", and get a Walther P5 to carry. The P5 is the apex/final product of the P38/P1/P4 evolution.
I'd like to have that 38 super. With the right loads, that would be a flat shooting machine.
Keep this in mind when you consider "recoiling in horror:" Back in the late 1960s/early '70s your choice for a compact/concealed 9x19 semiauto was virtually non-existent. If you wanted one, your only real option was to take a full size one to a reputable gunsmith and have him cut it down to a smaller size.
Is there any company making current remakes of the luger and p38 in 9mm and 45.
Had to laugh when he looked at end of barrel and said oh its a 38 super. 38 super is a longer 9mm case same projectile
Even 38 special and 357 are 9mm
Iv handloaded 9mm projectiles in 38 and 357 cases for target rounds when out of wad cutters and got a good deal on 9mm surplus projectiles
Does anyone know if you can get short barrels for the p38? I wouldn't mind a standard frame p38 with the short barrel.
could you cut a notch into a standard magazine to use with the shortened frame pistol, or would that impede with the follower or spring?
I'd be surprised if it didn't
Ahhh yes lets go gun daddy
Long b. 45 acp Walther Ruleees!!!
Megatron conversion? Anyone?😃
I was looking through the comments JUST for this!!!!1!1!!!!!!
They're very pretty and I particularly like the strawed components, but I'm one of the type that cringes a bit at the thought of doing that to an original P38
If I bought the baby P38, id have to carry it, and I don't know how I feel about carrying a $3000 pistol.
All hail to Gun Jesus!
Until now, I didn't realise the american flags on the thumbnails change according to the year of invention of the weapon
IAN! GET YOUR HANDS ON A G11!
Laird Cummings I seem recall that there are actually more G11's made than WA2000's. So I expect that this milestone will be made sometime around a million subs. Ian is building up his reputation. Eventually the krauts should open up.
Laird Cummings Inflexible due to German law's or just Germanness?
Laird Cummings Ah, so HK's gonna HK. Understandable. But German's don't follow the laws of the road? I figured they of all people would.
your name should be Crazy Gun Jesus :D
.45 nice
What is it about P38's that make them so attractive? Mud test!!!
The Ian. :3c
45 ACP version? Surely you mean "Americanized"
he destroys history pieces, not more...
mmmmmm .38 Super
High-quality craftsmanship is something of a lost art in firearms. Prior to industrialization all firearms were hand fitted examples of the skill and craftsmanship of the smiths that made them.
Eh, I think the people who invented all the polymers and metallurgy that go into modern firearms would beg to differ. Also anyone who needed a gun repaired before interchangeable parts existed. Hand fitting was the bane of every general's existence. A demonstration of ten muskets being disassembled and then reassembled with random parts was enough to make congress drool in 1801. Pretty much everyone recognized this innovation for what it was- a truly revolutionary idea- as soon as they were introduced to the concept.
I'm a bit disappointed that there are no actual babies. We gun guys need to take a break from our machismo once in a while.
Baby p-38 were available from several sources; but John Martz were a work of art
At the time p-38s were 35-40 Lugers 50-75 $