Magazines are single-stack, with the magazine release located at the heel of the grip. P4 pistols were also fitted with a firing pin block safety. On the P4 pistol, the slide lever retained only the decock function and, once pressed and released, automatically returned to the fire position. The standard safety also acted as a decocker, and was located at the left side of the slide. The trigger is double-action, with an exposed hammer and trigger bar (the link between the trigger and sear) unusually located outside of the frame at the right side. So the frames of late production pistols were reinforced with the addition of a hexagonal cross-pin made of steel. With time it was found that the aluminum frame developed cracks in the most highly stressed area, where the locking piece and the barrel were slamming against it on recoil. Because of its short slide, the P38 has two captive return springs, located on either side of the frame and inside the slide. Upon recoil, the locking piece drops down and out of the engagement with the slide, unlocking it and allowing it to recoil and complete the reloading cycle. When the barrel and slide are in battery, the locking piece is in its upper position, and its lugs securely lock the slide to the barrel. This is while it follows the inclined surfaces on the frame. The barrel is locked to the slide using a wedge-shaped locking piece, which can tilt up and down below the barrel. The Walther P38 is a short-recoil operated, locked-breech pistol. The last commercial P38 pistol was manufactured in the year 2000. Most P4 pistols were declared obsolete and sold as surplus during the 1980’s, while the P1 served until 1995. However, the service life of police derivatives of the P38 was much shorter than of the military P1. Wartime Kurz P38’s differed from the post-war version by having a slightly longer barrel with the front sight mounted on the barrel. It must be noted that a similar model was produced in small numbers during WW2 for the Gestapo and other such organizations. The front sight was mounted on the slide, as opposed to the full-sized model. This was a P4 (rather than original P38) with the barrel cut down at the front of the slide. This version was made for some special users such as the KSK – an elite German Army counter-terror unit.
Early P4 pistols were actually made using P38 components, including slides, and thus were marked ‘P38 IV’ instead of the more commonly understood “P4â€.Īnother, less well-known variation, was the P38K ( Kurz, or ‘short’ in German).  Actually, the P4 was the P38 (or P1) with the barrel cut back by 25mm (1 inch), fitted with an automated firing pin safety and decock-only lever.
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These requirements meant that the pistol must fire 9mm Luger, be simple to operate, and rely on mechanisms such as de-cocking instead of a manual safety. The first was the P4, the first pistol to conform to new German requirements for police sidearms. There were a couple of modifications of the P38, intended for police use, which appeared during the 1970’s. Only a handful of commercial pistols were made with steel frames. Most of the post-war P38 pistols were made with aluminum frames. Commercial pistols were still manufactured under the original P38 designation. This one had a lighter aluminum frame and was nominated as the Pistole 1, or P1 for short. In 1957 the newly formed Bundeswehr (West German armed forces)  adopted a slightly modified P38 pistol. Because of this many of the post-war P38 pistols were actually built in France, by the Manurhin factory. After the war, most of the ex-Walther company machinery ended up in France as part of war reparations. This was as the Pistole 38 and at that time the German armed forces took over all production of the guns.ĭuring the war, P38 pistols were made by a number of factories, including the Walther factory itself. It first appeared in 1938, and small numbers of the original HP ( Heeres Pistole – army pistol) were bought by Sweden before the Wehrmacht adopted it. The Walther P38 pistol was developed as a military pistol for the German army (Heer) during the late 1930’s. Walther P38K, a short-barreled version of P4 produced for KSK during early 1980s. Walther P4, a post-war police version of P38 with aluminum frame, shortened barrel and a modified safety system. Walther P1, a post-war military version of P38 with an aluminum frame. Walther P38, produced in 1944 for Hitler’s army. Walther “Heeres Pistole” or HP in short, an early commercial version, produced before its official adoption as P38. Walther “Armee pistole” or AP in short, a direct predecessor to the P38.
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