Walther P1 hex bolt installation

Not being a gunsmith I would be too nervous to try to put in a hex bolt myself. Here are two pictures of the hex bolt in mine. Might just be best to purchase a later model that has the bolt.

Deserthunter said:

Can a hex bolt be installed on a Walther P1 without one? If so, is it a difficult task?

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Correct if I'm wrong but if I remember well P1 without the hex bolt usually have the thin slide which is (in)famous to possible crack. I would be more concerned about the slide than the lack of the hex bolt.
The P1 posted by MySuomi has both the hex bolt and the fat slide.

I have found an italian forum where someone speaks about the hex bolt retrofit that started after 1977 and stopped when the HK P8 appeared. Retrofitted P1 frames has the date of retrofit stamped after the serial number.: https://armigranbellapassione.forumcommunity.net/m/?t=33157676
So apparently it can be done.
Do you have the hex bolt in your hand just to see how it is made? Can you post a pic?

Is it even worth trying to do it? You risk wrecking the gun, and, unless you just want to try and do it, which is fine, but why?

The P1's, while going up, are still pretty cheap (compared to a P38 anyway) and later guns are available. Seems like the easiest thing wuld be to trade or sell off the one you have and et one with the hex bolt.

I picked up two P1's when they first started coming in, and they were still cheap. One had the pin, the other was early, and not. I kept the later gun and traded the earlier gun off.

The gun I got rid of, actually had a P38 marked slide on it. Both guns were in good shape and shooting them wasnt a problem. I really didnt shoot either a whole lot, and I still only shoot the one I kept three or four times a year now. I kind of doubt, that the one without the pin would have been a problem.

How much do you plan on shooting the one you have?

Deserthunter said:

Thanks for info 5-Shots. I don't have a hex bolt. Walther began installing the wider slides on P1s in Nov. 1967, and began installing the hex bolt in June 1975, as best as I can determine. The hex bolts were added not to prevent slide cracking but to provide a harder point for the locking bolt aimed at reducing wear on the aluminium frame, so I understand. The wider slide is a more important installation than a hex bolt, but I don't know if a hex bolt can even be installed. I would like to have a hex bolt added to my P1, but I simply do not know if that can be done by a gunsmith. That's what I am trying to find out.

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Absolutely correct: the steel bolt was installed to reduce wear. Seems to be a retrofit, so when they saw eccessive wear on a old aluminium frame they installed the bolt and stamped the date of modification after the serial number. The cross symbol was putted on the fat slide (means reinforced part) and the circle with the dot in the center means approved pistol, control passed (both symbols can be seen on the P1 posted by MySuomi which was probably produced new that way in June 1983 and so it is not a retrofitted pistol).
So you have a no hex bolt P1 with the thin slide, right? In this case l would simply try to find an "improved" P1 for range use.

Deserthunter

Found one at gunpartscorp.com for $10.25. They call it a Frame Reinforcement Lug and it's for the P1. Don't know how you would go about making the whole in the frame but if you decide to try this let us know how it turns out.

For myself I like my Manurhin P1 just as it is and if I had to have one with the lug, I would go looking for a later P1 or maybe even a P4!

I see no point to a retrofit of a P1. How many thousands of rounds are you planning to run through that pistol?
Either sell it and acquire one with the hex bolt and heavy slide , or shoot the one you have - the odds being in your favor.

I would go the second route. I shot my P1 for several years , at least 1,000 rounds , then sold it in very good condition. I think the hex bolt is ugly anyway.

Gather some stats on P1 failures ; I think you'll find that the likelihood of failure is low.

I wouldn't do it. For one, from a collector's perspective, modifying the gun after the face severely impacts the value. If it was originally done in country that's fine, but an aftermarket user doing the same thing is viewed as a detraction. Also while a (good) gunsmith could probably install it, you're going to end up paying at least $50 - probably closer to $100, for them to do such a modification. For them to do it right they'd need to mill that pattern into the frame which is more than just a simple hole drilled through. Rather than pay that much to lower the value of your gun, just sell it and buy one with the hex bolt already there if it concerns you.

The move to lighten the P1 pistol was done in an effort to improve market appeal for sales to military band law enforcement after WWII.

Think of the 3rd Gem S&W pistols being converted to alloy frames with shorter barrels and slides - same reason.
Did that make the 6906 somewhat lighter and easier to carry than the 5906? Yes.
Carry aside , did that make the 6906 a better firearm than the 5906 ? No , not in my opinion.

Want an affordable and good shooting P1 type pistol? Get yourself an unmatching P.38. All steel , and if you make a good selection , waffenamt marked. No hex , no need for one.

And here's what an RC non-matching P.38 looks like ---

Deserthunter

One thing you might want to do if you go the wartime P38 route is to have the gun gone over thoroughly by a qualified gunsmith. As the war dragged on into 1943 through 1945 and Allied bombing took it's toll on German factories, the quality of metals, improper heat treatment, and slave labor assembly affected the production of guns like the P38. Just make sure everything fits right (trigger assembly, safety, and locking block), and that all are functioning properly.