Thoughts on Working The Walther P1/P38

Recently, a once uncommon handgun has begun showing up at shooting ranges and on work benches in the U. S. The Walther P38 was introduced in 1938 to replace the aging and complicated P08 Luger. The P38 features a doubleaction first-shot trigger and a decocker/safety that was sensational in its day. There was simply nothing like it at the time. A hard look at the P38 reveals that quite a few modern handguns are very similar in operation to the P38.

Soon after the 1948 military trials in which the P38 was pitted against our own M1911, Smith & Wesson introduced a single-column-magazine, double-action first-shot pistol of its own, the S&W Model 39. The Beretta Model 92 maintains the Walther’s oscillating-wedge lockup, first seen on the Mauser 1896, as well as an external drawbar. And while not identical, the rear sight and firing-pin lock on the Ruger P-Series are similar to that used on the P38.

Overall, the P38 is one of the most influential pistols in design history. While others may simply shrug, the trained gunsmith realizes that the current U. S. service pistol is essentially a highly developed P38. The P1 is simply a post-war P38 with slight changes, including a "Duraluminum" frame. The P1 has been manufactured much more recently; my personal example is a 1979 production variant. These pistols have been imported in considerable number by Century International Arms.

They give the sport shooter a chance to own a Walther P38 variant at a reasonable price. Most are in good condition, but some are older than others and will have problems on firing. The most common problem is weak springs. Nine-millimeter service ammunition is plenty hot, and the dual springs contained in the slide rails can wear. The loaded-chamber indicator pin can also give problems on occasion.

On the whole, these are good reliable handguns’m y example has never stuttered’but there is always room for improvement. Among the best features of the P38 is the straight-line feed. The bullet practically jumps from the magazine to the chamber, rather than bouncing off the feed ramp. As a result, the pistol feeds modern hollowpoint ammo flawlessly. In my experience, the Walther is a bit more difficult to reassemble than some manuals suggest.

The P1 pistols are of tight tolerances, which is good for accuracy, but they are often difficult to get back together in comparison to well-worn wartime pistols. The following report focuses on replacing the springs with WC Wolff units and also covers common problems. The Quite a few modern pistols owe much to the P38 design.

need to replace the firing pin, for example, is relatively routine. Disassembly and Inspection When looking at the P38, there are several areas of concern. The first is the locking block or "loading block" as it is often called. This wedge design can become worn. The Beretta 92 uses the same design; however, the P38type design was updated to a block with rounded edges in modern Beretta 92 production in order to reduce the chances of cracking of the loading block.

Be certain the loading block and pin are actually in place before firing the handgun. The Walther can be fired without the block in place, just as many pistols can be fired without the recoil spring in place. This would not result in a separation of the slide or frame, but could result in major damage. Another area of concern is the locking stem that locks the firing pin when the P38 is decocked. When the P38 is decocked, the hammer falls on the firing pin.

This is safe because the firing pin is locked in place to the rear, and the design is an inertia type. There have been reports of discharges during decocking and I have examined one Walther P38 in new condition with a missing pin. The missing pin was certainly due to an error in reassembly, but this is a problem that the gunsmith should keep an eye out for. I think that when working with a P38 or P1 most of us will be surprised at how "modern" the pistol really is.

Tactically, other than the magazine capacity, there is nothing the Beretta 92 can do that the P38 cannot. And the P38 has one significant advantage; its safety lever is longer and easier to manipulate than the Beretta. The P38 has among the very few such levers that is genuinely easy to operate quickly. This cannot be said of the slide-mounted safety of most other modern double-action semi-autos. Disassembly of the P38 is relatively simple. First, when working with any handgun, be certain the pistol is unloaded.

Place the pistol on "safe," clear the chamber, and lock the slide to the rear. Remove the magazine and set it aside. The takedown lever is located at the front of the slide; rotate it down and fully forward. Hold the slide carefully, remembering it is under spring pressure, and move the slide lock downward to unlock and release the slide. Next, remove the barrel. The slide must be turned upside-down. The button that protrudes from the loading block should be pushed forward.

Now, you can move the barrel toward the end of the short slide. We’re getting ahead of the game, but let’s discuss reassembly after inspection or any work is performed. First, when the barrel is returned to the slide, the loading block is raised a bit to fit into the slide. Also, when the slide is fitted to the frame, the ejector, found just to the right of the slide, must be depressed from the upward position to allow the slide to turn onto the frame. Familiarize yourself with these parts upon disassembly.

To inspect the firing pin and the indicator pin, the cover on the top of the slide must be removed. This is a true dust cover that is fairly simple to remove.

I should mention that the only P38 I have seen damaged’and it worked fine after reassembly’was a wartime version that had this cover separate from the gun and sail over the shooter’s head. (He was using extra-hot handloads that developed excessive pressure and momentum.) To remove the cover, be careful that you don’t allow the rear sight to fallout of its notch and become lost. Move the screwdriver blade up from the bottom of the slide and contact the dust cover from beneath.

The firingpin indicator pin is pressed to the rear with the screwdriver tip. With the indicator pin pressed to the rear, you can now push upward and remove the dust cover from the slide. The firing-pin lock spring and the lock itself can now be seen. Depending upon the action you are performing, you can leave the rear sight in place or remove it. When the rear sight is removed, the firing-pin lock is exposed. The lock and spring are simply lifted out of the top of the slide.

The firing-pin retainer is then pried out gently and the firing pin can be removed. The safety must be in the off or "fire" position to remove the firing pin. The firing pin is removed from the rear of the slide, but the firing-pin spring is in the top of the slide. Be careful with the firing-pin spring; a replacement is not offered by WC Wolff. The firing-pin spring doesn’t seem to give much trouble, however.

With the firing-pin lock spring and lock removed, as well as the indicator pin and spring and the firing pin, you can move to the safety catch. The catch is moved to the spot between fire and safe for removal. The force needed is between sliding and prying, with the emphasis on prying with a screwdriver, but it is not difficult. I always check this part for burrs and

While disassembly is straightforward, care should be taken not to bend or warp the bar. eccentric wear. For smoother operation, the safety can be carefully stoned at this juncture, taking care to smooth the part and not remove metal. I’ve gotten good results from stoning the Walther PPK’s safety. In the case of the P38, the larger pistol has larger parts and more leverage, and is usually not as stiff as the smaller pistol. To disassemble the trigger or firing mechanism, pressure on the hammer must be relieved.

The grips are first removed. The removal of the hammer spring can be a little tricky. Press the magazine catch against the edge of a solid bench. The pivot pin of the magazine catch should move clear of the frame. You can then ease off pressure and remove the magazine release and the hammer spring. Working with the action is fairly simple as far as the replacement of the springs goes, but I usually find few surfaces that will benefit from a ston- This is the proper position for reassembly. ing.

To take the action down, first detach the rear of the trigger drawbar spring from the stud in the frame. Then, remove the rear of the spring from the stud that protrudes slightly from the frame. Next the trigger spring is addressed. The trigger spring rides on the trigger-bar pivot by its rear loop; take the trigger spring loose from the bar pivot and pull the trigger drawbar out to the right at the forwardmost part of the bar. The rear of the drawbar is formed into a small hook that notches into the sear.

Pull it away from the sear and the drawbar can be removed from the frame. The sear and slide latch share a spring. The spring catches into a groove in the top of the sear, and is secured by a stud on the frame. Pull the spring to the rear and it will come off the depression in the slide stop that anchors it to the stop. The slide lock is now free to be removed from the frame. The slide lock traps the trigger in the frame; with the slide lock removed the trigger can now be lifted from the frame.

Be careful to keep the trigger, trigger spring, and trigger-spring bushing together. The trigger-spring bushing can be pressed out to free the trigger spring. At the very rear of the frame is the hammer pivot, a stud in the frame at the approximate place the web of the hand rides on firing. Press this pivot out from right to left with an appropriate punch. Pressure needed is small, though it won’t come out if pressure is present from the hammer spring. The hammer is now free to be removed from the top of the frame.

The firingpin lock lever and hammer dropping lever can be removed if you wish, but this step is not necessary for simple

spring replacement and polish work. The sear is removed by aligning the sear with the witness hole in the frame. As for polishing the trigger and hammer, the design does not lend itself well to such work. By polishing the hammer, the trigger can be made somewhat smoother, but these pistols are noted for a heavy double-action trigger, and I’ve found little can be done to address that issue. The singleaction press is usually good, in the 6pound range, but the design does not respond well to polishing.

A wellworn safety lever can be polished to attain better action, and parts showing eccentric wear can be stoned, but otherwise there is little to be gained by action polishing. Although the P38 is quite reliable in all respects, replacing the springs is nevertheless worthwhile. The recoil springs are unusual in that that they are dual units riding in the frame instead of under the slide. The springs are easily removed.

Again, using the Chapman tool kit with a small tip, I insert the blade six coils or so from the front of the recoil-spring guide. Compress the recoil-spring guide as much as possible and then remove it. The process is repeated for each side. The springs I use are WC Wolff, Service Pak 1 for the P38, which contains two recoil springs, a hammer spring, extractor spring, auto-firing-pin spring, retainer-latch plunger spring, and a cartridge-indicator spring. A firingpin spring is not available.

The stock number is 69491. Spring kit #69492 adds a 5-percent extra-power magazine spring. Reassembly Tips When reassembling the P1, I’ve experienced some difficulty in replacing the top cover, despite following the manual’s instructions. After a few unsuccessful tries at depressing the loaded-chamber indicator pin while clamping the cover down, I had an idea. I have several STI Pro dummy rounds.

These are plastic, but appear to be nickel plated, and the bullet head is bright orange. (I suppose a spent case would work, but be very very careful and use only a spent case.) With the dummy round inserted in the chamber and the barrel pressed to the rear, the loaded-chamber indicator is pressed and the cover can be snapped on easily. A straightened paper clip works well to depress the spring plunger, allowing the safety lever to be replaced more easily.

The hammer must be lowered when the frame is returned, and remember to depress the ejector that is on the right side of the frame to allow the slide to return. I don’t mind admitting it took awhile for me to become familiar with the P1/P38, and even now this is far from my favorite handgun to work on. But the P1 is a pleasant recreational plinker with many good traits, and many owners will want to replace aging springs with WC Wolff premium springs.

I have done this with so many handguns with such good results, it is SOP around my bench. I