More Thoughts
Whenever owning and shooting a P-38 is in the offing, keep in mind that,
even though the pistol was adopted by the German military, it wasn't in
the same context and intended role as that of the Colt.
The 1911 was designed first and foremost to be a fighting pistol for the cavalry, and robust enough for hard the duty that the cavalry would require of it.. The German army had a different view of the Pistole' 38. Meant to be issued to officers as more of a symbol of rank than anything else...and a tool that COULD be used in a close-range emergency, but probably wouldn't have to. As such, the pistols were generally fired only enough for familiarization and rarely, if ever, shot for practice or recreation. Even then, a magazine or two would probably be about the limit. Think of it as a swagger stick that would go bang.
During WW2, the role of the pistol changed somewhat in the U.S. Army, and
had we dropped the 1911 in favor of another design, it's not likely that it
would have been as tough...nor as heavy as the 1911...and it probably
wouldn't have stood up to as much hard use, either.
The Walther P-38 is a fine pistol. Well-engineered and well made...but
it won't tolerate the heavy use and abuse that Old Bigmouth takes in stride.
Cheers!
Tuner