Walther P5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Walther P5 | |
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 Walther P5 |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |  West Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | German Federal Police, Dutch police |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen |
| Designed | 1970s |
| Manufacturer | Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen |
| Produced | 1977- |
| Variants | P5 Compact |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 795 g (28 oz) (P5) 750 g (26 oz) (P5 Compact) |
| Length | 180 mm (7.1 in) (P5) 170 mm (6.7 in) (P5 Compact) |
| Barrel length | 90 mm (3.5 in) (P5) 79 mm (3.1 in) (P5 Compact) |
| Width | 32 mm (1.3 in) |
| Height | 129 mm (5.1 in) (P5) 130 mm (5.1 in) (P5 Compact) |
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| Cartridge | 9x19mm Parabellum 7.65x22mm Parabellum 9x21mm IMI |
| Action | Short recoil operated, tilting breech |
| Muzzle velocity | Approx. 360 m/s (1,181 ft/s) (P5) Approx. 350 m/s (1,148.3 ft/s) (P5 Compact) |
| Feed system | 8-round detachable box box magazine |
| Sights | Square rear notch, front blade |
The Walther P5 is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol developed in the mid-1970s by the German small arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. It was designed with the German police forces in mind, who sought to replace existing 7.65 mm pistols with a modern service sidearm incorporating enhanced safety features and chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. A subsequent bid resulted in the Walther P5 being introduced into service alongside the SIG-Sauer P225 (designated P6 within the West German Federal Police) and Heckler & Koch P7. The pistol went into production in 1977 in Ulm, West Germany and was soon also adopted by the Dutch Police, Portuguese Army and several other Scandinavian and South American countries; significant numbers were also exported to Nigeria and the United States.
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[edit] Design details
The P5 is the result of a comprehensive redesign of the Walther P38/P1 series, though is still retains many design characteristics from the P38 such as the barrel locking system and barrel catch, the pistol incorporates many new design features, including a new aluminum alloy frame, trigger mechanism, dual-control mechanism, firing pin safety (US patent number 4313274 dated 1979, authored by Walter Ludwig), ejector and a solid slide that covers the barrel.
The Walther P5 is a recoil-operated, locked-breech, 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. It utilizes the same design principles as the Walther P38 pistol of World War II fame. The barrel does not tilt following firing in the way that John Browning's system does, but rather moves straight back approximately 5-10 mm; therefore accuracy is preserved. The trigger is a standard double action/single action trigger; the decocker is to be found on the left side of the frame. The P5 has a peculiar feature: it ejects spent casings to the left, rather than the right.
Manufactured in Ulm, West Germany, by Carl Walther Sportwaffen GmbH, the P5 was a further development of the famous Walther P38 and P1 series. Development began in 1979 following requests by German police and federal agencies for a new sidearm . Walther engineers decided to use the P1 model as the basis of the P5 and gave it a similar locking system, reinforced frame, and dual recoil springs. In addition, the Walther improved the extractor, shortened the barrel, and increased the slide length. Safety was enhanced by utilizing an innovative pivoting firing pin that can only move forward when the trigger is pulled. In addition, the P1's slide-mounted decocker/safety was moved to a frame mounted decocker/slide stop multi-lever. This created a refined and safe pistol that was ultimately adopted by many local police agencies across the Federal Republic. Despite widespread police approval, the P5 never saw significant use by the central government. Recently, German government surplus P5's have been imported to the US by various sources. Previously, Interarms had been the US importer of new Walthers prior to their closing.
Today the Walther P5 is the main weapon for the Dutch police force. However, it will be replaced within the next 2 years, probably by the Walther P99.[citation needed]
[edit] Variants
[edit] Walther P5 Compact
Walther P5 Compact: This is the shorter and lighter version of the fullsize P5. Approx 3,000 examples of this pistol were adopted in the 1980s by the British Army as Pistol L102A1 (NATO Stock Number 1005-99-978-4952) for issue to the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) as a Personal Protection Weapon. A small number may have been issued to 14 Intelligence Company, an all-arms unit active in Northern Ireland. Some surplus examples of this pistol have surfaced in the US collectors' market and are sometimes mistakenly described as "SAS Pistols."
