New P1

[Blade]

Well new to me anyway. I've always been fascinated with the P38 since I had a chance to shoot one many years ago. A guy I went to school with had one at the time. They are just cool looking guns. Unmistakably German, especially after seeing hundreds of them in WWII era movies.

Anyway, wealthy I'm not and my gun "collection" is rather on the meager side. And most authentic war time P38s I've come across were out of my price range. At least those in decent condition. But I ran across this P1 and decided that it was just what my tax refund was intended for. What impressed me was the condition of the gun. It is almost spotless. Just the slightest traces of wear in a couple of spots. Mainly on the sharp edges of the aluminum frame. The only real defect is some scratches that are visible on top of the right grip. I've got a set of new grips on order for it, which will resolve that issue.

After I got the gun home, I took it down to give it a thorough cleaning, but found it was as clean inside as out. There is very little wear on the slide and barrel rails. Same goes for the bore. I ran a single swab through it and it looks virtually new. Extremely clean with very sharp rifling. Mechanically, the gun is perfect. The double action trigger is long and hard, as expected, but the single action trigger is nice and crisp. The gun was not advertised as new or unfired, simply used, but if its been fired more than a handful of times, I'd be surprised.

I was also pleased to note, when I was first looking at it, that it's a later model with the steel cross pin in the frame, behind the take down lever. I've read that some of the all aluminum frames without this reinforcing pin have a tendency to crack.

Being totally new to this, I'd like to ask what may be some stupid questions, but can someone explain some of the markings? I know the serial number, of course, which all the other parts match, by the way. As well as the 1/86 date on the slide. And I recognize the eagle which is stamped on the slide, frame and barrel, which signifies the Federal Republic. But what is the circle with the dot that appears on frame, slide and the barrel? And the "Bw" behind the circle on the frame. I also note a four pointed star on the slide and the takedown lever. And finally, there is a W11.93 stamped on the right side of the frame above the trigger. A date perhaps? Just curious what these all represent.

[Birdmann]

Nice one!
Go to the P1 Sticky for your answers.

[Fremmer]

Cool gun, it looks unfired to me, or very sparingly used/handled.

[Firemanjones]

Welcome to the forum.
It seems like 2012 is the year for P1's.Enjoy!

[Fremmer]

Is the finish blued or parkerized?

[Blade]

It's blued.

[Fremmer]

That's what I thought. So were blued and parkerized p1s made every year?

[Milspec]

I'm pretty sure it's been refinished. The circle-dot means it's been inspected by Walther to military/police quality control standards. The circle alone is a commercial inspection stamp. The Bw stamp means it was issued to the Bundeswehr or other federal organizations. The W.11.93 stamp is a rework date. The four pointed star means the part had a design change. These P1's were usually parkerized. The purple color of the slide stop, safety, and extractor makes me think it's a commercial reblue. It's a beautiful gun in any case...

[Blade]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, there are signs that it has been refinished. But whoever did it, did an excellent job. It is one nice looking gun. Oh, and there is one part on it that is out of place. The takedown lever is obviously parkerized.

[Blade]

Took it to the range today. Put 100 rds of Federal 115gr FMJ. through it. Shot as good as it looks. Fed and ejected flawlessly. The single action trigger is pretty decent for a mass produced gun. Barely detectable creep, with a crisp break at 5 1/2 lbs. And accuracy is more than acceptable. These targets were shot standing, offhand at 7 yards, 10 rounds each. The center oval is 2x3 inches.