the walther p38/p1 is a pretty good pistol

[Fremmer]

Took the p38 (a p1 earlier verson that is marked p38), and had a great time shooting it. Once I got dialed in on the single action pull, I was shooting pretty well with it. Scored a couple of bullseyes and had fun. It was 100% reliable. It has a terribly stiff and heavy double action pull, and the front blade isn't the easiest to pick up, but it'll shoot accurately if I do my part, and its a pretty good deal for a less expensive gun.

It is a fun, reliable and interesting pistol!

 

[jyo]

Surprisingly enough, every P38/P1/P4 I've shot was accurite and reliable with FMJ ammo---didn't try any JHPs. I currently have a commerical P5 I bought brand new in the mid-80s---a very fine pistol with a much better, smoother trigger pull. Oh, and the P5 feeds hollow points.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Haven't fired a true WWII P-38 in awhile, but all the P1's and P4 I have shot have also performed as reviewed above, and also DID function well with modern JHP ammo, particularly that loaded with Speer or Remington Gold Dot bullets. Except for being on the bulky side, they would make fine defensive pistols or trail guns. Some have trigger actions better than others in DA, but all seemed to have nice single action pulls.

 

[DurangoKid]

I have a WWII P-38 in very good condition. The P-38 will feed anything you can load in the mag. I also have a P-1 marked 1981 with 3 dot sights. The P-1 is the best Walther P-38 design I have ever shot. My question is, does anyone make a civilian holster for a P-38? I would like to have a quality holster not a rag type.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Dad's bring back. I'm "not bad" with it in single action, DA not so much.

 

[Shear_stress]

Except for being on the bulky side, they would make fine defensive pistols or trail guns. Some have trigger actions better than others in DA, but all seemed to have nice single action pulls.

My experience as well. I have a P1 I use as a plinker, and its trigger pull in single action trigger is very nice. Double action is on a par with most other DA/SA service pistols and actually better than the closely related P5 I have. Quality is excellent, as has been reliability with cheap 115grain FMJs (I've never tried anything else in that pistol.) Overall, a very pleasant pistol to shoot. Still a good value too, especially when you consider that civilian-market P38/P1s retailed for $750 in 1982.

 

[Fremmer]

Mine doesn't care for winchester white box (but it was still absolutely reliable with it), but it was fairly accurate with pmc 115 gr and american eagle 124 gr fmj. I haven't tried any jhp through it yet.

And 76, you're not the only one who doesn't do so hot with the double action trigger pull, I'll bet mine is at least 12 pounds, or at least it sure feels that heavy, with some felt stacking . The single action pull has a little creep but breaks fairly clean.

My gun is marked as a p38 but has an aluminum frame, so I guess it is a p38-marked p1.

 

[Fremmer]

I hate to modify an older gun, but I'm thinking about adding some white paint to the front sight. Would that affect the finish if it were to be removed later?

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

Range Report of P38

http://www.dayattherange.com/?p=1684

 

[Fishbed77]

I hate to modify an older gun, but I'm thinking about adding some white paint to the front sight. Would that affect the finish if it were to be removed later?

Just use some White-Out or fingernail polish. It will stay on very well, and when you want to remove it, just use a little Hoppe's #9 solvent to take it right off without harming the gun's finish.