QUICK VERSION:

Anybody know of anywhere with replacement parts to rebuild/restore a dead WWII P38?  I know you aren't supposed to "restore" these kinds of guns, but I want it back functional for sentimental reasons.

1. Does anyone know where I can find parts?  Specifically a barrel and mag spring and follower?  I tried Numrich and a couple of the obvious online shops.  (Yes, I should have bought one of the cheap AIM P1s for parts a few years ago - but the condition of this one came as a surprise to me.)

2. Has anyone removed a cap and welded bar from a pistol barrel and resulted in a safe barrel to shoot? (Barrel is serial # matching the frame and slide)

3. Since the resale value is zero, should I re-blue it to protect the gun for years to come?  It will not ever be sold from the family.  If so, what blue is recommended?

BACKGROUND FOR THOSE INTERESTED:

I inherited my grandfather's WWII capture P38 (common AC43 series), which is great especially since grandpa gave it to me while he's still alive.  It was taken from a SS officer by my grandfather (I've read the paperwork from the capture many times over the years), plus its one of the first pistols I ever fired, so bottom line is this pistol has a lot of sentimental value to me.

The bad news is that due to some bad government interference and an old confused man, it has basically been reduced to a paperweight.  Grandpa was somehow talked into letting this pistol be demilled by a law enforcement recommended shop.  It's a long story and I'd be angry if it happened to anyone's grandpa, never mind my own, or that this is the main pistol that was intended to be passed down to me and then to my son along with the rest of his war trophies.  

Anyway, here's the damage:
- long bead weld the lower frame to the slide
- long bead weld the barrel to the slide
- spot welded the trigger to the frame
- spot welded the hammer to the slide
- spot welded the mag base to the mag release lever,
- and for the piece de resistance, they filled the barrel with what looks like a rod and cap, welding the breech into a mess that has to be seen to be believed.  

Not only was it demilitarized, it was flat out ugly - like the slowest kid in shop class was set loose with a welding rod.

We were able to very slowly and carefully remove the welds from most of the pistol resulting in minimal cosmetic damage, although the finish was already rough from years of use.

The big problem is the barrel. It looks like a write-off as they welded the rod to the chamber, which I am a bit hesitant to even start filing down due to the massive amount of welding material in the chamber.  Plus in removing the weld where the bbl was welded to the slide, I took off a bit of the right edge of the barrel rail - It still functions, but has about 60% of the rail left.  The only other problem is that the shop also removed the mag spring and follower.

Anyway, I want it back operational.  It has no collectors value, and I will never sell it anyway.  So I'd like to restore it to keep it from rusting or degrading further as well.

Any pictures?

Later Walther P-38 and P1 pistols had a two piece barrel.
The rear of the barrel was the block section with the locking block and guide rails.
The actual barrel with the rifling was a tube inserted into the rear block section.
If you ever see one of these you can identify it by a faint joint line around the rear of the barrel about 1/2" or so in front of the rear of the chamber.

This method is essentially a barrel liner system only the liner is exposed for the part sticking out of the block section.

This would cost some money but a good gunsmith/machinist could cut off the front of the barrel right in front of the block section, bore out the block section, then make and install a barrel with the correct front profile.
Some 1911 pistols, like some of the Springfield Arms models had barrels made this way.  The rear section with the locking lugs and link legs was one piece, the rifled barrel was inserted into the rear section.

Most of these types of two piece barrels were brazed together.  Real silver solder is actually silver braze and melts up around 1100 degrees.  That would work well in this application.

Poppert's Gun Parts list most Walther P-38 parts including barrels.

Ha ha. I thought you meant the other P-38.

see a guy named thor in the Lugar threads here