Walther P1 Pistol
- Thread starter noi
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I don't think a P1 would be good for IPSC. I have never known anyone to use a P-38 for IPSC, but that might be due to the 1911 supremacy that most IPSC competitors cite. I don't know how the "power factor" calculation is being done these days, but 9mm in a P1 is just going to be less than .45 in a 1911. P1s have a history of frame cracking because of the unreinforced aluminum alloy frame, if shot a lot, which presumably you'd have to do if you're going to compete. If you want a P-38 pistol, you'd be better off with a good condition steel P-38 or a P-4 (aluminum, but reinforced), but keep in mind that the design was for a combat pistol that would have relatively little use. It was designed almost thirty years after the 1911 and is just a much lighter sidearm. Also, the lack of a slide that extends to the end of the barrel makes the gun a little "whippy" and requires more concentration on grip at the time of firing. If your interest in IPSC is casual, then a steel P-38 would be fun to shoot. It's certainly an effective combat pistol, but was never designed to carry the stress of the amount of shooting modern competition requires.
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Yeah, you would want the full steel one. You generally want more weight for competitive shooting, since you don't have to holster carry the thing all day every day.
Walther made both aluminum framed P38s and P1s postwar for the Bundeswehr and West German police. P1s are more commonly (but not always) found with the hex pin reinforcement in the frame.
The P4 is the same thing, but with a barrel about an inch shorter.
The P4 is the same thing, but with a barrel about an inch shorter.
I believe it is only the P-4 that has the hexagonal pin to reinforce the frame. In any case, if you intend to do a lot of shooting with that type of pistol, get a steel frame or at least (and probably not as good) the aluminum frame with the transverse hexagonal pin behind the locking block.
I stand corrected. However, my P-1 doesn't have the pin, and while I'm clearly no expert, I've seen several P-1s, and none had the hexagonal pin. I've always thought -- erroneously, I guess -- that part of the rationale for introducing the P-4 was to provide a frame better able to withstand prolonged use through introduction of the cross-pin (as well as a shorter barrel for police use). But in any case, if noi is going to do a lot of shooting with a P-38 or a descendant, he'd best use the steel framed gun, or at least one with a hexagonal reinforcing pin. tjhaile and Polaris, I really do appreciate the comments.
