Walther P 38

[Blue Duck]

I always wanted one and I finally got one last week.  I like it.  Fits my hand like a glove, shoots good and I love the trigger pull.   Only problem is it shoots about 4 inches left at 25 feet.   Are the rear sights totally fixed or can they be tapped over to the side?  Thougt I better ask befor I go tapping..... 

[drdougrx]

Congrats with your P38!   Had one for years and it turned out to be a safe queen so I sold it....stupid move....you can drift the site but not by much.

[Mikey]

Blueduck:  drdougrx is right - they can be moved but not by very much at all, in fact, I would not even try as the loaded chamber indicator is involved and you don't want to mess that up. 
 
The front sight is drift adjustable but are you sure she hits that far left at that short a distance?  I know the P38s do not have the best trigger pull or let offs and my 1968 made P38 will shoot a inch or two to the left at 25m but if I do my part I can nail the bull regularly.
 
Also, if you are interested, I found a fellow in Pennsylvania who makes barrels for the P38.  He can line your 9mm barrel for the 7.65mm Luger or make you up a new 9mm or 7.65mm Luger barrel; he can make it to mil-spec length or to a custom length, including a longer barrel or a short barrel like the SS P38s had.  He is making me a 7.65mm barrel for my P38. 

[drdougrx]

New barrel! No kidd'n.....who would thunk!  I'v been hanker'n for a P38k for years....possibility!

[Mikey]

Hey Doug:  You're right, who woulda thunk but I found him on the net while searching for P38 parts.  I was looking to make a dedicated upper in 7.65 for my 1966 made P38 and ran across this fella.  I also found a place to purchase used P38/P1 parts and slides and found a complete slide, with one blemish, for $70 (now gimme a break here..when you check out the shotgun Blues you might find one for a couple of hundred but this was too good, so I got one).  I'm waiting for the barrel now but I already have the ammo loaded and new brass and bullets to play with, so I be happy for the moment.....
 
Howzya been?

[drdougrx]

Flat out busy!  Schools starting and we're going great guns!!!  Gett'n ready fot TX next month.
BTW...sorry to hijack the thread...Mikey and I are good buds!

[Blue Duck]

Thanks for the tips. I appreciate it.

[Mikey]

Doug:  Texas??  Are you going down by where the Land_Owner is to help bag some of those feral hogs?  Had a article in the local news-rag the other day about the (dreaded, feared, but not yet happened) horrible onslaught of wild boar in central new sqwawk but the writer kept going back and forth between the 'dreaded wild boar' and the 'local feral pig' as though they were one and the same.  There is even a move afoot to ban canned hunts in ny just to reduce the possibility of a feral hog population problem.  I think I need to go huntin' again.......

[williamlayton]

TEXAS, by GOD land owners have always suplimented their meager oil, gas, cattle incomes with leased land for hunting.
Only within the last few years has it really reached the stage of canned hunts---and there are suprisingly few of them.
Most of those were originally done in the form of sales---looking for business, influencing legislators or local politicians or a perk for those you did business with.
See---I can highjack a thread also  .
Blessings

[Dand]

Blue, with apologies, I have my dad's P38 he liberated in WW2. Haven't shot it much, but wonder if there's a source for spare springs? Seems like it might be nice to have  a back up spring kit given the age of the originals.  Its been so long since I fired it I have no clue where it shoots.  Wonder if I should be shooting current ammo in it or not?  Seems like my dad complained it was hard to be accurate with this gun.

[rawhidekid]

Many if not all parts should be available from Numrich Arms, (Gun Parts).  They have a catalog online.

[Mikey]

Dand:  there are lots of repair and replacement parts available for the P38 from Numrich, AMCO or SARCO.  One of them sells a kit with a bunch of stuff in it, including springs.  Also though, if you search for Walther P38 parts you will get a tremendous amount of information from sites other than these three and parts seem to be much more readily available, and cheaper.
 
Current ammo - if by that you mean +P or +P+. the answer is NO.  The Luger P08, the Walther P38 and the Mauser C96 in 9mm were all designed to run on 124/5 gn ball ammo at 1100'/sec or a hair less, period.  I like my Walther but I like my hands, face and eyes even more.  Fourty yeras ago when those pistols were only 20 years old it was ok to run some hot reloads through them but now that those same pistols are nearing 70 years old I would opt for original mil-spec ammo, which was hot enough to knock GIs off their feet during WWII.
 
As for accuracy - most of them would shoot 3-4" at 25m but you can easily do better with practice.  Every dogone time I take pm P38 out I have to refamiliarize myself with the trigger before I can put them into the bull.  One thing any P38 could really use is a trigger stop like we have on target 1911 triggers, it would sure take up a whole bunch of overtravel after let-off.   

[Dand]

Thanks for the info guys!  I'll look into a parts kit.  I have another older, not so common gun and I like to have back up for them.  I have no intention of shooting hot loads in the gun - "normal" 9mm is usually hot enough.  Good to know what the best care is.  I don't like the balance of the P38 compared to other guns - it seems too light in the barrel, and easy to waver around.  But, I'll have to get it out. The boys have asked to shoot a 9mm.  I have the Walther and a Taurus knock-off of the Beretta 92.

[mcwoodduck]

I think you can tap the front sight left  easier than moving the rear sight.  I remember having to file about 1/8 of an inch off the top of the front sight on my P-1 (Al framed post war p-38)  to make it hit where I wanted after hundreds of rounds of practice.

[rawhidekid]

Ive known many a shooter that claim the Tuarus to be more accurate than the Berreta.  That has been my experiance also.  I have read many complaints about the Tuarus reliability but none on that particular model.    I've had a P-38 from WWII that was an excelent shooter, unfortunetly I sold it after I got married in 72 to get rent money.  Just a two striper in the Air Force then.

[Dand]

Blue Duck, thanks for the post.  It spurred me to get out my 9's last weekend and shoot them a bit.  My boys have been after me to do so for a while anyway. I have to say, I was surprised that the P38 trigger is a lot nicer than either my Taurus  or my Walther P99.  And it balanced better than I remember.  I didn't hit so well with it - but we had a good time.  My loads were so light the cases were barely coming out of the gun and the bullets were 115 gr. I might have to take it out more often with a little faster load.  Better get that spare spring kit just in case.  I forgot how nice it is that the P38 keeps its springs with the frame when removing the barrel and slide - a bit easier to clean and reassemble. Sure don't enjoy filling those bitty cases tho - but they are economical on powder.

[Blue Duck]

Glad this topic has had the interest that has been shown.  Thanks for the input to all.  Some mentioned a poor trigger pull.  Mine is smothe and crisp.  Overall I like it.  It really fits my hand.  Even the sights hitting left wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't have several pistols that I shoot pretty often.  I hate going from one to another an having to remember a different hold.  But thats life.  Thanks for the chatter....