Walther 9mm P1 (P38 style) - anybody have and shoot one?

[bedbugbilly]

When I was a kid, I was intrigued with the Walther P39s - I had several friends whose father's had brought them back from the war - I just liked the looks of them I guess. At any rate - now that I'm retired and reloading 9mm, the interest has sparked again. There's probably no way I would spring for the price of a P38 but I have been thinking about possibly a good used P1 if I can find one. Does anyone here have and shoot one?

I just interested in what you think of them - function, accuracy - your experiences with them, etc. This would just be a "fun gun" for plinking - nothing serious - paper punching and killing pop cans out to probably 25 yards.

I currently have a Ruger SR9 that I enjoy shooting and is a sometime "carry" (I usually carry a Smith 36). For the Ruger, a member here put me on to the Lee 120 gr TC over 3.5 grains of BE - this functions great in the SR9 - feeds perfectly - no hiccups and it's a fun round out of the SR9.

I've taken a look at them on GB but like most things there - they are priced all over the place. Anyone have any idea of what would be a fair price on one that's in good condition - i.e. like some of the used ones that have been imported? Anything to look out for when looking at one? Any "quirks" to the model?

Any information and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[brtelec]

I had a P1 years ago and it is a nice fire arm. I bought a 1960 P-38 just about two years ago from a dealer on GunBroker for $300-. When I bought this firearm from him he had about 50 of them. The pre-P1 guns are not outrageously priced. The war time P-38s, well that is another story. I however am not a collector, I just want to shoot it.

[brtelec]

Check this out.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=383713752

There are a number of them under $400-

[Petrol & Powder]

Check this out.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=383713752

There are a number of them under $400-

That's a P1 not a P38

There seems to be a flood of P1's on the market right now. The local Gander Mountain store has about a dozen in the used gun case. Likely former West German Police guns. Nothing wrong with the P1, just be sure you know what you're buying.

[Outpost75]

FWIW the light alloy frame P1 and P5 pistols are not as durable as the steel framed P.38s if you intend to shoot it a lot. The West German police did not fire as many rounds in training and requal as US police do. Figure the un has a 5000 round life with +P or M882 ammo, no more than 10,000 with standard pressure stuff. If you use mostly cast bullet reloads of the minimum impulse which cycle, it will ast a long time, but is nowhere near as durable as a Browning GP or Hipower.

[brtelec]

Damn wrong link.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=384077440

[dubber123]

$400 or so should get you a decent one. I have a nickled P1 I bought with holster and spare mag for $200 from a private seller in unfired condition, but that would probably be a bit too much to hope for.. :) When you get one, do yourself a favor and slug it. Mine gets fed .359" boolits. Larger than ANY of my .38's or .357's. Mine will hold about 2" at 25 yds., and shoots MUCH better with my cast loads that it does with factory ammo, no doubt due to the sloppy chamber/bore.

[philthephlier]

Very decent pistol. I had one and sold it to help fund a CZ75 because the P-1 cannot compete IMHO as a tactical defense piece with an 8 round magazine that is slow to remove and replace. They are very accurate with good factory ammo but need very careful reloading technique to duplicate the factory stuff.

[bedbugbilly]

Thanks all for your information and suggestions. I greatly appreciate it. I'm going to keep my eyes open and see what I run across - if I have to add a few $$ to get an older one with a steel slide, I may go that route. I have a feeling if I get one, it will be shot quite a bit. It was interesting to hear all your thoughts and experiences . . . just whet my appetite further for wanting one! Many thank!

[MtGun44]

Hex cross pin for reinforcement of the aluminum frame
is apparently important. Mine has one, nice gun, decent
sights, trigger and works fine.

Bill

[philthephlier]

Thanks all for your information and suggestions. I greatly appreciate it. I'm going to keep my eyes open and see what I run across - if I have to add a few $$ to get an older one with a steel slide, I may go that route. I have a feeling if I get one, it will be shot quite a bit. It was interesting to hear all your thoughts and experiences . . . just whet my appetite further for wanting one! Many thank!

They all have steel slides. It is the frame only on the P-1 that is an alloy and not steel.

[dubber123]

Hex cross pin for reinforcement of the aluminum frame
is apparently imporatant. Mine has one, nice gun, decent
sights, trigger and works fine.

Bill

Bill, I'll have to dig mine out and look for this pin. Is it fairly obvious?

[uscra112]

I have one. I was curious, since I'd read that the P-38 was the first double-action-to-single-action pistol ever mass produced. Not impressed. Broke extractor after extractor until I replaced the entire slide. Accuracy is minute of dinner plate at 15 yards. Went through about 200 rounds trying to improve that with handloads, too. Had to make a new spring for the trigger link, none available from any spares merchants. The whole DA linkage looks mighty weak to me, too. Single action, the trigger is horrible, but then I'm used to S&W triggers. Took ages of handwork to make a spare mag (not OEM, only one I could find at the time) fit the well.

It's still around, my conscience won't let me sell it. Maybe I'll disable it and use it for burglar bait.

[NuJudge]

I have two. Both barrels have groove diameters of a little less than .358", so use cast bullets that are at least .358". One, my father got for me in 1968, and it was my only pistol for quite awhile. I shot it a great deal, mostly with various WWII surplus ammo, especially hot Canadian SMG ammo. About 1990, I was oiling it up after a range session, and noticed a crack in the slide, starting at the locking lug recess.

This problem of cracking slides is something Walther never did fix, so buy a spare slide. The later slides are noticeably thicker than the one on my father bought me in '68. I never have had it happen to me on either of my pistols, but if you pierce a primer and if it vents a lot of gas into the pistol, the top cover on the slide will probably blow off, causing you to lose the rear sight also. I did see it happen to my father.

I find that the Lee 358 125 RF Cowboy bullet, with a light load of 231 shoots really well in this pistol.

[Larry in MT]

This is mine. Dad brought it back from WWII. It was made in 1944.

The piece of paper next to it is the "permission slip" that liberated it. It still shoots well --- has a looong double action trigger. Fixed sights are right on @ 25 yards with 115 grain HPs. Not fussy at all.

http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab176/larrykay47/db605e1c.jpg (http://s861.photobucket.com/user/larrykay47/media/db605e1c.jpg.html)

[pworley1]

If you are patient, you should find one in the $350.00 range. They are fun to shoot and mine will shoot just about anything I can load into the magazine. There is no reason to use max loads, and with standard loads they should last through thousands of rounds.

[Artful]

I like mine
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050434.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/Misc/P1050434.jpg.html)

[MtGun44]

hex pin is VERY obvious - ALL have steel slides, it is the frame that is aluminum
and needs the steel crosspin reinforcement.

Check out the sticky on "Setting up a new 9mm for boolits" - it may be of some
interest.

Bill

[pworley1]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=374978216

[MtGun44]

The one in the link in post #19 does not have the hex reinforcing pin.

Here are two pics, one with and one without.

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=5&f=27&t=105028

Top one has it, second dull pin in the shinier black frame, just below the
slide and in front of the trigger. Fwd pin is the takedown. Second pic
clearly shows the black of the aluminum frame and parked color slide,
and only the takedown latch pin at the front.

Bill