i know it is not a smith, but i do have a ?? with it being a alum. frame. and 48 years old & in a1 working cond. what ammo would use for CCW

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Scott from Canton Ohio

I can't advise you to your ammo choice, but I can tell you that the P1 I used to own was exceptionally fussy with ammo. Mine was a strictly FMJ ball piece.

I hope you have a less temperamental pistol.

got a good deal on it $150.00 from a RET police officer who kept it in his locker for 9 years

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Scott from Canton Ohio

Anyone make a CCW holster for it? Mine is strictly a range gun and there are better choices for CCW.

hi , good gun at a good price. not what i would ccw but to each their own. i would not use any +p in that p1/p38. whatever ammo you use run about 200 rounds thru it without malfunctions to be able to trust it.

I have been through three of them and gave the last one to my cousin who is a Walther junkie. All three needed new springs. And all three were only functional all the time with 124/125gr FMJ. I would avoid +P since I have read too many times that the alloy frames will crack with too heavy of a load. I don't know if that's web based BS or not.

I have one and it functions perfectly with Rem/UMC 115gr FMJ.
100's of rds w/ no failures. I do carry it and it's the only semiauto I do because of the fact I can easily operate the slide.
Not so with any other semi for me.,,just a fact of life for me now.

They are designed for FMJ ammo. That's what they work best with.
Stay away from anything +p. Most shooters just use a generic Winchester or Remington FMJ.
Mine is the non-reinforced frame (no hex-pin reinforcement just ahead of the trigger pivot) as yours is.
I started shooting mine to 'save' my two WW2 mfg Walthers from wear and possible damage.

Go over to the P38 forum:.
http://www.p38forum.com/

There's a section on Post War P38/P1 pistols. Lots of info on history, care, ammo, selection, values, etc.
$150 is an excellent deal. About half of what would be considered a great price in most places.

Mines never had a problem and I don't feel at a disadvantage or in some way 'under gunned' with it.

Excellent sights & trigger. Very accurate at 25m off hand. So much so that I could use it in a Bullseye match again I think at least on the indoor range and get respectable scores.

The bottom mag latch doesn't bother me as I grew up with a Ruger Standard Auto and plenty of fine Euro semi autos.
Magazines and extra parts are very available and inexpensive.

It works well, I shoot it well, I don't read the Tactical Magazines articles to know that it's impossible to use as a CCW.
Works for me.

It is the military contract version of a P-38. It was designed around FMJ ammo as stated. the chamber is liberal, forget soft case ammo (Blaser). You can put a quality HP in the chamber and follow with FMJ. The simple dimensions exceed an M1911 maybe closer to a Beretta 92 in the slide, speaking of holsters.

You got into it at about half the going prices so you have some flexibility what ever you decide to do.

thanks guy...it will not be my main ccw gun i think it would be cool to carry it just due to the model.....again thanks for the help

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Scott from Canton Ohio

You will likely find a custom holster maker that will make one for your P1.

As far as ammo selection, I agree with sticking to standard-pressure rounds. Federal makes one called the EFMJ, with a standard bullet shape and expanding. If it works this may be a good compromise. Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Shy of using ball ammo, I have two suggestions of defensive ammo for the P1:
A) Rem 115 gr. JHP - I don't know if it has changed, but it used to be the recommended hollow point for guns that were unreliable with other brands of HP amm. It has a profile of a FMJ round.
b) Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket - feeds like ball but does offer some expansion.

I have 2 former German Police Manurhin P1's I bought a little over 20 years ago both without the Hex bolt of the later guns and a later P38 customized into a K version. None of mine is sensitive to ammo type and have fed the 115gr to 147 gr JHP's I've tried as well as both jacketed and lead hand loads. How well yours feeds JHP's is something you just have to test, there's no hard or fast rule that they won't work with hollow points. IMO as a post war gun yours in more likely to work with JHP ammo than a wartime production P38.

I would suggest buying new recoil springs from Wolf for a pistol that probably hasn't had springs replaced in its lifetime. Replaced mine with the standard factory strength. Load standard pressure 9mm JHP's, there are plenty of good self defense loads that are not +P. I currently keep mine loaded with 124gr Ranger Partition Gold surplus police ammo but have loaded and fired without issue Federal Hydra Shoks, Remington 147gr Golden Sabers, 147gr JHP Winchester USA and Rangers.

I saw this link posted a while back from the P38 forum.
This model is available for the P1

Comfortable Leather Belt Gun Holster - Falco Gun Holsters

I've never dealt with the company or have any connection to them.

One of my all time favorite pistols! My experience mirrors the post by SteveC. I have found several brands and weights of HP ammo that work in my Walthers. You have to try them and see what works in you gun. If you are planning on shooting it much at all, I'd look into refreshing the two recoil springs with new ones from Wolff Springs. Its cheap and a reasonable expense considering the originals may be 40 years old.

Great pistol and I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

Out
West

What I have found about them is this:

They are designed for use with 115 grain ammo ONLY. Most will feed the more round shape hollow point ammo - such as Remington Golden Saber or similar - with no problem. They are NOT designed for heavier bullet weights, not for +P or any high pressure loads, or for lead bullets or aluminum cases.

They do NOT do well with high power springs. Replace any springs that are not working as needed with STANDARD weight springs. Higher weight springs will accelerate wear.

They are fairly accurate for military pistols and are very reliable.

Numrich has military Walther made mags for under $20, along with many other parts, used military/police holsters and mag pouches, and various grips.

Wahther has always made high quality pistols, and the P1's are no exception. I found mine this morning by accident. it was just put on the shelf Saturday afternoon, and I saw it when I went in early this morning to pick up another pistol...so I got 2 more today. It came with 2 mags and a military holster - in great condition. Stamped 1976, it has the steel reinforcement, military grips and it just FEELS very good. Probably waiting till the weekend to shoot it. It was about $300.

The pistol I went to pick up is a P 70A Serbian Tokarev in 9mm Luger. NIB, with 2 mags. A gem and I understand they are very reliable shooters and veery accurate. they are large and all steel, but flat, and will be easily carried. they wil feed anything you can load into them. That one was $225.

No pics yet-I am a little slow-recovering from oral surgery. Yeah, I KNOW how to have a good time!

Going for a double shot of French brandy right now...my pain medicine.

mark

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Liberals made the USA

While I lived in Germany, the Bundeswehr was using 124gr bullets in these at the range. Per CPI they were loaded to 36,500psi. The closest thing I used in my own 9mm was the GECO 124gr FMJ rounds, were not quite as hot as the original NATO rounds. Had not seen any problems with the alloy frames that I got to mess with while working in the gun industry. Anything we sold had to be pressure tested with a 40% overload at the proof house to confirm it was safe.

I have one with the frame pin and the heavy slide. I shoot mostly 115gr WW and Russian steel case 115gr. I have not had any problems.

I would not advise shooting hot ammo in yours as it does not have the pin.

Some info on the hex pin here: Modern Firearms - Walther P38

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Corripe Cervisiam

Well, you would want to find something that worked in that pistol. It was designed for ball ammo in the 124 grain range, so JHPs may or may not function reliably.

If it worked, the standard pressure 147 grain Winchester Ranger RA9B seems like a good idea.

If not, then a 115 to 124 grain standard pressure (not +P) load would be the next choice.

That pistol, however, is probably not an ideal choice for CCW.

Many years ago, I bought a Manurhin P1 with Berlin police markings on it, as a cheap plinker. I then noticed it had a Nazi eagle proof (just the eagle/swastika, no numbers) on the right side of the slide. I assume they were using up parts found in the factory at the end of the war, so that would put it as having been in service a looong time. The proofmark added a neat little bit of history to it. It had the aluminum frame with no hex bolt.

It was well-worn when I got it, and the worn trigger was very nice --much lighter and smoother in SA than other P.38's/P1's I've handled. It was also startlingly accurate with Federal Nyclad lead/coated HP's, which it shot to perfect zero at 25 yards, with very tight groups. I shot it in several local defensive pistol matches, and for the first 9 rounds, it could keep up with anybody! The heel mag release did slow reloads, though.

I fired several hundred to maybe 1000 rounds with no malfunctions at all. Funniest recollection was the guy ahead of me in line at a match bragging to his friend about the great deal he'd gotten on his full-blown .38 Super comp gun, and then proceeding to have several malfunctions in EVERY stage of the match! He'd paid $2800 for his useless gadget-gun, whereas the old Walther worked perfectly and only cost $199.95! (Well. $214, counting tax... )

Like an idiot, I kept it for a year or two and traded it off for something else that caught my eye...

If it shoots well, and you shoot it well, I'd say, "Go for it!"

John

I've owned several of those (steel framed P38s, alum P1s and P4s) over the years. They are good serviceable service grade arms. Not the easiest for concealed carry but try a open belt slide holster. Any made for a Beretta 92 should fit as the Beretta is nothing but a P38 on steroids. For ammo my guns shot a steady diet of NATO 9mm loads which is hotter than SAMMI specs. Try different loads for each gun is different on how it will feed. Congrats on your new purchase.


CD

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De Oppresso Liber

Your P1 appears to be a commercial import not the later Police guns,
Wondering what year the date stamp is on the L side of the slide and if it is Interarms import marked or says "Made in West Germany " ?

While I have each rendition my favorite P38 platform is the P4...
unless you include the P5 which is hands down the better gun.

I purchased a PPKS back in the 70's and Walther stated that 100 rounds should be fired through the gun for breakin. I followed their advice and it will digest any 380 round fed to it.

I have 2 WWII P-38's..I bought a holster quite some time ago, 25+ years or so..
It is a Safariland basket weave belt holster..marked on the backside is P-38, below that 79...

I have 3 P1s and all of the above apply.
Also, each recoil spring has a recoil spring guide. On steel frame guns these are made of steel. The aluminum framed guns have plastic guides. These plastic guides are subject to premature wear. I've had 2 crumble apart with no warning. I don't know if steel guides are advisable in aluminum frames. You should keep 2 of the plastic ones on hand just in case.
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