Walther's P38 Thesis
Walther P38
Carl Walther had a tall task ahead of him in 1930s German — build an economical military pistol that would outperform the beloved Luger. He went one better and changed the combat pistol world.
The P38, adopted by the German military in 1938, was the first service pistol outfitted with a double-action/single-action trigger. And by all accounts, it was the first pistol to combine this fire control with a locked breech. The configuration has since swept militaries and police forces around the world, even going so far as replacing the U.S. Army’s beloved 1911 in the form of the Beretta M9.
The P38’s DA/SA trigger gave it a leg up on many of its contemporaries. Generally, pistols such as the M1911A1 were supposed to be carried in condition
3 (hammer down, chamber empty), meaning the slide must be racked to get it into action. On the other hand, the P38 only took a squeeze of the trigger to send a round down range.
The P38 configuration was fairly ground breaking for its time. Before DA/SA was strictly a blowback operation affair, found in near equal Walther classics, the PP and PPK. Carl Walther actually made a run at the military contract with a scaled up version of the PP — Model MP — also chambered in 9mm. But the round proved too powerful for the design.
The 8-round 9mm was well-regarded by the troops as a reliable and accurate pistol that delivered when called upon. And unlike its predecessor — the Luger — it was painfully simple to trouble shoot in the field.
Carl Walther had a tall task ahead of him in 1930s German — build an economical military pistol that would outperform the beloved Luger. He went one better and changed the combat pistol world.
The P38, adopted by the German military in 1938, was the first service pistol outfitted with a double-action/single-action trigger. And by all accounts, it was the first pistol to combine this fire control with a locked breech. The configuration has since swept militaries and police forces around the world, even going so far as replacing the U.S. Army’s beloved 1911 in the form of the Beretta M9.
The P38’s DA/SA trigger gave it a leg up on many of its contemporaries. Generally, pistols such as the M1911A1 were supposed to be carried in condition
3 (hammer down, chamber empty), meaning the slide must be racked to get it into action. On the other hand, the P38 only took a squeeze of the trigger to send a round down range.
The P38 configuration was fairly ground breaking for its time. Before DA/SA was strictly a blowback operation affair, found in near equal Walther classics, the PP and PPK. Carl Walther actually made a run at the military contract with a scaled up version of the PP — Model MP — also chambered in 9mm. But the round proved too powerful for the design.
The 8-round 9mm was well-regarded by the troops as a reliable and accurate pistol that delivered when called upon. And unlike its predecessor — the Luger — it was painfully simple to trouble shoot in the field.