Description
Fully matching with correct holster!
Offered for sale is this unique & very rare pre WW2 pistol which has REV molded into the right side of the original black Bakelite grips & comes with the original dark brown leather holster, as pictured.
REV is a standard historical German shorthand for Revisionsdienst which was the Audit, Inspection, or Investigative branch of regional customs & finance offices.
These squads were tasked with anti-smuggling operations along borders & checking regional commercial compliance during the chaotic hyperinflation years of the early 1920’s.
The REV marking establishes that this pistol served as an official property piece assigned to either a specific German police precinct (Revier) or a financial audit branch (Revisionsdienst) shortly after its manufacture in the mid-1920s.
This is unsurprising because during the Weimar Republic era in the lead up to the 3rd Reich, specific German administrative & municipal police armed all members, including treasury officials, border guards & financial investigators.
This may have been due to the prevalence of WW1 weapons bought home by now unemployed, pissed off former soldiers & the rise of the Left, with Communists trying to topple the government or, just causing trouble as Leftists do.
The close-up image clarifies how the “REV” marking is integrated into the grip. The letters are deeply & precisely stamped into a neatly borderless, flattened window near the bottom of the checkering which appears to have been done with a heated metal tool or specialized die stamp rather than a casual hand-carving, which signifies a formal institutional or administrative marking rather than some individual ‘graffiti’.
This actual pistol is known as the Walther Modell 4 ‘Third Variant’, indicated by the slide markings & specific arrangement of 16 fine serrations at the rear of the slide.
Waffenfabrik Walther Zella-Mehlis (Thur.) can clearly be seen on the right side of the slide, confirming its production at the factory in Thuringia, Germany prior to WW2 with the Walther banner & calibre on the left side.
These guns have rather unique features, including its internal recoil spring wrapped around the barrel which is enclosed by a separate screw-on barrel sleeve/extension at the muzzle & the ejection port is positioned on the left side of the slide, which is highly unusual for modern semi-automatic handguns but standard for this model.
Visible in the close-up photo under the ejection port, on the frame & the barrel are the Crown over N (Crown/N) German commercial nitro proof marks, which were standard until 1940 which is correct because this was manufactured in 1923-24, based on the serial number.
The Walther Model 4 was produced from approximately 1910 through the late 1920s & saw extensive use as an officially approved sidearm for German police forces, military officers & Imperial officials during World War I & throughout the Weimar era.
Following the end of World War I, Walther consolidated its serial number blocks & this pistol correctly falls squarely into the post-war commercial serial range designated exclusively for the Model 4.
This spanned from 101,000 to approximately 275,000 before wrapping up production details & its status as a post-war commercial assembly is further verified by the Third Variant traits: 16 fine, triangular-cut slide serrations & the drift-adjustable rear sight.
As can be seen in the photos, this pistol presents as all original & in very good condition for a gun around 103 years old.
If you are a collector of 20th Century German pistols with history that are different from the usual Luger or P.38, this might be for you!
We are offering this pistol as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Nazi regime & some of its military, particularly toward the peoples of occupied territory & the Jewish population in Europe.
In no way do we condone or glorify the Nazi regime which must be remembered for the vile stain on human history that it was.
We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do.
Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
On all of our collectable guns, we have a unique 3 day inspection policy whereby if you receive the gun & it’s not as described, return it & we will refund your money in full. Just let us know before you decide to send it back.
Standard cost for shipping is $55 & all guns are sent via Startrack without insurance but we pack very well.
