Posted December 4, 2019 5:56 am by Comments

By Chris Eger

Designed to replace the iconic Luger as Germany’s new sidearm, the pistol that became the P-38 went on to have a much longer service life.
Engineered by a pair of Fritzes– Fritz Walther, the son of Walther founder Carl, and Fritz Barthelemes– just after their work on the company’s PP-series handgun, their new gun used a lot of then-novel developments. This included twin recoil springs housed on either side of the slide and a pivoting locking block on a fixed barrel. This design, mated to a double-action/single-action trigger, was unique at the time. Compared to the complex toggle action of the Luger, the Walther P-38 was simple and reliable.
Often seen as second-fiddle to the Luger by collectors, the design of the P-38 was much more advanced than the pistol it was meant to replace. (Photo: Richard Taylor/Guns.com)
Adopted in 1938 after a two-year prototype period, the first standard military P-38s were only put into production in October 1940. Using a 5-inch barrel, an 8-shot detachable magazine, composite grips slotted around a lanyard attachment, and fixed sights, the pistol proved popular with the German military and was soon in production by not only Walther but Mauser and Spreewerk as well.
German military acceptance codes

Source: Guns.com

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