The lowly P38

I have taken my P-38 through the local courthouse screening and through various airports in the US and in Manila, and only once did it get a second glance (in Dallas).
 
My father has always carried one. And used it, too. I think his dad (WWII vet) got him hooked on it. So I've seen them used for all kinds of things, and even used dad's a time or two ... but oddly enough, I've never owned one.

I do carry an SAK just about everywhere, though. I see the P38 at the surplus store -- I've just never grabbed one out of the box next to the register and tossed it on the counter. Maybe I will next time I'm in.

Pretty funny if this thread is the motivator that gets me back into the bad toy store.
 
Mine just arrived. Ordered a couple of P-38 and a P-51. The P-38 is a little smaller than any knock-off I have come across so far, but also a lot more sturdy. (Thanks to this thread I knew what to look for.) One is on my key ring already.
(By the way, that was pretty fast shipping to Europe!)
 
Anyone got a trick to keeping the blade thing flat while on the keychain ? I use a Rubber band , but they wear out quickly all the time.
 
Try a small "O" ring. Or use the paperclip fix from an earlier post. I've used that one for some time and it works fine.
 
Oh, not quite on topic here, but hence I notice - do you all keep your keys uncovered? I keep mine in a little pouch at all times. At one time (when they did not fit into any pouch) I had at least a leather cover for them. Really helps avoiding holes in pockets.
 
Christof, I have to disagree about the name of the bigger can openers. We always called them "B52's, not P-51's. If you think about it, the P-38 airplane was a large, twin tailed fighter that was already bigger than the P-51 Mustang, ergo B52 was the name for the larger can opener. I did some work with the Human Engineering Labs at Ft Belvoir and also with Natick on then the new Gore-Tex uniform and some rations. I asked about why the B52 was made, and it happened when more women came into the US Army. The larger B52 gave them more leverage than the P38, as apparently some women (and men) had problems opening the then C-rations cans. I checked my old field locker downstairs and found one (1) P38, and from one of the web sites identified it as made in 1970. John
 
John A. Larsen said:
Christof, I have to disagree about the name of the bigger can openers. We always called them "B52's, not P-51's. If you think about it, the P-38 airplane was a large, twin tailed fighter that was already bigger than the P-51 Mustang, ergo B52 was the name for the larger can opener. I did some work with the Human Engineering Labs at Ft Belvoir and also with Natick on then the new Gore-Tex uniform and some rations. I asked about why the B52 was made, and it happened when more women came into the US Army. The larger B52 gave them more leverage than the P38, as apparently some women (and men) had problems opening the then C-rations cans. I checked my old field locker downstairs and found one (1) P38, and from one of the web sites identified it as made in 1970. John
Click to expand...

Cool! Honestly, I never saw a P51, or B52 until the last couple years hunting through surplus shops. The p38 is what I grew up with and know. I think B52 is a good name for it.

Oddly, even though my family is navy and I was navy (and in both cases worked with marines) we always called it the p38 and not the John Wayne. I heard other people from the Vietnam era use the term, though.

I haven't previously heard the reason for the B52- I'd read that it was for mess specialists, but I can see cooks ending up wanting them even if the reason for making them was different.
 
the p38 is 38mm long, the p51 is, you guessed it, 51mm long... no relation to the airplanes.

the other naming reason for the p38 is the fact that is evidently takes 38 punctures to opena standard tin can.. now i dont think that the p51 takes 51 punctures hahah

shade
 
Due to this thread I’ve got a P 51. According to the list, you can use it to open a (not twist off) bottle. Has anybody done that? How?
 
maybe the bic lighter method, or using the opposite side of the lip hook (better word for this?)
 
P38s always put a smile on my face.

cool little tool. I had one on my dogtag chain, and now in my wallet.
 
hiwa said:
Anyone got a trick to keeping the blade thing flat while on the keychain ? I use a Rubber band , but they wear out quickly all the time.
Click to expand...

Tied a ranger band to my key ring, and the P38 rides in it. It's just tight enough to securely hold it, thus keeping the blade flat as a bonus, and I can use it without all the other stuff getting in the way or fumbling with the key ring.
Don't know about wear though, I just made that setup yesterday, cause I used the P38 as a screw driver ...
 
John A. Larsen said:
I asked about why the B52 was made, and it happened when more women came into the US Army. The larger B52 gave them more leverage than the P38, John
Click to expand...

Did anyone read the P38 site?????????????

The P-51 is the larger version of the P-38 used by mess hall cooks to open the big trays and large cans of chow.
 
I have had the same "US Speaker" P38 on my keys since 1991 and it has done ALOT of tasks for me so it's way more than just an old can opener.

I have used it as a can opener many times but usually it serves as my boxcutter or screwdriver or a mini-prybar. I use the "screwdriver end" as my bottle opener.
A SAK and a P38 are pretty much a miracle pair in my book.
Wp
 
Interesting you should bring this up to the top. Just the other week I picked up a dozen P-38s and a dozen BSA Hotsparks and small split rings. Been squaring one side of the P-38 to use as a striker and combining them with the hotsparks on the split ring. I've given five away so far. Cool little keychain setup for less than $4.
 
I have one on my coffee table right now. They also work great for scoring a straight line around a branch.
 
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