2/5/20 - This is one of the rarest of the John V. Martz creations - a custom Baby P38 in .45 acp! John Martz became a world famous custom pistol maker in the mid-70s, when he invented MSTR - a Martz Safe Toggle Release modification for a Luger pistol. Since then he made many variations of custom luger pistols in various calibers and configurations, until his passing a few years ago. His custom guns became legendary and are mentioned in many gun magazines and books. In addition to working on lugers, John also manufactured/converted a number of P38 pistols, which actually proved to be a much greater challenge than the Lugers. The most difficult P.38 conversion was the “baby”, chambered in .45 acp. Requiring two P.38 frames, multiple machine operations, a custom made barrel and beautiful walnut grips made from scratch, the “baby” P.38 custom pistol is probably the pinnacle of John Martz custom gun making as it required many more hours of work than his luger conversions. In this complicated conversion, two frames were welded together and then shortened by about 1/2 inch. This particular gun appears new and was made in 2000 as per attached “factory” letter from John Martz. We don’t believe it was fired after being test fired by Mr. Martz. The metal work and bluing are stunning, as are the highly figured walnut grips. Marked with Mr. Martz name, address, and the production number, this fabulous gun is nothing less than a piece of art. It would make a great companion to the Baby Luger .45 pistol if you happen to own one.
