Why that no-good dirty skunk! How DARE he?!?! Oh well indeed! Truth be told Imaoldfart, you'll be just fine with your P5 when it comes home and falls into your trembling hands. The differences are minimal between the two pistols - you only lose a few grams of weight and the slide is mere millimeters shorter with the Compact. In fact, some folks (myself included) prefer the fluted appearance of the P5's slide vs. the Compact's flat lines.
You are getting a real treasure in the mail soon. Just be glad you live somewhere this is possible - you can FORGET such niceties in Mass-Akistan. Start snooping around for P5 magazines though... they are rare birds but obtainable. I got lucky (hee hee) in the WTB section of the Trading Post page about a year ago where I found a guy willing to sell me four P5 magazines for $150. Talk about a score... two of them turned out to be the new-in-package P5/P5 Compact magazines you've seen! If all else fails (or if you don't want to get your pants pulled down over the price), there are other means.
The more thought I give to this idea (P.38/P5 to P5 Compact magazine conversion), the more I'm struck by how similar the catch notch is to that in PP-series magazines. So I popped the magazine out of my PPK and laid it next to a P5C mag and took a few pictures... they are very similar - observe:
If anything, the notch on the P5 Compact magazine is a tiny bit larger but I can't tell for sure without being at the shop where my instruments are. I have never taken the magazine catch out of my PPK before so I don't know for certain what the part looks like or its engagement design... I don't suppose anyone here happens to have one lying around they'd like to take a picture of for science? I won't even ask about a P5 Compact catch!
Yes, the notch in the PPK and P5C are VERY similar.....and my thinking on that is, if something works, why reinvent the wheel. And I agree the P5 notch looks to be slightly larger than the PPK. Since my deal on a P5C fell thru, I've been wondering if I might be able to order a P5C catch from Earl. And, that would be nice, however to really test out the modified magazine a complete P5C would be needed.
Do you still have the offer of 4:1 on the P-38 to P5 Mag conversions? I'm in no hurry though if you are busy with other project (plus I have to order some more p-38/p-1 mags).
That O-Ring idea (from MGMike) was brilliant. That sort of inspires me to get together with a friend and see if we can design something a little less "mushy" so there would be no worries about an accidental push upward too far of the feed lips. I was thinking it would be something that might be an interesting first project for 3-D Printing as we have the devices available in a couple of local "Maker-Spaces". All would depend on the durability of the materials used in the printing but it would be a way to get a custom made spacer to exact specs.
Or someone here could beat me to this as we are a bit busy this time with other things.
Do you still have the offer of 4:1 on the P-38 to P5 Mag conversions? I'm in no hurry though if you are busy with other project (plus I have to order some more p-38/p-1 mags).
Last weekend I helped a fellow forum member with a couple of P.38/P5 magazine conversions, and while I was at it I recorded a new video. I've made a few changes to the process by incorporating a few things I've learned along the way. I think I've pretty much perfected the modification now:
Guys, I'm not sure how to say this so I'll just up and put it out there... it looks like my uncle is going to be losing his shop. He hasn't been getting the business he used to with the ongoing recession and the fact that a lot of his former clients are now getting their goods from China. This is terrible, and doubly so because if he does end up going belly up, that means I'll no longer have access to the machine necessary to do the P.38 - P5 magazine conversions. In order to satisfy his creditors, he'll have to sell everything for pennies on the dollar.
Tragic. He's been in business for over 35 years making specialized metal lamp shades, electrical parts and other spun metal objects for a variety of companies. Now that everything is made in China, his phone has rang a lot less over the past few years and has been hovering on the brink of bankruptcy for a long time. Apparently he pulled everyone aside this morning told them he cannot make payroll or the mortgage on the building this month, owes huge back taxes and the gas company is about to shut the valve off - it costs him almost $1,500/month to heat the building just enough to keep the pipes from freezing.
I'll know more as time goes on, and will keep you guys in the loop. But I've been seeing the writing on the wall for a while now... and I was advised by my Dad to start getting my stuff out of the building this weekend because he's going to be clearing it out soon. Without the Bridgeport, I will not be able to do the conversion anymore; I'm heartbroken about the whole situation. Who know, maybe I'll see if I can buy the machine from him depending on what offers he gets but I have no idea where I could put it... and worse, it weighs at least 900 kg (~2,000 pounds) and would need a fork truck to move it (which I don't have). I'll update as I find out more but as of this writing, I am very disappointed.
Steve: The situation is critical but not necessarily fatal. He needs to hire a lawyer who specializes in bankruptcies. He may be able to salvage his business.
Damn Steve... really sorry to hear that.
No one is safe these days and change is inevitable. There are options, just gotta be open to them.
Thanks for taking care of my mags... timing is everything man!
I was going to bother you about a hare-brained idea I'd had about modifying other 32acp mags to fit colt 1903s much like you added a higher catch hole to P.1/P.38 mags.
I don't think my Dremel press will get the precision it'd need, if the shop remains open, I'd love to kick the idea around, but until that's sorted out, no need to prioritize it.
Yeah we'd better hold off for now on that idea, Bigfatdave. In fact, it's time for an update...
Yeah, it looks like the business is going under. Last week my uncle went through the building and collected tons of scrap metal and old chucks for the metal weight. He should be able to pay the mortgage for another month or two but after that, the talk around the campfire is of the building going up for sale before the bank forecloses.
I am very saddened to report it looks like I won't be able to do this modification for you guys anymore. Not until I can figure out another way to do the conversion without the vertical milling machine. I have the tooling and the fixture I made, but how to make the slot accurately without the machine will prove challenging to say the least.
It isn't much consolation, I'm sure, but it is better to have some notice. It surely beats showing up to a locked door and having the last paycheck bounce.
Well, I have some pretty decent news regarding the continued existence of my uncle's business, and thereby my access to the milling machine necessary for me to convert P.38 magazines to P5 functionality. It's basically just him there now, bare bones but somehow still alive. Who knows... maybe he'll pull through these lousy economic conditions after all. Anyway, I can use the vertical milling machine whenever he's in the building, which would be during the week (and when I'm working). Still, this doesn't mean I can't take a day off now and then, and if I had enough folks wanting magazines converted... well, I'm still operational after all!
Great to hear your uncle's business is still kickin' and you still have access to the milling machine. If I were closer, the chocolate malts would be on me.
That is good news, hope he can pull through and get back to full operation.
Now I'll have to resume my search for mags I could pervert into colt1903 magazines. Or at least try stuffing a walther pp mag in there and see what happens.
That is good news, hope he can pull through and get back to full operation.
Now I'll have to resume my search for mags I could pervert into colt1903 magazines. Or at least try stuffing a walther pp mag in there and see what happens.
Don't bother. It's about 8mm too short, won't feed.
Some chud sold me a 1903 on gunbroker with a mag that wouldn't feed. It was an actual Colt 1903 mag but when I looked at it closer, the baseplate had obviously been cut off and reattached. There was also a peculiar, crude 'D' cut in the body. I got out my .32 PP and tried it and it fit and fed with no problem.
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