walther p38 User Guide

MANUAL

CARL WALTHER. WORKS FOR SPORTS-AND HUNTING WEAPONS. ULM DONAU . GERMANY

The

Police Pistol Models PP and PPK hove, by virtue of their unique construc-

tion, proved themselves to be the World’s safest and most dependable handguns.

The absolute faith in these two products induced specialists both at home and abroad to

demand

a pistol of a similarly recognized and approved construction which would retain

principle of a

light

and at

powerful

Cal. 9 mm

9 mm
ounces with all

stantaneous readiness, and easy handling

of

appropriate considerations was

which combines a phantastically low

advantages of a modern handgun

and which allows the

new

Model P

of only a

over

absolute safety, in-

of a considerably

Cal.

more potent cartridge. This pistol stands without rival.
All

component parts are

They are

by means of

most
date production methods involving the use of modern machinery under strictest
vision. As in the
very best materials are used in the production of

The pages of this little brochure will give
description of the various

of any other of the

Model P

most detailed and therefore very useful

relating to the pistol Model P 38.

products, only

General Data:

Auto Pistol Model P 38 Cal. 9 mm Parabellum

Overall Length
Length of Barrel
Height of Pistol

Total Weight

Magazine capacity .
Standard Finish

The pistol can be supplied, Up
lished and blued finish.

A spare magazine, a cleaning
are supplied with every pistol.
ment also includes a
delivered in a stout carton.

The pistol P

loading pistols havin an external hammer, and the constant readiness of a revolver makes the enormous odvantages of

these weaoons obun
The P 38
to a tension triaaer and which has a distinctive pressure point. The P 38, like the models PP and PPK, may be fired by
merely pulling
Cartridges with faulty primer cops can be fired by pulling the trigger repeatedly.
A bulge in the borrel
mounted in on open and unencumbered manner. The pistol is thus alwoys ready for instant use.

has an external hammer. The combination of o perfect action design, mode evident in the

o double-actidn, locked-breech, semi-automatic pistol. It is fitted with on external hammer which is connected

trigger. It may, moreover, readily be co’rried loaded

214
125 mm =
136 mm =

8 Cartridges
set block (matted).

r

rod,

The complete equip-

description and is

antlv manifest.

caused by some irregular agency

uncocked.

will not impede the functioning of the P 38, since the barrel is

An entirely new method has been adopted in the con­struction of the safety device’of the P 38.

As may be well known, there is always a certain amount
of danger inherent in any loaded and cocked firearm,
even though the latter may be rendered ‘safe’ by means
of the safety lever. Any sudden mechonicol
fracture of on

component con cause on accidental

or a

discharge.

In the P 38, this basic evil has been remedied: the rotary
safely
the cocked stage.

causes the hammer to become uncocked,

does not make the action mechanism safe in

application of the safety catch

and that with­out any danger to the user. When the safety catch is mov­ed to the ‘Safe’ position, the firing pin becomes
first. Immediately following this, the action mechanism is
automatically

and the hammer drops harmlessly

and the pistol is completely uncocked.

Un-cocking of the hammer by means of applying the

fety catch, preceded by the locking of the firing pin and
the connection with the tension trigger, make the P
truly ideal service pistol.

Since the pistol is thus always uncocked but nevertheless
always ready for immediate use, the hammer spring is
therefore not subject to fatigue and weakening.

The P 38 can be dismantled within a few seconds and
without using any tools. Component parts

drop out.
Any unnecessary operating of the trigger mechanism
should be duly avoided, and the hammer should not be
allowed to drop while the

is empty. In any in­stance of ‘dry’ shooting practice, a dummy cartridge
should be introduced into the chamber first.

It is an essential rule for every shooter that despite the
fully guaranteed safety of the weapon, the pistol should

always be held so that the muzzle points downwards while
the

is not being actually used.

a

3

P 38 Auto Pistol
Cal. 9mm Parabellum
in

longitudinal section

In this Illustration, the signal pin immediately above
the hammer is clearly visible. It indicates that there

ccrtridge in the chamber. i. e., that the

loaded. The signal pin remains visible when the

nevertheless ready for action. Illustration 4 shows
how the pistol is fired by merely pulling the trigger
(in ‘Double-action’ shooting).

A list of the individuol component parts moy be

found on pages 17 and 18 of this

tion.

descrip-

Graphic Description

4

pistol is loaded and

The pistol is thus ready for instont use (‘Double-Action’).

Automatic Safety

The pistol, though uncocked and loaded, moy thus be
fired. The safety lever (19
weopon is, OS shown in II ustration

The live round in the chamber cannot be
pistol should occidentally be dropped
first on the floor. The signal pin (8) can both be felt and

seen, and indicates that there is a cartridge in the

&amber (Illustration 3).

pin (11) is

The safety lever is ‘off.

is in the ‘Fire’ position. The

3, entirely free from

by the firing

The pistol is loaded, safety lever ‘off’, and
‘pulling through’ (Double-Action

here in the moment in which the
released by the sear).

Operating the Trigger

The trig er (43) has been pulled back until the tumbler
edge (40 of the hammer (39) barely rests on the sear
edge of the tensioning piece
tion 4.

f the trigger (43) is now pulled back a little further, the
sear (40) of the hammer slides off the edge of the cock­ing piece
ing

the

3

Until then, the firing pin (11)

in

arrester 92).

in

the firing pin arrester 12) releases the fir-

and the hammer (39) stri

pm (11).

trig er motion, shown

ler IS about to be

as shown in Illustra-

IS

blocked by the firing

by

Illustration

6

Pistol loaded and cocked, safety lever ‘Off

Operating the trigger when the hammer is

Action’).

Upon pulling the trigger

the cocked hammer (39) is
releosed from its rearward position by the lifting motion
of the cocking piece (26) and strikes the unlocked firing

pin (11).

Pistol at the moment of firing

Process of firing

The hammer (39) strikes the unlocked

pin

ond

indenting the primer cap, thus igniting the powder charge
and thereby causing the resultant pressure gases to drive
the bullet out of the cartridge case.

6

7

illustration 8

Pistol loaded, safety lever ‘Off
Operating the safety lever when the hammer is cocked.

The hammer (39) has been drawn back, and the arm is
thus ready. The protruding signal pin (8) indicates that

there is a cartridge in the chamber.

If for some reason it is not intended to fire the round, the
safety lever (19) should in such case be moved downwards
until the letter

becomes clearly exposed. This appli­cation of the safety lever (19) causes the firing pin (11) to
be blocked (see arrows). Moreover, during the last third
of the lever travel the hammer (39) becomes disengaged
by the lifting of the cocking
(See also: page 10,

‘Hand ing’ . and Illustration 14.)

(26) and drops forward.

The trigger moves backwards and remains in the rear-
most limit of its travel.

Pistol loaded, safety lever ‘Off
Operating the safety lever when the hammer is uncodced.

The firing pin (11) remains blocked by the automatic safety
effect of the firing pin arrester (12) when the hammer is in
an uncocked state. By movin
wards, thereby exposing the etter
lock is applied to the firing pin

the safety lever (19) down-

fully, an additional

as shown by the or-
rows in Illustration 8. The trigger remains in its normal
forward position.

Directions for the Use and Handling of the Pistol P 38

Illustration 9

loading

Hold the pistol with the right hand and render it safe by
turning the safety lever downwords to the fullest extent
of its travel, thus fully exposing the letter
the mogozine
left thumb. The eft index
from the grip, as shown in the above Illustration 9.

releasin the ma azine catch with the

b

wtt

draws the magazine

Remove

10

Filling the magazine

Hold the magazine with the left hand and push the cart­ridges
depressing the feeder platform wtt the cartridge rim. The
magazine holds 8 cartridges. When emptying the mogo-
zine, push the cartridges
finally expelled by the upwor
spring. The 7 holes in the side of the magazine serve to
facilitate chedcing the contents of the magazine.

Any forceful jamming-in or tearing-out during either of
these two respective operations would cause damo
the magazine and consequently lead to functiona
orders of the pistol.

base first

under the ma

ozine lips by carefully

forward until they are

thrust of the magazine

e to

8

11

12

Introducing the first cartridge into the chamber

After inserting the full

ma

azine into the pistol grip, hold
the pistol with the right 3,and. The pistol must still be
‘safe’. Next, grip the slide by the ribbed rear end with the
left hand and pull fully backwards

then let go. This
operation causes the first cartridge to slip into the cham­ber. The hammer, however, does not become cocked by

this process, as the safety lever is still ap
mer of the P

therefore cannot be co

lied and the ham-

ed either by hand

or else be pulling the trigger through. To make the pistol

ready for immediate use, push the safety lever upwards to

cover the letter

completely and the letter

(‘Fire’)
becomes visible. The weapon will still remain uncocked,
since the firing pin is still blocked. The pistol is neverthe­less ready for firing.

9

‘Single-Action’ shooting

In tar

et shooting, it is recommended to cock the hammer

with

e right thumb as shown in Illustration 12. With a

little practice, this operation should become fairly

eas
It offers the advantage of having only a comparafive y
slight amount of resistance (trigger pressure) to overcome.

in its turn increases the accuracy in shooting quite

considerably.

Illustration 13

14

‘Double-Action’ shooting

Firing fhe first shot by means of the ‘single-action’ method
is, of course, chiefly enacted in practice and competition
shooting at targets, while ‘double-action’ shooting occurs

mainly under active service conditions. In the latter event,
the hammer is cocked by simply pulling the trigger through
its entire length of travel for the first shot.
Should for reasons of faulty ammunition the pistol fail to
fire in such exceptional cases, the trigger should be pulled
again. A second impact of the firing pin on the primer cap
will as a rule cause even a defective round to detonate.

Operating the safety lever

Hold the weapon with the right hand, and place the right

index finger along the side of the trigger guard. The right
thumb grips the hammer, while the left thumb pushes the
safety lever downwards. The hammer can now slowly
return to its resting position, as shown in illustration
Care should be taken that the muzzle of the pistol paints
downwards.

Illustration

Illustration 16

The emptied magazine

When the last round in the magazine has been fired, the
slide stays open. If shooting is to be continued, remove
the empty magazine and insert the next full magazine.
Pull the slide

lightly and then let it glide forwards.
This process will cause the first round to be introduced
into the chamber.
This cartridge may also be fed into the chamber without
using the left hand: by simply depressing the catch lever
with the right thumb. If it is not intended to continue
shooting, apply the safety lever (see page 10, Illustra­tion 14).

11

Unlooding

If the pistol P 38 is to be unloaded after a live round has
been lodged in the chamber, put the safety lever into the
Safe’ position (see page 10, Illustration

withdraw the
magazine, and remove the cartridges from the latter. Now
pull the slide fully back (as shown in Illustration 16). The
cartridge will be extracted from the chamber by this ope­ration and drop out.

Illustration 17 lllustmtion

18

Dismantling
insert an empty magazine. Hold the pistol with the right

hand and move the safety lever to ‘Safe’ (see page 10,
Illustration 14). Next, pull the slide back until it stays open,
and remove the magozine. Then turn the barrel catch lever
downwards with the left thumb until it engages with an
audible ‘click’.

If an empty magazine is not available, the retracted slide
may be made to stay open by pushing the catch lever up­wards.

Dismantling
The barrel catch lever having been pushed down, the slide

should now be pulled

slightly and then be allowed

to move forward so as to be separated from the
Alternatively, the slide may be drawn

with the left
hand while the right thumb depresses the breech catch
lever. Following this, the slide may be allowed to glide
forward and off the frame unit.

12

19

Illustration

Separating the barrel from the slide
Hold the slide upside-down in the left hand as shown in

lilustration

Press the small internal locking bolt to­wards the muzzle end with your right index finger. The
barrel can then be readily taken out of the slide unit.

13

Cleaning the component parts
The pistol has now been partly stripped and split up into

its four main units: barrel, slide, frame (grip), and maga­zine, as shown in Illustration

These components can
now be cleaned and oiled.
The barrel, the grooves of the slide, and the grip unit
should be lubricated with a good, acid-free, and
resinous oil, and the barrel should then be wiped dry
again.
Any further dismantling should be carried out only if there
is an uncommonly great amount of dirt present in these
parts. Any such work, however, should be entrusted to
skilled craftsmen.

Illustration 21

Illustration 22

The re-assembling of the
out in the opposite order to

on is a propriately carried

of

In order

to avoid damage during this process, it IS important that

the following explanations and Illustrations be observed:
It is particularly important to realize that re-assembling

can be carried out only while the pistol is in a ‘safe’ state,
i. e., the hammer must be ‘down’. First, re-fit the barrel to
the slide. When attochin this re-assembled unit to the
grip unit, ensure that the

IS pressed upwards with the left thumb in the manner

bolt below the chamber

shown in Illustration 21. The slide unit can now be freely
pushed back over the frame to without any fear of dam­age to the recoil springs, the or the frame.

The three protruding parts
trip lever’

must be

ejector, release lever, and

ushed downwards so as to permit

the slide to run freey back over the top of the frame

(the three components in question are indicated by ar-
rows in lliustration 22).

14

Assembling
Insert the empty magazine into the grip, then pull the slide

bock until the latter engages and stays open. Now push
the barrel catch lever bath into its normal locking position

with the left thumb, as shown in Illustration 23.

15

Finally, push the breech locking lever downwards with the
right thumb and at the same time pull the slide back with
the left hand, then let the slide move forward.

The P 38 is now once again in its complete original state,
safe, and ready for further service.

Test Target with test group of the WALTHER Self-loading
Pistol P 38, Cal. 9 mm Parabellum.

Ranges and Performance:

Sighting range . . . . . . . .

50 m = 54.681 yds.

Range of shot, approximately 1,600 m = 1,750yds.

Depth of penetration:

Range

Material

25 m

17.34 yds

50 m

i4.68 yds.

200m

18.72 yds.

ins.

35 cm

ins.

25 cm

ins.

23 cm

9 ins.

cut

clean

through

through

Loose soil

Sand

Pine wood

Sheet iron, 2 mm (0.0787”)

thick, hit at an angle

of 90 degrees

36 cm

14 ins.

26 cm

23 cm

9 ins.

cut

clean

through

Ammunition

The ammunition for the P 38 is the pistol cartridge

Calibre 9 mm Parabellum.

31 cm
12 ins.

21 cm

ins.

17cm

ins.

cut

clean

16

14

18

54

Illustration 26

The Components of the

Pistol P 38

UNIT I: Barrel

Barrel
Front sight
Locking-piece
Locking pin

V-spring

UNIT II: Slide
Slide body

Cover
Signal-pin
Rear sight
Extractor
Firing pin
Firing pin
Spring to No. 12
Extractor pin
Limit stop pin
Firing pin spring
Signal pin spring

10
11

12
13
14
15
16
17

18

Sofety lever unit
Rest pin
Rest pin spring

UNIT Ill: Grip
Frame

Rest pin

Rest pin spring
6
7
8
9

Trigger connector
Cocking-piece
Barrel catch lever
Striker rod

Relief piece

Release lever

Ejector

Recoil spring guide pins

Hammer pin
Cocking piece pin
Recoil springs
Striker rod spring
Trigger rod spring

19

21

22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

31
32
33
34
35
36
37

Cocking piece spring
Hammer
Hammer trap
Pins to Nos.39 & 40
Hammer trap spring
Trigger
Sleeve
Trigger spring
Magazine holder
Catch lever
Grip plate, right
Grip plate, left
Grip plate screw

UNIT IV: Magazine

Magazine casing
Feeder platform
Magazine bottom lock
Magazine bottom
Feeder spring

41
42

43
44
45
46
47
48
49

51
52
53
54
55

18

Illustration 27

Conversion Unit Cal. 4 mm (M 20)
for the Pistol P 38
with Steel Adaptor
comprising:

Insertion barrel (liner) with spring washer and
locking nut

3 steel adaptor

Ejector tool
Cleaning rod

Additional steel adaptor cart­ridges supplied upon request
and against payment of extra
cost.

Conversion Unit Cal. 4 mm (M

with loading tool, for the Pistol P 38

comprising:
Insertion barrel (liner) with spring washer and

lock nut
Loading Tool
Ejector Tool
Cleaning Rod

19

28

Instructions for the use of the Conversion Units

(as shown in Illustrations 27 and 28)

Conversion units, developed for the world-renowned
and having proved a great success, are now also available for the pistol model P 38.
These conversion units make it possible to use the small Cal. 4 mm (M 20) cartridges for all
indoor practice shooting.

Fitting
Remove the slide in the usual manner (see page 12). Insert the conversion barrel (liner)
into the barrel of the P 38, apply the spring washer and the lock nut, and tighten up with
the aid of the ejector tool by applying the latter to the groove.

Shooting practice by using the steel cartridge adaptors
Insert a Cal. 4 mm cartridge into each steel adaptor, then feed the latter into the maga­zine in the normal manner, and insert the magazine into the grip of the P 38. Next, feed

a round into the chamber as demonstrated in illustrations 10 and 11. The pistol is now

ready for use. After firing the shot, pull the slide back with the left hand, thereby eject­ing the steel adaptor containing the empty case from the chamber. The next ‘live’ adaptor
may now be brought into the chamber by letting the slide move forward, thus closing the
breech.

Shooting practice with the aid of the loading tool
Remove the magazine from the P 38, pull the slide fully back, and push the barrel catch
lever (breech lock) upwards. The slide will now stay open. Now insert a 4 mm

into the chamber by using the loading tool, and release the slide by pulling the latter
slightly back. Let the slide move forward and close the breech. The shot may now be fired.
After discharging the round, open the breech and push the empty case out of the chamber
by means of the ejector tool. The empty case will readily drop out through the magazine

shaft.

pistol models PP and PPK

20

Holster for the Pistol P 38
Cal. 9 mm Parabellum

Made of harness leather,
dull black finish outside and
smooth inside. External
magazine pocket. Two loops
for attachment to a belt.

Poge

Illustration

Page

General reference:
Description of pistol
Sectional view of pistol
Graphic Descriptions:

Automatic
‘Double Action’ shooting
‘Single Action’ shooting
Process of firing

Operating the safety lever:

a) when the hammer is

b) when the hammer is not

Directions for the use and handling:

Loading

Filling the magazine

mechanism

5
6
6

7

7

8
8

1

4

10

1
1
2

3
4
5

6

7

8

9

Introducing the first cartridge
‘Single Action’ shooting
‘Double Action’ shooting

Rendering the P 38 safe
The emptied magazine
Un-loading

Dismantling
Detaching the barrel
Cleaning
Assembling
Test target and performance
Description of components
Conversion Units Cal. 4 mm
De Luxe case
Holster

9
9

10
10
11
11
12
13
13

16
17618

21

21

11
12
13

14
15
16

19

21-24
25

29

A tradition of over
of

experience

years

in the manufacture of precision-built

and

weapons

name.