Dual recoil springs, located on either side of the frame, pull the slide forward, stripping the next round from the magazine and chambering it. The slide continues to the rear, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case. When the pistol is fired, the slide and barrel recoil together about 5/16 of an inch before a plunger at the rear of the barrel under-lug impacts on the frame, and forces down the locking block. The P-38's locking system consists of a pivoting locking block under the barrel that locks the action by means of two lugs that enter matching notches in the slide. Of all forged steel construction the P-38 is, by today's standards, a hefty pistol. The eight-round, single-column magazine was retained by the traditional European heel-type catch. Grip panels were made of black or reddish brown plastic and a prominent lanyard ring adorned the lower left grip frame. On the left side of the frame are slide stop and take down levers. The P-38 was equipped with a hammer drop/safety lever and a slide stop lever. A pin located above the hammer acts as a loaded chamber indicator. The safety can be left down, which blocks movement of both the trigger and hammer, or moved up allowing the first shot to be fired in DA mode. As the lever reaches the bottom it trips the sear allowing the hammer to travel forward. The P-38's safety/hammer drop mechanism is very simple: if the hammer is cocked rotating the safety lever, on the left rear of the slide, downwards will lock the firing pin in place. After that the hammer remains cocked and subsequent shots are fired in SA mode. When the hammer is forward pulling the trigger will cock the hammer, by means of a draw bar on the right side of the frame, and fire the first round much like a DA revolver. The P-38 was the first DA/SA pistol adopted by a major power. P-38 pistols were issued to officers, paratroopers, machine gunners, armored vehicle crewman and other specialty troops. After a few minor modifications to the safety system the Wehrmacht adopted the Walther in 1938 as the Pistole 38, or as it is more commonly known, the P-38. The design was suitably modified and renamed the Model HP (Heeres Pistole - Service Pistol). The Wehrmacht expressed interest with one proviso - they wanted an external hammer. Two years later they announced the 9mm Model AP (Armee Pistole), a hammerless, DA/SA pistol. You can read more about the PP and PPK HERE. In this they were correct as the PP, and soon to follow compact PPK, became the most popular police pistols in Europe, a position they were to hold well into the 1980s. In 1929 Walther took the handgun world into the next generation by introducing the first successful double action/single action (DA/SA) pistol - the Polizei Pistole, or simply PP - whose name clearly indicates the market Walther foresaw for their new product. 32-caliber single action (SA), blowback semi-auto pistols which proved quite popular with European police forces and civilians. In 1908 they introduced their first semi-auto pistol, known quite appropriately as the Model 1 and for the next twenty-one years produced a line of. (Nathan Reynolds photo)Ĭarl Walther Waffenfabrik was one of Germany's best known firearms manufacturers. In 1934 the Wehrmacht announced that it was in the market for a new service pistol - just what the Carl Walther Waffenfabrik had been waiting for! The P-38 was a modern double-action design intended to replace the P.08 Luger. These were characteristics which did not endear it to either combat soldiers or bureaucrats watching the fiscal purse strings. Slow and expensive to produce, notoriously ammunition sensitive and not overly reliable once it got dirty. While elegantly made of the finest materials, the Luger was a 19th century anachronism. But to my way of thinking, the pistol that has earned almost unanimous respect is the Walther P-38.ĭuring the 1930s, German industry began a crash program to rearm the Wehrmacht with modern weapons and it was agreed that a replacement must be found for the P.08 Luger pistol. VI Webley and FN Hi-Power, the latter category is represented by such as the Type 94 Nambu, M1895 Nagant and the Mo. While the former includes the M1911A1, Mk. The history of combat handguns is replete with examples of weapons that have earned either praise or condemnation. OctoBy Paul Scarlata, Historic Arms Editor
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