Walther P38: full disassembly & assembly

The Walther P38 (originally written Walther ) is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that was developed by Carl Walther GmbH as the service pistol. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. The moving-barrel mechanism is actuated by a wedge-shaped hinged locking piece underneath the breech. When the pistol is fired, the barrel and slide recoil together, until the hinged locking piece drives down, disengaging the slide and arresting further rearward movement of the barrel. The slide continues its rearward movement on the frame, ejecting the spent case and cocking the hammer before reaching the end of travel. Unlike most autopistols which eject empty cases to the right, the Walther P38 ejects empty cases to the left. Two recoil springs on either side of the frame and below the slide, having been compressed by the slide’s rearward movement, drive the slide forward, stripping a new round from the magazine, driving it into the breech and re-engag