The de-cocking lever may be used carefully, but itвЂ™s preferable to just lower the hammer gently while using the trigger. At this point, de-cock the hammer to allow the slide to be fully removed from the frame. Disengage the slide lock if necessary, and move the slide forward only to the point where it would normally rest.Swing the slide release located on the front left of the frame down and forward, noting how it aligns toВ allow the slide move forward and off the frame.Remove the magazine via the bottom magazine release, and open action to ensure that the firearm is unloaded.TheyвЂ™re well balanced, and even the aluminum framed P1 has very comfortable recoil. TheyвЂ™re still considered to be great shooters, and while not having the greatest DA trigger pull in the world, their SA trigger pull is extremely crisp, and has the shortest reset IвЂ™ve personally experienced. The top example is a wartime P38, and the bottom is a P1 produced in late 1968. As is visible, the grip design also changed from grooved to checkered. The major difference between the earlier P38 and the P1 variant is construction of the frame, which was switched to Aluminum in the P1. These were produced until 1963, when an updated design was adopted, referred to as the P1, which was finally phased out completely in 2004, replaced by the Walther P8/USP. 17 years passed before the Bundeswehr announced that they would be adopting the P38 as their service pistol, and in June of 1957 production of the P38 recommenced. The original wartime P38s were produced from 1938 to warвЂ™s end in 1945. More on that later.Д¬hambered in 9mm Luger similar to their previously used P08 Luger, this was a more powerful handgun than the other Walther issued to the Wehrmacht, the PP/PPK. This is also theВ earliest handgun IвЂ™m aware of which includes a Loaded Chamber Indicator (in this case, above theВ hammer). First produced in 1939 by Walther Arms to serve as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht, the P38В is a first-of-itвЂ™s-kindВ locked-breech semi-automatic pistol with a DA/SA trigger. Lets move on last weekвЂ™s post in France to wartime Germany where weвЂ™ll be getting intimate with the Walther P38, and itвЂ™s post-war relative, the P1.

Walther p1