The Walther P88: Initial thoughts and observations

There were a number of things that did the Walther P88 in....

1. Was that it appeared during the "Wonder Wars" when everyone was competing to see who could get the most rounds in a pistol.
It simply didn't have anything ground breaking enough to draw a market.

2. The cost.
As usual in those days the Walther cost was WAY high above any competitors guns that were all similar.
For that reason you seldom ever saw one in a gun shop.
Not many people were willing to spend $800 to $1,000 in the late 80's on a gun that was little different than a S&W.

3. The insane price of spare magazines.
In the late 80's the DEALER cost of a new Walther P88 magazine was $80 DOLLARS.....EACH.
At the same time a S&W magazine that was essentially the same design had a RETAIL price around $15.00.
In addition, due to the high price many distributors didn't stock them and that made spares hard to get.

4. No major law enforcement agency bought the P88, they were buying the S&W, and the Glock was hitting the market.

bc,

That sounds like the old GLOCK/SIG argument. The P99 still will not rust like the P88 and is still lighter. If I had a choice of which to carry, when both were available, it would have been a 9m.m. P99 AS model. I liked it very much and as you pointed out, it was much cheaper, which did not hurt sales.

Also, note: The more smaller P88C, did not have the same operating system as the full size P88. They went to a slide mounted safety/decocker and the reviews noted the trigger was not as smooth.

The P99, when compared to the GLOCK, is a fine pistol. Lightweight, reliable and easy to shoot. I found the AS style of double action mechanism quite acceptable for defense use.

Jim

golden said:

bc,

That sounds like the old GLOCK/SIG argument. The P99 still will not rust like the P88 and is still lighter. If I had a choice of which to carry, when both were available, it would have been a 9m.m. P99 AS model. I liked it very much and as you pointed out, it was much cheaper, which did not hurt sales.

Also, note: The more smaller P88C, did not have the same operating system as the full size P88. They went to a slide mounted safety/decocker and the reviews noted the trigger was not as smooth.

The P99, when compared to the GLOCK, is a fine pistol. Lightweight, reliable and easy to shoot. I found the AS style of double action mechanism quite acceptable for defense use.

Jim

Click to expand...

I guess, but the P99 doesn’t stand out as anything special years later. It just blends in with the rest of older generation plastic fantastics. It was a good gun and I owned a couple, but kind of ordinary.

The P88 and it’s variants are finely guns and will continue to be appreciated as such.

BC,

It is like the argument to buy a COLT Python, another finely made gun. The question is does it do anything better or just as good as a S&W 686 or RUGER GP-100. My answer is no, so I will not spend 3 times the price for a COLT Python. The P88, is an interesting, well made design, but it was also costly, too costly to compete.
Given a choice of gun, would you rather go into a gun battle with a P88 or a WALTHER P99. I know which one I would spend money on.

Jim

golden said:

BC,

It is like the argument to buy a COLT Python, another finely made gun. The question is does it do anything better or just as good as a S&W 686 or RUGER GP-100. My answer is no, so I will not spend 3 times the price for a COLT Python. The P88, is an interesting, well made design, but it was also costly, too costly to compete.
Given a choice of gun, would you rather go into a gun battle with a P88 or a WALTHER P99. I know which one I would spend money on.

Jim

Click to expand...

I’m not going into battle, but I do carry Glocks. That said, I shoot a P88 a lot better than a P99, so the answer is not so obvious for me.

As for the Python argument, I beg to differ. I’ve got many Pythons, but no longer own a single 686 or GP. To each their own.

Great review, photos, and resultant thread! That looks like a very well-made gun.

One thing that often stands out to me from these 1980's-era pistols is how their ergonomics were chosen just a smidge too soon... just before the benefits of getting both hands high up on the gun became clear/accepted. My old Browning BDM - another 1980's wondernine with some interesting design features - suffers from the same issue.

Okay, we need a detailed thread on the BDM. Haven't seen one of those for a good long while.

shoobe01 said:

Okay, we need a detailed thread on the BDM. Haven't seen one of those for a good long while.

Click to expand...

Hmm... it's nearly time for its triennial range trip.

Dragonfly, I enjoyed your report on your new P88. Years ago, while the P88 was in production, I read glowing reports on the P88 by a gun writer. I don't recall the writer's name, but he opined something to the effect that the P88 was likely the most accurate 9 to be had. Having only read his reports, and seen the photos, I ordered a new P88. When I received it, I discovered the P88 grip and my hand were a mismatch. The grip seemed too blocky and large, and the curve/frame at top of the back strap pushed my hand lower than I liked. While the gun seemed to be of the expected high quality, I sold it without ever firing it. Back in the day, I read that there were others were not comfortable with the P88 grip, and the grip was improved on the subsequent compact model...

shoobe01 said:

Okay, we need a detailed thread on the BDM. Haven't seen one of those for a good long while.

Click to expand...

Ugh

I had a couple. Build quality was really sub par, in my opinion. They are certainly no Walther P88 or Browning Hi Power. Unlike the Hi Power, they were not built by FN. Interesting guns though. I'll give them that at least.

Who made them then?

shoobe01 said:

Who made them then?

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Browning Arms North America

Same folks who build the Buck Mark and they probably should have stuck to rimfires. Brownings have been made by several companies throughout the years (Sig, FN, Beretta, etc...)

So... designed by Browning UT also or what? Only references I still have to this vaguely show it as from FNH, but I guess that was just marketed-by for the international defense/police market?

shoobe01 said:

So... designed by Browning UT also or what? Only references I still have to this vaguely show it as from FNH, but I guess that was just marketed-by for the international defense/police market?

Click to expand...

Sorry I missed this question.


The BDM was built in the USA. They never came out of Belgium. FN wouldn't build a pistol of that quality, which left a lot to be desired. Like I said interesting design, but lousy execution.

It was actually built for the FBI service trials, but never stood a chance.