Due to a lack of written evidence and/or respective weapons, however, this cannot be confirmed. According to a former Bundeswehr soldier, Manurhin also supplied weapons to the Bundeswehr. The manufacture of the Bundeswehr P 1 was exclusively carried out by Walther as contrasted with the P 38 manufacture during WW II which was conducted by Walther, Mauser and Spreewerk Grottau. These valued were determined by weighing and comparing 10 weapons, respectively. The magazines, manufactured by different companies and in different years, weigh between 80 and 82 grams. The newest variant with a grip which had been additionally reinforced weighs 800 grams (in accordance with TDv 1005/006-14, dated June 1976).Īs opposed to that, the Wehrmacht variants of the P 38 models have a consistent weight of 940 grams each. The weight of weapons with a reinforced slide is between 790 and 795 grams. These weapons did not have the weight of 790 grams stated in the Technical Manual (Technische Dienstvorschrift – Tdv), issue 1960 (no designation). Thanks to the light metal grip portions, which are anodised in black, the first variant of the pistols with unreinforced slide and grip, including a magazine, weighs between 780 and 785 grams when unloaded. However, the first difference becomes obvious as soon as one takes the Bundeswehr weapon into one's hand. The Belgian shooting test stamps suggest that they were procured on non-military markets.

While the WTS does have two Wehrmacht P 38 bearing delivery acceptance stamps by the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung - BWB), the purpose which these weapons served is not known unfortunately. According to what we know today, pistols which had previously been used by the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, and had been seized by the Allies of WW II were not released. The delivery of the first new Walther pistols started in June 1957. 45 ACP were the first handguns handed out to German soldiers. In its initial phase in 1956 the Bundeswehr had to procure major defence equipment as well as handguns from the Allies of World War II. The upcoming parts of this report will give the reader a more detailed description of individual features and introduce individual pistols. The first part of this article will provide the reader with an overview of the changes which the weapon and its accessories have undergone. Written by Helmut Bindl on 03 November 2019. Pistol P 1 – the Bundeswehr handgun – Part 1

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