Walther P5

The Walther P5 is a locked breech, recoil-operated, 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. The P5 uses the same design philosophies as the Walther P38 pistol made famous during World War II.

By: marvin Posted: April 24, 2007

Background

The barrel of the weapon does not tilt after firing the weapon similar to the way that John Browning's system is known to do. However the barrel moves directly back approximately 5-10mm; thus keeping good accuracy in the pistol. The trigger of the weapon is a standard single action/double action trigger; and the decocker on the weapon is positioned on the left side of he frame of the rifle. The P5 has a somewhat different feature in that the weapon ejects used casings to the left, rather than the conventional right of most firearms.

Manufactured

The weapon is manufactured in Ulm, West Germany by the company headed by Carl Waltheir of Sportwaffen GmbH. This particular pistol was further developed from the popular Walther P38 and P1 series weapons. The first development of this weapon began in 1979 after frequent requests by German federal agencies and police throughout the Federal Republic. The P5 never really saw significant use by any central goverment though it was widely approved.

Currently the Walther P5 is the primary weapon for the esteemed Dutch police force, however the Dutch army utilizes the Glock 17.

Variants

Walther P5 Compact

The Walther P5 Compact is a lighter and shorter variant of the full size Walther P5. This model was adopted by the British Army for issuance to the 14 Intelligence Company which is an all arms unit in Northern Ireland. Several US collectors have used this pistol.

Walther P5 Sport

The Walther P5 Sport includes a much longer barrel which specifically extends beyond the side.

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