Walther pistols

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Walther logo
Drawing of the semi-automatic Walther P5

The Walther pistols are handguns made by the German gun manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH and are based on the developments of the son of company founder Carl Wilhelm Freund Walther (1858 to 1915), gunsmith Fritz Walther.

history

Model 1 to Model 9

As early as 1907, Fritz Walther, one of the company's five sons, succeeded in designing the first German pocket pistol in the 6.35 mm Browning caliber . In 1908 father Carl Walther and son Fritz Walther presented the pistol , the "Model 1", which was produced from the same year. From 1909 the "Model 2" went into production. In 1910 the “Model 3” and “Model 4” pistols followed. After Carl Walther's death in 1915, his son Fritz took over the management of the company, supported by his brothers Georg and Hans. In order to gain a foothold in the field of military weapons, Walther launched the "Model 6" in 9 × 19 mm caliber in 1915 , which, like the previous models, was a recoil loader with an unlocked ground lock with a strong locking spring. "Model 6" is structurally an enlarged "Model 4". The "Model 7" produced from 1917 largely corresponded to its predecessor models, but was designed as a pocket pistol for staff officers and was correspondingly smaller and again made in 6.35 mm caliber. The end of the First World War in 1918 gave Walther a forced break, which was used to come up with completely new designs in 1920. The result was "Model 8", which is considered to be the constructive 'forefather' of the later Walther PP. For Walther, the 6.35 mm caliber pistol bore its model designation for the first time on the slide milled from one piece . In 1921 the early model series of Walther pistols was continued with the "Model 9". This pocket pistol was the smallest model of the Walther pistol, it was manufactured until 1945.

Walther PP models

The Walther police pistol models "Walther PP" and the "Walther PPK" are considered to be the first usable pistols with a double-action trigger that worked without any problems . They were also simple, easy to handle, elegant and of very high quality. That is why the PP and PPK models became a proverbial worldwide success, not only as service weapons, but also with private weapon owners. Before, during and after the Second World War , the PP and PPK models were used as police and officer pistols in numerous countries (besides Germany ) . Because of the unsatisfactory terminal ballistic performance of the available calibres , the weapons called " Waltherchen " by German police authorities were removed from the German police service after 1972 . Many copies were sold cheaply to those entitled to purchase . Their compactness and reliability made the pistols a popular companion for hunters for trapping, catching and self-defense.

Walther PP

In 1929 Fritz Walther made a breakthrough in gun manufacture with the introduction of the Walther PP cocked trigger pistol (Walther Police Pistole). Until then, clamping trigger guns had not been able to establish themselves on the market due to the lack of reliability of their designs. The "Walther PP" was the pistol that revolutionized the construction of cocking trigger pistols. All cocking trigger pistols designed up to that point were considered obsolete after the introduction of the "Walther PP".

Walther PPK

After the great success of the Walther PP in many offices all over Europe, Walther launched the Walther PPK (Walther Police-Pistole-Criminal) in Zella-Mehlis in 1931. The abbreviation PPK is also incorrectly used for Police-Pistole-Kurz. On the other hand, it is correct that the PPK is a compact variant of the PP and, due to its somewhat smaller dimensions, is particularly suitable for concealed carrying in the service of the criminal police. The Walther PPK also achieved a high level of awareness through the James Bond novels and numerous James Bond films in which the protagonist used this weapon, but also other Walther models, as a service weapon.

Walther sport pistol 1932

In 1932, with the previous model of the Walther Olympia (1936), the achievements of German sport shooters were awarded a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The grip of the Walther sport pistol from 1932 still corresponded to the grip of the "Walther Model 6".

Walther Olympia

In 1936, sport shooters won five Olympic medals at the Olympic shooting ranges in Berlin-Wannsee, thanks to the excellent precision of the improved model from 1932. The Chinese company "China North Industries Corporation" has been producing a replica of the weapon, " Norinco TT Olympia", since the 1980s , but it was not able to establish itself on the market either as a sporting or as a utility weapon .

Walther Army Pistol (AP)

In 1935 Walther delivered a number of Walther army pistols to the German armed forces . The thoroughly modern design was a recoil loader with a barrel that slid back briefly, a swivel bolt lock and an internal cock. However, for safety reasons it could not prevail, so an improved model was commissioned, which later became the "Walther P38". Only a few of the Walther army pistols were made, the highest known serial number is "055". Pistols up to serial number "010" were provided with a longer barrel and stop stock.

Walther P38

In 1938, the Walther P38, fitted with the swivel bolt lock of the Walther army pistol, but with an external cock, was introduced to the German Wehrmacht. It was supposed to replace the pistol 08 as an orderly weapon, but this could no longer be fully carried out by the end of the war in 1945.

Walther P1

Walther P1

After the Second World War, from 1957, the Walther P38 was reintroduced as an orderly weapon for the German armed forces, under the designation P1 . In contrast to the old Walther P38, the P1 has a light metal handle and marginal changes to the firing pin and the safety. The P1 was used by the German Armed Forces until at least the early 2000s.

Walther P4

The "Walther P4" is a less well-known variant of the "Walther P1" designed for the police force, with an aluminum grip and a shortened barrel. Initially, components from the “Walther P38” were used; these pistols are marked as “Walther P38 IV”. Another little-known variant is the "Walther P38K", which is less of a variant of the P38 and more of the P4. The "Walther P38K" has a greatly shortened barrel and carries the front sight on the slide (slide). A similar model was made for the Gestapo during the Second World War .

Walther GSP / OSP

Walther GSP

As early as 1961, Walther designed the Walther OSP for the "Olympic rapid fire pistol" discipline. The Walther GSP sports pistol (utility standard pistol) followed in 1968. In contrast to the Walther OSP, which is a specialized weapon for only one discipline, the Walther GSP has a modular structure, which allows individual caliber, trigger and grip variants and makes the sport pistol usable for different disciplines. The use of all sporting rules is the same for both weapons, starting with the construction of the weapons. The last variant of the Walther GSP is the GSP Expert.

Walther TP

The Walther TP model (pocket pistol) was created in 1962. The weapon has an internal tap, which should make it easier to guide it in and out of your pocket.

Walther TPH

Walther TPH

In 1968 Walther revised the concept of the pocket pistol. The result was the Walther TPH (Hahn pocket pistol), which is technically a scaled-down version of the Walther PP, but differs in appearance; the magazine release button at the lower end of the grip also contributes to this.

Walther PPK / S

Since 1968 the sub-variant of the Walther PPK, the PPK / S, has been manufactured in different versions, including a stainless steel variant. The Walther PPK / S essentially consists of the short barrel and breech of the Walther PPK and the large grip of the Walther PP.

Walther PP Super

Walther PP Super

From 1973, the heavily modified sub-variant of the Walther PP, the Walther PP Super, was built in the 9 × 18 mm Police caliber , which took over the technical features of the Walther P5 . Production stopped around 1979.

Walther PPK / E

Another sub-variant of the Walther PPK is the PPK / E, a revised version that has been adapted to modern and cheaper production techniques.

Walther P5

Walther P5

In the mid-1970s, various German police stations asked for a stronger service weapon in the 9 × 19 mm caliber. Walther met this need with the Walther P5 , which was built in three different calibers and three versions as the Walter P5, P5L (long) and P5 Compact. In Germany, the Walther P5 was largely unsuccessful, but abroad the weapon was able to convince some police authorities and military units.

Walther P88

Walther P88

In 1986/1987 Walther began marketing the Walther P88 , a modern pistol again for police and military service. In contrast to many of their predecessor models, the swing bolt lock was dispensed with in favor of the Browning-Petter SIG system. The model designation “88” was chosen because of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the P38 model. The Walter P88 was later modified to the model variants P88 Compact and P88 Competition.

Walther P99

Walther P99

The consistent further development of the P88 is the Walther P99 , which has been produced since 1996. During development, special attention was paid to the refined requirements of the purposes of police and military services and variants with different trigger systems and characteristics were developed.

Walther P22 target

Walther P22

In 2001 the Walther P22 , based on the Walther P99, was presented. The small caliber pistol looks like the Walther P99, only in smaller dimensions. The weapon is produced in different versions and designs, including with a silencer.

Walther SSP

In 2005 the Walther SSP was presented. This sport pistol for the three disciplines sport pistol, standard pistol and Olympic rapid-fire pistol does not represent a further development of the Walther GSP and OSP, but is a completely new design under a new concept, but with all the experience from the previous models and the known virtues of the Walther sport pistols in relation to Construction, precision, innovation and workmanship.

Walther PPS

Walther PPS

The Walther PPS presented in 2007 is the worthy successor of the Walther PPK according to Walther's ideas. PPS stands for Narrow Police Gun. The weapon has almost the same dimensions as the Walther PPK, but with the use of the 9 × 19 mm and .40 S&W calibers, a significantly higher performance than its famous predecessor is achieved.

Walther SP22

Walther SP22

The Walther SP22 , presented in 2007, is a simple sport pistol for young shooters , which is suitable for different disciplines thanks to its modular structure. This weapon certainly does not come close to the capabilities of a Walther SSP, but it can offer a good introduction to sporty shooting. In the USA this weapon falls under the “plinking pistols”, ie small caliber pistols for canning.

Walther CCP

In March 2014 Carl Walther GmbH introduced the Walther CCP , or Concealed Carry Pistol (German: pistol to be carried concealed). The CCP has a magazine capacity of 8 rounds and a caliber of 9 × 19 mm.

Walther Creed

In 2017, Carl Walther GmbH presented the Walther Creed as the successor to the Walther PPX. The Walter Creed is a polymer pistol in caliber 9 × 19 mm. It uses a spurless tap and interlocks with the Browning-Petter SIG system. The magazine capacity is 16 rounds.

Flare and signal pistols

Based on a patent (Reichspatent No. 506011) from Fritz Walther from 1926, Walther manufactured a series of flare and signal pistols for civil and, according to special specifications, military use.

Perfecta

Carl Walther was known for promoting innovative ideas from his employees, so Walther also manufactured a blank / gas pistol developed by Walter Riem in 1937 with the name Perfecta.

Walther air pistols

In addition to the Walther pistols, Walther also produces high-quality match air pistols , which can be used e.g. For example , we can measure internationally with the products of Feinwerkbau , Gehmann, Morini, Röhm or Steyr .

Walther training pistol

The "Walther P99 RAM", "RAM" stands for "Real Action Marker", is manufactured for training purposes for the police and the military. The pistol is also used by civil organizations for weapon training. The advantage of this pistol is the realistic training and conditions of only light protective clothing, since the pistol in caliber .43 (11 mm) only conveys a moderate risk potential. In addition, there is no annoying noise from target practice with live ammunition.

production

The company founded by Carl Walther in Zella St. Blasii in 1858 initially produced rifles for target shooting and Carl Walther was already involved in the development of self-loading pistols, production of which began in 1908.

There have been different production facilities for Walther pistols in the course of the company's history. In the early years Zella-Mehlis was produced. In 1918 production ceased as a result of the First World War and resumed in 1920, after only an 18-month break, under the supervision of the League of Nations. A brisk production activity developed in the Thuringian factory, until 1936 one million pistols were manufactured by Walther.

During the Second World War, Walther pistols had to be manufactured by other German manufacturers due to the high demand. Hundreds of forced laborers had to work in the main factory. The Walther factory produced around 1.5 million weapons up to 1945 , including in the Neuengamme concentration camp in Hamburg and near Wasungen.

Because of the regimentation of arms production in Germany after the Second World War by the victorious powers, Walther was forced to stop the production of "Walther Olympia" pistols by the Swiss company Hämmerli and the production of the "Walther PP" and the "Walther PPK" by the French company Manurhin (Manufacture du Machines du Haut-Rhin) in Mulhouse under license. From August 1945 the pistol 1001 was manufactured in Zella-Mehlis from stored pistol parts from Walther production. This production was later continued in Suhl, but it was no longer a Walther product. From 1953, after the re-establishment of the "Carl Walther Waffenfabrik" in Ulm, Walther was able to resume production for a few decades and manufacture the first parts of the PP and PPK models in Ulm. In the meantime, however, production has stopped again.

In 1993 90% of the Walther shares were sold to the company "PW Interarms GmbH & Co. KG", Dortmund, a subsidiary of the company " UMAREX Sportwaffen GmbH & Co. KG", which belongs to the "UMAREX Corporate Group".

In the meantime, for example, the pistols PPK, PPK / S and SP22, because they were mainly designed for the US market, were manufactured in the USA under the name “Walther America” and until 2013 by the company “Smith & Wesson”. The "Walther PPK / E" was manufactured by Fégarmy in Hungary.

literature

  • Dieter Marschall: Walther Defense Pistols, Model 1 to P99. Journal, 1999, ISBN 3-936632-11-1 .
  • James Rankin, Christian Reinhart: Walther pistols 1908 to 1983. Motorbuch, 1995, ISBN 3-7276-7054-1 .
  • David Schiller, Andreas Skrobanek: Zella-Mehlis, Ulm and the rest of the world. In: Visier 1/2006, ISSN  0933-4491

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ carlwalther.com
  2. ↑ a b c PPK - 007's favorite weapon ( Memento from October 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ Walther PP / PPK on WaffenHQ.de
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Maxim Popenker: Walther PP & PPK. In: Modern Firearms. modernfirearms.net, accessed April 10, 2020 .
  5. ↑ adamsguns.com
  6. ↑ a b Walther P 38 on WaffenHQ.de
  7. ↑ littlegun.be ( Memento from February 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ littlegun.be ( Memento from February 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ carl-walther.de
  10. ↑ walther-pps.de ( Memento from January 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ^ Carl Walther sport weapons: Walther CCP. carl-walther.de, 2014, accessed on October 8, 2014 .
  12. ↑ All4shooters.com: WALTHER Creed pistol in 9 mm caliber
  13. ↑ http://www.zella-mehlis-geschichte.de/?Willkommen/Geschichte-der-oertlichen-Waffenproduktion/Carl-Walther-Waffenfabrik

Web links

Commons : Walther Pistols  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files