Walter p1's

I collect walther p38/p1's/p4's , and there is nothing wrong with them. Some day people will remember when you could get a P1 for under $300.00 and wished they had bought 2!
You can find lots of post war parts,accessories and various holster styles to complete a collection. Most of these guns have various police markings and two different manufacturers....german and french. The french ones were made for the berlin police forces because of the rules of occupation treaty of 1946.
 
I believe that Walther made both complete guns and .22 conversion kits, but I don't think they are very common.
 
There were problems with cracks in the aluminum alloy P1 frame after considerable use. There were problems with the original P38, too. The loaded chamber indicator pin cover atop the slide would sometimes pop off, which is why the P1 doesn't have that feature.
The follow-on model was the P4 which had a new octagonal cross-pin in the frame to absorb some of the recoil forces. If you don't shoot it as much as police and combat competitors do, then it probably won't be a problem. I have a "parts" P1, the frame of which is French. I shoot it infrequently and have had no problems. It's not valuable and it's not a target gun, but it's more than accurate enough for my purposes and I like it.
 
The P4 has a short 4" barrel instead of a 5" one. Both P1s and P4s can be found with the hex pin frame and reinforced slide, although not all P1s have these modifications. The improved slide can be recognized by the slide serrations that extend past the decocking lever.
 
Picked up a P1 today (Trade Ex Canada Inc). Appears to be a pretty decent piece of kit for the money. Does not have the extra pin. Will comment more after my next range session.

Of interest is that the hammer falls when switching the safety on. Is that to be expected?
 
I bought an old WWII .22 conversion for the P38. It works just fine on my P1. I should state that I got it down in the US.
 
I have a P1 and a P38 both with matching numbered .22 lr conversion kits in wooden boxes. Both are post-war
 
My P1 shoots good, but one thing one must note is that it works best with round-nose slugs. Flat nose bullets will cause it to jam.
 
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