Info on Walther P5?
- Thread starter .357SIG
- Start date
I have one and love it 
Beautiful piece, Well made. Bought mine NIB from Earl's in Mass. Have not fired it yet but I understand from people here that they are good shooters and very accurate. I have no regrets with the purchase. 
Hope this helps
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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
Beautiful piece, Well made. Bought mine NIB from Earl's in Mass. Have not fired it yet but I understand from people here that they are good shooters and very accurate. I have no regrets with the purchase. Hope this helps
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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
I had a post about a week ago asking what kind of gun Trevett uses in Walker, Texas Ranger. I thought it was a P5, but I wasn't sure. Everyone else seemed to agree with me.
Anyway, I have 2 Walthers (a P99 and a PPK). Both good guns. Never shot a P5, but don't think it would be any different.
Anyway, I have 2 Walthers (a P99 and a PPK). Both good guns. Never shot a P5, but don't think it would be any different.
parabellum
New member
branrot--The pistol you see in Walker, Texas Ranger is a P5 Compact.
357SIG--During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, Palestinian terrorists took hostage members of the Israeli wrestling team. The outcome was not good. Several hostages, or all( I can't recall ) were killed, as were most of the terrorists. As a result of this tragedy, the West German police set out to improve their weaponry, including their handguns. There were a series of tests that became known as the West German Police Pistol Trials.
At the time, the police were carrying Walther PP and PPk in .32 ACP. I believe Walther's first submissions to the trials in 1974 were the PP Super, chambered in 9x18 "police", and the P4, in 9mm.
Both these pistols were adopted by various West German police agencies. I think the P4( a slightly improved and strengthened P38 ) was adopted by the Border Police.
In the second round of trials in 1978, Walther submitted the P5, a further evolution of the P38/P4 design. Sig-Sauer and Heckler&Koch also sumbitted pistols. All three guns turned out to be such good pistols that they were all declared winners. It was decided to let individual agencies choose which of the three they adopted. The Sig-Sauer entry was adopted as the P6. This is the excellent and underrated Sig 225. The Heckler&Koch entry was adopted as the P7, a pistol that has developed, and IMO deserves, a cult following.
All three of these pistols are 8 shot 9mms.
The "doohickeys" on the side of the P5 are a takedown lever, and a combination decocker/slide release lever. The pistol was produced from '78 to '98.
The P5C that you see in Walker, Texas Ranger was produced by Walther in response to requests for a more compact version of this fine handgun. They were successful to a degree, but there's not much that can be done to the width of the slide, since the P5 series utilizes the falling block locking design of the P38. P5C production began in '88 or '89, and is still being produced, although the numbers imported into this country have been quite small. The P5C is something special, and I wouldn't part with mine for 3 times what I paid for it.
I hope this helps. If I've posted any incorrect info, please feel free to correct me, as this was done from memory.
357SIG--During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, Palestinian terrorists took hostage members of the Israeli wrestling team. The outcome was not good. Several hostages, or all( I can't recall ) were killed, as were most of the terrorists. As a result of this tragedy, the West German police set out to improve their weaponry, including their handguns. There were a series of tests that became known as the West German Police Pistol Trials.
At the time, the police were carrying Walther PP and PPk in .32 ACP. I believe Walther's first submissions to the trials in 1974 were the PP Super, chambered in 9x18 "police", and the P4, in 9mm.
Both these pistols were adopted by various West German police agencies. I think the P4( a slightly improved and strengthened P38 ) was adopted by the Border Police.
In the second round of trials in 1978, Walther submitted the P5, a further evolution of the P38/P4 design. Sig-Sauer and Heckler&Koch also sumbitted pistols. All three guns turned out to be such good pistols that they were all declared winners. It was decided to let individual agencies choose which of the three they adopted. The Sig-Sauer entry was adopted as the P6. This is the excellent and underrated Sig 225. The Heckler&Koch entry was adopted as the P7, a pistol that has developed, and IMO deserves, a cult following.
All three of these pistols are 8 shot 9mms.
The "doohickeys" on the side of the P5 are a takedown lever, and a combination decocker/slide release lever. The pistol was produced from '78 to '98.
The P5C that you see in Walker, Texas Ranger was produced by Walther in response to requests for a more compact version of this fine handgun. They were successful to a degree, but there's not much that can be done to the width of the slide, since the P5 series utilizes the falling block locking design of the P38. P5C production began in '88 or '89, and is still being produced, although the numbers imported into this country have been quite small. The P5C is something special, and I wouldn't part with mine for 3 times what I paid for it.
I hope this helps. If I've posted any incorrect info, please feel free to correct me, as this was done from memory.
Jody Hudson
New member
The P5Compact is wonderfully accurate, dependable, flat, small, and in all ways wonderful. I found mine to do best (accuracy) with smg ammo of all things!!! And, the "Police Only" Nyclad ammo.
My P5 was not nearly so accurate and of cours quite large and heavy.
I have little use these days for MOST Walther pistols; the PP series always were undependable and inaccurate although I tried for years to find that one in a thousand that was a good one. I still love my TPHs and my S&W Model 41 which is of course a Walther in fact.
My strong opinion; get the P5 Compac instead of the full size P5.
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Talk is cheap; Free Speech is NOT.
My P5 was not nearly so accurate and of cours quite large and heavy.
I have little use these days for MOST Walther pistols; the PP series always were undependable and inaccurate although I tried for years to find that one in a thousand that was a good one. I still love my TPHs and my S&W Model 41 which is of course a Walther in fact.
My strong opinion; get the P5 Compac instead of the full size P5.
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Talk is cheap; Free Speech is NOT.
I own a P5c but have also shot the P5. Both are tack-drivers. Go here to see some more information on these pistols - http://geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/2188/index.html
I would also recommend the P5 Compact over the P5. The P5C has a bobbed hammer, slightly shorter barrel, slimmer grip and the American style push-button mag release. If you get the chance to field strip either one of these pistols you'll see some of the most expensive machineing on a gun you've ever seen.
I also would not part with my P5c for 3x the money, partly because it's my wife's CCW gun and she'd kill me...
CMOS
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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!
The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
I would also recommend the P5 Compact over the P5. The P5C has a bobbed hammer, slightly shorter barrel, slimmer grip and the American style push-button mag release. If you get the chance to field strip either one of these pistols you'll see some of the most expensive machineing on a gun you've ever seen.
I also would not part with my P5c for 3x the money, partly because it's my wife's CCW gun and she'd kill me...
CMOS
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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!
The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
In the 80s there was an incident where a German officer dropped his loaded P5 on a hard floor, and the gun discharged killing another officer. For a period of time, officers were not allowed to carry with a round chambered. Factory was involved in checking all guns.
I fired them quite a bit in what passed for "combat" shoots, and found it an OK, though not very inspirational handgun.
Kilroy...
...was here
I fired them quite a bit in what passed for "combat" shoots, and found it an OK, though not very inspirational handgun.
Kilroy...
...was here
Kilroy, sorry, I don't buy that story. The P5 cannot be fired by dropping it - unless of course the hammer was already cocked in the SA position.
Both P5 models have a firing pin block that will NOT allow firing pin to align in the firing position unless either the hammer is cocked in the SA position or the trigger is pulled all the way through as in DA fashion.
There's got to be more to that "dropped" story. There alway is...
CMOS
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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!
The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
Both P5 models have a firing pin block that will NOT allow firing pin to align in the firing position unless either the hammer is cocked in the SA position or the trigger is pulled all the way through as in DA fashion.
There's got to be more to that "dropped" story. There alway is...
CMOS
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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!
The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
Ditto CMOS. P5 has a dropping firing pin that is only lifted inline with the firing pin channel at the end of the single/double action trigger throw. THE most drop safe pistol ever made. This in fact makes it hard to make a P5's trigger chrisp- which makes it all the more incredible that it shoots as accuratly as it does. My P5C is for sale- at 4X what I paid for it (only because I bought it last year & paid alot for it!)