Manual - Walther P-38 Pistol

7/31/2019 Manual - Walther P-38 Pistol

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CF~p-389MM Au+o R b + o ROWEItSMANUAL11 CARL WALTHER. WORKS FOR SPORTS-AND HUNTING WEAPONS. ULM DONAU . GERMANY


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The WA LTHER Police Pistol Models PP and PPK hove, by virtue of their unique construc-tion, proved themselves to be the Worlds safest and most dependable handguns.

The ab solute faith in these two p roduc ts induce d spec ialists both a t home a nd ab road to

demand a p is to l o f a s imi la r ly recogn ized and approved const ruct ion w h ich w ou ld re ta in

t h e pr inc ip le o f a veq l ight w e i g h t and at t h e s a m e t i m e f l r o t h e m o r e power fu l c a r t r i d g eCal. 9 mm ? a m b e l l u m .lho o u t c o m e of t h e appropr ia te cons idera t ions was t he new W A L T H E R Model P 38 Cal.9 m m P a r b o l l u m , which combines a phantast ica l ly low w e i g h t of only a l i i lo over 27ounces w i th a l l t h e dr imb lo advantages o f a m odern handgun - abso lu te sa fe ty , in -stantaneous readiness, and easy handling - a n d wh i ch a l l o ws th e us e of a c ons iderab lymore potent cartr idge. This pistol stands without r ival .

Al l t h e component par ts a re i n t e r c h a n g e a b l e . They are m a d o by means o f t he most up-to-date p roduct ion methods invo lv ing the use o f modern mach inery under s t r i c t est r u p e r -v is ion . As in the m a n u f a c t u r e of any o ther o f the s e v o r a l W A L T H E R products, on ly t hevery best mat e r ia ls a re used in the p roduct ion o f t he Model P 38 .The pag es of this little broc hure will give a most detailed and therefore very usefuldescription of the various data relating to the pistol Model P 38.


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@@@ Auto Pistol Model P 38 Cal. 9 mm Parabellum

General Data:

Overall Length . . .Length of Barrel . . . . .Height of Pistol . .Total Weight . . .Magazine capacity . . .S t a n d a r d F i n i s h . .The p istol c an b e supp lied , Upl ished and blued finish.

A spare magazine, a c leaning

are supplied with every pistol.

ment a lso inc ludes a techn icadelivered in a stout carton.

214

125 mm = 415/16*136 mm = S/ S7809 = 27% 01s8 Cartridgesset block (matted).

Ion r

rod,

The c omp lete equip-II desc r ip t ion and i s

The pistol P 38 has an external hammer. The c omb ination of o perfect a ction de sign, mode evident in the WALTHER se lf-load ing p istols havin an external hamm er, and the c onstant read iness of a revolver ma kes the enormous odva ntag es of

these weaoons obun3antlv manifest.The P 38 ii o double-actidn, locked-breech, semi-automatic pistol. I t is f i t ted with on external hammer which is connectedto a tension t riaa er and whic h ha s a distinct ive p ressure po int. The P 38, like the mo de ls PP and PPK, ma y be fired bymerely pulling yh i trigger. It may, moreover, readily be corried loaded ond u n c o c k e d . ICartridges with faulty primer cops can be f ired by pull ing the tr igger repeatedly.A bulge in the borrel - caused by some irregular agency - wil l not impede the functioning of the P 38, s ince the barrel ismo unted in on ope n and unenc umb ered m anne r. The pistol is thus alwo ys read y for insta nt use.

nL


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An entirely new method has been adopted in the con-

struction of the safety deviceof 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 shod or afrac ture of on act ion component con cause on accidentaldischarge.

In the P 38, this basic evil has been remedied: the rotary

safely catch does not make the action mechanism safe inthe cock ed stage. Instead, - applica tion of the safety ca tchca uses the hamm er to bec ome uncoc ked, - and that with-out any d ange r to the user. When the safety c atc h is mov-

ed to the Safe p osition, the firing pin be c ome s lodtedfirst. Immediately following this, the action mechanism is

automatically blodted and the hammer drops harmlessly- and the p istol is com pletely unco cke d.

Un-cocking of the hammer by means of applying the so-fety catch, preceded by the locking of the firing pin and

the connection with the tension trigger, make the P 38 atruly ideal service pistol.

Since the p istol is thus always uncoc ked but nev ertheless

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 andwithout using any tools. Comp onent p arts connot drop out.Any unnecessary operating of the trigger mechanism

should be duly avoided, and the hammer should not be

allowed to drop while the chamber is empty. In any in-stance 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

alway s be held so that the muzzle po ints dow nwards while

the weapon is not being actually used.

3


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P 38 Auto PistolCal . 9mm Parabel lum

in longitudinal section

In this Illustration, the signal pin immediately above

the hammer is clearly visible. It indicates that there

isCI ccrtridge in the chamber. i. e., that the weapo ; lis loaded. The signal pin remains visible when the;cfety ca tc h is ap plied. The p istol is unc oc ked, b utIS nevertheless ready for action. Illustration 4 showshow the pistol is fired by merely pulling the trigger

(in Double-action shooting).

A list of the individuol component parts moy be

found o n pa ges 17 and 18 of this technica l descrip-tion.


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Graphic Descr ipt ion

Illus1mli0n 3

Th e pist o l is loaded and u n c o c k e d . The safety lever is o f f .The pistol is thus ready for instont use (Double-Action).Automatic SafetyThe pistol, though uncocked and loaded, moy thus be

fired. The safety lever (19 1 is in the Fire position. Theweopon is, OS shown in II ustration 3, entirely free fromtensron.The f i r i n g pin (11) is b l o d c e d by the f i r ingThe live round in the chamber cannot bepistol should occidentally be droppedfirst on the floor. The s igna l p in (8) can both be fe l t andseen, and ind ica tes tha t there is a car t r idge in the&amber (I l lustrat ion 3).

5

Illustration 4

The pistol is loaded, safety lever off , and c o d t e d bypul l ing through (Double-Action trig er motion, shownhere in the moment in which the turn% .released by the sear).

ler IS about to be

Operat ing the Tr iggerThe trig er (43) has been pulled back until the tumbleredge (40 of the hammer (39) barely rests on the sear3edge of the tensioning piece (26),. as shown in Illustra-tion 4. Unti l then, the f i r ing pin (11) IS blocked by the f i r ing

P i n arrester 92).f the trigger (43) is now pulled back a little further, thesear (40) of the hammer slides off the edge of the cock-ing piece (26), the firing pin arrester 12) releases the fir-ing

P.in (ll!, and the hammer (39) striI,es the rear end of

the rrmg pm (11).


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I l lustra t ion 5 I l lu s t r t i io n 6

Pistol loaded and cocked, safety lever Off Pistol at the moment of firing

Operating the trigger when the hammer is coded(Single-Action).

Upon pulling the trigger (43), the cocked hammer (39) isreleosed from its rearward position by the lifting motion

of the cocking piece (26) and strikes the unlocked firing

pin (11).

Process of firing

The ha mm er (39) strikes the unloc ked firing pin (ll), ondjhe tip of the latter detonates the primer by hitting andindenting the primer cap, thus igniting the powder charge

and thereby causing the resultant pressure gases to drive

the bullet out of the cartridge case.

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l l lu s f r a f io n 7 i l lustrat ion 8Pistol loaded, safety lever Off

Operating the safety lever when the hammer is cocked.The hammer (39) has been drawn back, and the arm isthus 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, thesafety lever (19) should in such case be moved downwardsuntil the letter 5 becomes clearly exposed. This appli-cation of the safety lever (19) causes the firing pin (11) tobe blocked (see arrows). Moreover, during the last thirdof the lever travel the hammer (39) becomes disengagedby the lifting of the cocking iece (26) and drops forward.(See also: page 10, - Hand ing . .., and Illustration 14.)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 safetyeffect of the firing pin arrester (12) when the hammer is in

an uncocked state. By movinwards, thereby exposing the etter 5 fully, an additionalthe safety lever (19) down-lock is applied to the firing pin (ll), as shown by the or-rows in Illustration 8. The trigger remains in its normalforward position.


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Directions for the Use and Handl ing of the Pistol P 38

Illustration 9

loading

Hold the pistol with the right hand and render it safe byturning the safety lever downwords to the fullest extentof its travel, thus fully exposing the letter 5. Removethe mogozine b releasin the ma azine catch with theleft thumb. The eft index anger wtt7. 4draws the magazinefrom the grip, as shown in the above Illustration 9.

lllurtration 10Filling the magazine

Hold the magazine with the left hand and push the cart-ridges - base first - under the ma

3ozine lips by carefully

depressing the feeder platform wtt the cartridge rim. Themagazine holds 8 cartridges. When emptying the mogo-zine, push the cartridges gent1 forward until they arefinally expelled by the upworJ thrust of the magazinespring. The 7 holes in the side of the magazine serve tofacilitate chedcing the contents of the magazine.

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

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I l l u r Wa t i o n 1 1 I l l u s t r d i o n 1 2

Introducing the first cartridge into the chamber

After inserting the full ma azine into the pistol grip, holdthe pistol with the right 3,and. The pistol must still besafe. Next, grip the slide by the ribbed rear end with theleft hand and pull fully backwards - then let go. Thisoperation causes the first cartridge to slip into the cham-ber. The hamme r, however, does not becom e c ocke d b y

this process, as the safety lever is still apmer of the P 3 therefore c annot be c o c l? l ied and the ham-ed either by handor else be pulling the trigger through. To make the pistolready for immediate use, push the safety lever upwards tocover the letter 5 completely and the letter F (Fire)becomes visible. The weapon will still remain uncocked,since the firing pin is still blocked. The pistol is neverthe-less ready for firing.

9

Single-Action shooting

In tarwith t9,et shooting, it is recommended to cock the hammere right thumb as shown in Illustration 12. With alittle practice, this operation should become fairly easIt offers the advantage of having only a comparafive yslight amount of resistance (trigger pressure) to overcome.This in its turn increases the accuracy in shooting quiteconsiderably.


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I l lustrat ion 13

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 am munition the p istol fa il 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.

lllurtmtion 14Operating the safety lever

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

index finger along the side of the trigg er gua rd. The right

thumb grips the hammer, while the left thumb pushes the

safet y lever dow nwa rds. The ha mme r ca n now slowly

return to its resting position, as shown in illustration 14.Care should be taken that the muzzle of the pistol paints

dow nwards.

10


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I l lustra t ion 15

The emptied magazine

When the last round in the magazine has been fired, the

slide stays ope n. I f shoot ing is to be cont inued, remove

the empty magazine and insert the next full magazine.

Pull the slide bade lightly and then let it glide forwards.This process will ca use the first round to b e introd uc edinto the cham ber.

This c artridg e ma y also be fed into the cha mb er without

using the left hand: by simply depressing the catch lever

with the right thumb. If it is not intended to cont inue

shooting, apply the safety lever (see page 10, Illustra-

tion 14).

I l lustrat ion 16

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 14), withdraw themagazine, and remove the cartridges from the latter. Now

pu ll the slide fully ba ck (a s show n in Illustration 16). The

ca rtridge will be extracted from the c hamb er by this ope-

ration and drop out.

11


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I l lus t rat ion 17 l l l u s t m t i o n 18

Dismantling

insert an empty magazine. Hold the pistol with the right

hand a nd m ove the safety lever to Safe (see pa ge 10,

Illustration 14). Next, pull the slide back until it stays open,

and rem ove the m ag ozine. Then turn the ba rrel ca tch lever

downwards with the left thumb until it engages with an

audible click.

Dismantling

The ba rrel ca tch lever having b een p ushed d own, the slide

should now be pulled bade slightly and then be allowedto move forward so as to be separated from the frame.Alternatively, the slide may be drawn back with the lefthand while the right thumb depresses the breech catchlever. Following this, the slide may be allowed to glide

If an empty magazine is not available, the retracted slide

may b e ma de to stay open by p ushing the ca tch lever up-

wards.

forward and off the frame unit.

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l l l u r t r a t i o n 19

Separating the barrel from the slide

Hold the slide upside-down in the left hand as shown in

lilustration ;9. Press the small internal locking bolt to-wa rds the muzzle end with yo ur right ind ex finger. The

barrel can then be readily taken out of the slide unit.

I l l u s t r a t i o n 20

Cleaning the component parts

The p istol has now bee n pa rtly strippe d and split up into

its four main units: barrel, slide, frame (grip), and maga-

zine, as shown in Illustration M . These c omp onents cannow be cleaned and oiled.

The barrel, the grooves of the slide , and the grip unit

should be lubricated with a good, acid-free, and non-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 c raftsmen.

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I l l u s t r a t i o n 21 I l l u s t r a t i o n 2 2

AssemblingThe re-assem bling of the wea on is a propriately carriedout in the opposite order to t l?at of t o&down . In orderto avoid damage during this process, it IS important thatthe 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 tothe slide. When attochin this re-assembled unit to thegrip unit, ensure that th e Ioclcing bolt below the chamberIS pressed upwards with the left thumb in the mannershown in Illustration 21. The slide unit can now be freelypushed back over the frame to without any fear of dam-age to the recoil springs, the srde, or the frame.!

The three protruding parts - ejector, release lever, andtrip lever - must be Pushed downwards so as to permitthe slide to run freey back over the top of the frame(the three components in question are indicated by ar-rows in lliustration 22).

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l l lu r t ro t ion 23Assembling

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 positionwith the left thumb, as shown in Illustration 23.

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 onc e a ga in in its co mp lete original state, -safe, and ready for further service.

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Test Target with test group of the WALTHER Self-loadingPistol 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:

r

Material 25 m

17.34 yds

Range

50 m

i4.68 yds.v 200m18.72 yds.Loose soilSandPine woodShee t iron, 2 mm (0.0787 )thick, hit at an angleof 90 degrees 36 cm14 ins.26 cm101/h ins.23 cm9 ins.c utc leanthrough 35 cm13V4 ins.25 cm9/1 ins.23 cm9 ins.c utc leanthrough 31 cm12 ins.21 cm814 ins.17cm6% ins.c utc leanthroughAmmunition

The a mm unition for the P 38 is the p istol c artridge

Calibre 9 mm Parabellum.

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10

1 4

1 8

17

6

6 5 4Il lustr at ion 2 6


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UNIT I: Barrel

Barrel

Front sight

Locking-piece

Locking pin

V-spring

UNIT II: Slide

Slide body 6

Cover 7

Signal-pin 8

Rear sight 9

Extractor 10

Firing pin 11

Firing pin lode 12

Spring to No. 12 13

Extractor pin 14

Limit stop pin 15

Firing pin spring 16

Signal pin spring 17

Extractor spring 18

The Components of the W a l t h e r Pistol P 38Sofety lever unit 19

Rest pin 20Rest pin spring 21

UNIT Ill: G r i p

Frame

Rest pin

Rest pin spring

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

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

3031

32

33

34

35

36

37

Cocking piece spring

Hammer

Hammer trap

Pins to Nos.39 &40Hammer trap spring

Trigger

Sleeve

Trigger spring

Magazine holder

Catch lever

Grip plate, right

Grip plate, left ,Grip plate screw

UNIT IV: Magazine

Magazine casing 51

Feeder platform 52

Magazine bottom lock 53

Magazine bottom 54

Feeder spring 55

38394041

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

18


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Illustration 27

Conversion Unit Cal. 4 mm (M 20)

for the Pistol P 38

with Steel Adaptor C o r t r i d g e rcomprising:

Insertion barrel (liner) with spring washer andlocking nut

3 steel adaptor car t idgesEjector tool

Cleaning rod

Addi t ional steel adaptor cart-

ridges supplied upon request

and against payment of extra

cost.

Conversion Unit Cal. 4 mm (M 20),with l oad ing too l , for the Pistol P 38

comprising:

Insertion barrel (liner) with spring washer and

lock nut

Loa ding Too l

Ejec tor Too l

Cleaning Rod

lllustrotion 28

19


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Instructions for the use of the Conversion Units(as shown in Illustrations 27 and 28)

Conversion units, developed for the world-renowned Walther pistol models PP and PPKand having proved a great success, are now also available for the pistol model P 38.These conve rsion units make it po ssible to use the sma ll Cal. 4 mm (M 20) ca rtridg es 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 prac tice b y using the steel ca rtridge ad ap tors

Insert a Cal. 4 mm cartridge into each steel adaptor, then feed the latter into the maga-zine in the normal manner, and insert the magazine into the grip of the P 38. Next, feed

a round into the c ham ber as demonstrate d in illustrations 10 and 11. The p istol is now

ready for use. After firing the shot, pull the slide back with the left hand, thereby eject-

ing the steel ada ptor containing the emp ty ca se from the c hamb er. The next live adap tor

may now be brought into the chamber by letting the slide move forward, thus closing the

breech.

Shooting prac tice with the aid of the loading tool

Remo ve the m ag azine from the P 38, pull the slide fully b ac k, and push the ba rrel c atc h

lever (breec h loc k) upw ards. The slide w ill now stay o pen. Now insert a 4 mm cartr idgeinto the chamber by using the loading tool, and release the slide by pulling the latter

slightly bac k. Let the slide m ove forward a nd c lose the b reech. The shot may now b e fired.

After discharging the round, open the breech and push the empty case out of the chamber

by m eans of the ejector tool. The em pty c ase will readily drop o ut through the m aga zine

shaft.

20


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er.-_.,._._.._: ,, -_,-~-e_->.

Holster for the Pistol P 38

Cal. 9 mm ParabellumMade of harness leather,

dull black finish outside and

smooth inside. External

maga zine poc ket. Two loops

for attachment to a belt.-

Illurtration 30


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General reference:

Description of pistol

Sectional view of pistol

Graphic Descriptions:

Automatic Safety mechanismDouble Action shooting

Single Action shooting

Process of firing

Operating the safety lever:

a) when the hammer is codredb) when the hammer is not

codced

Poge Illustration

1 1

2&3 14 2

5 35 4

6 5

6 6

7

7

7

8

Directions for the use and handling:

Loading 8

Filling the magazine 8

9

10

Introducing the first cartridge 9 11

Single Action shooting 9 12

Double Action shooting 10 13

Rendering the P 38 safe 10 14

The emptied magazine 11 15

Un-loading 11 16

Dismantling 12 17h18Detaching the barrel 13 19

Cleaning 13 2tlAssembling 14b15 21-24Test target and performance 16 25

Description of components 17618 26Conversion Units Cal. 4 mm 19&20 P&28De Luxe case 21 29

Holster 21 30

Page IllurtmtkA


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A tradition of over 250 yearsof pract tcal experiencein the manufacture of precision-built

is intktety a s k i a t e dhunRng ,sports and defence weaponswiththis name.

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Manual - Walther P-38 Pistol

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