Range report on the Walther P5

[jimk66]

Today's focus at the range was on my new to me Walther P5. Last week after getting the little pistol I took it for a test drive just to ascertain it's functionality which BTW turned out perfect.. I also discovered I might just have another great shooting little 9mm German pistol.
I spent about an hour and a half and 100 rounds of MagTec ammo trying to get used to the gun by firing with patience and in three shot sequences at distances of 20', 30' and 45 feet. I was able to resolved the grip issue and eliminated the slight barrel flip I had experienced last week.
The little pistol kept getting better and better as my familiarity and confidance with it grew. By the time I finished the session I was consistently doing three shot groups at 45' within a 11/2" circle. At 20-30' the X was gone. I'm very pleased with the gun and can't wait for another outing with this great little pistol.
Best,
JimK

 

[DougDubya]

Pictures!

The P5 isn't "flat" but it's got one of those great handles that just fits... much like its poppa the P38.

 

[winston smith]

My P5 fires 7.62mm ammo!

One day about 15 years ago, I accidently loaded it's little brother's cartridges into its magazine. In the middle of Massad Ayoub's training day, I switched mags, and had a single shot pistol. Worked the slide, and I fired another shot. On the third one, I noticed the expended brass was also expanded, from .32 inch...to 9mm. Slightly off center. Wow.

The only other problem the p5 had with me, was alluminium cased ammo. Bits stick in the barrel and jam the following rounds in.

The P5 is my favorite pistol and has been for the past 21 years. Love it.

 

[searcher451]

+1. The Walther P5 also is my all-time favorite range pistol. I've got three of them, including a P5C. In all of the thousands of rounds that I've fired in a P5, in all sorts of weather conditions and with a wide variety of ammo from varying manufacturers, I've never experienced a hiccup or misstep of any kind. All the P5 every does is work exactly as advertised, time after time, every time out.

 

[jimk66]

searcher, do yu add a drop of oil to the springs when you clean your P5? All I've been doing is rubbing a oil soaked Q-tip over them as I'm oiling the rails.
Thanks,
JimK

 

[wditto]

I've often why we hear so little about these - are they unversally dependable?
thanks

 

[searcher451]

Jim: I seldom ever drop any oil directly on the springs; about every third range trip, I'll do pretty much what you are doing and lightly run a cloth (or sometimes a Q-tip) over them when I lube the rails. My experience with these things is that they'll pretty much run forever, even if you don't pay a lot of attention to cleaning them (and I generally always do). I've got a German police trade-in that I shoot most often, and it's still on its original springs across the board. It runs like the proverbial top.

As to wditto's question, if my experience is any indication, I think that you'd be hard-pressed to find a better-operating semi-auto pistol at any price. I don't think that I'm alone in that opinion, though others can and will weigh in. I've been shooting for a long long time now (sigh) and have tried and sometimes owned any number of different makes and models and most all of the so-called hot guns out there at one time or another. I wouldn't trade a good P5 for any of them, but that's just me.

 

[DougDubya]

I've often why we hear so little about these - are they unversally dependable?
thanks

They are very reliable. Their shortcomings are few, mainly being around just before the explosion of large capacity 9mm's (P5 only has eight in its magazine), large for concealed carry (back when .38's and .380's were more en vogue), a heel clip magazine release ("remedied" by the P5C, and really not a detriment with training), and the fall of the dollar in relation of the German Mark which shot the P5 past $900 in an era of $600 autopistols and $300 revolvers.

One bit of information - of the three pistols adopted for German service in the late 70's, the P5 is the only one still in production. That's a testament that it outlasted the P88 and is still hanging in there with the P99.

And yes, the P5 is a favorite of mine.

 

[Lone Star]

I think the P-5 is still standard wth most Dutch police.

Lone Star

 

[wditto]

okay......I want one.......where do I go?

 

[Royalsalute]

JimK,

Did you get the P-5 from Guntech?

 

[jimk66]

P5

Royalsalute, "NO", to your question. I was having a hard time finding a nice one for under $500 online but was lucky enough to find mine here in FL I chanced onto a guy who had picked up one of the German Trade-in's when they were around $350 or less. He hadn't shot the pistol and doesn't shoot anymore because of poor eyesight so he put it up for sale and sold it to me for $450 a few weeks ago. It's in excellent condition, slide, frame and barrel serial #'s match, it came with the original black plastic Walther case, cleaning rod, two magazines, manual (in German) and leather holster in which the pistol fits perfectly but I don't think I can make it work worth a damn.
If your trying to find one you might want to check out the various different gun forum classifieds.
Hope this helps,
Jimk

 

[searcher451]

wditto: SOG was selling the German police trade-in version in "excellent" condition not too long ago for under $400; the package included a holster and cleaning kit and sometimes a second magazine, IIRC. I'm not sure if they still have any left; it was the buy of the day for a long time, and a lot of folks snapped them up.

You can find them on the auction houses as well; if you are patient and look around, you also can locate some good buys on them. Many of the ex-police guns have worn high spots from holster carry, but so what; you are getting a fabulous firearm for your money.

 

[wditto]

you're right, searcher, looks don't mean as much as reliability
thanks for the heads up

 

[Coyote3855]

Excellent deal for the money.

 

[BADSBSNF81]

I've had one since 1982. Paid $447.50, never had a problem with it. Now to get a set of Nills to put on it.....

 

[Big Dave]

Mine is the softest shooting of my 9 mm's.

 

[winston smith]

Word is the Dutch Police will be trading in their P5s in 2010. Should be a few available at a reasonable price here. Before the hyperinflation, that is.

 

[searcher451]

WS: Can you source that information about the Dutch police turn-ins? I'd love to be able to get a jump on that. After all, you can never be too rich, nor too thin, nor have too many P5s.

 

[strangelittleman]

Do you know what the Dutch will be transitioning to?
As for my love of the P5, yeah I wouldn't trade it for 3 Glock 19s.

 

[denfoote]

Have you started the hunt for Mags yet??

I have eight, which was the result of a year long trolling of gun shows,
However, that was circa '03 or '04!!

The holster was also a long hunt.



It's a surplus Brit SAS holster I found on ebay!!

 

[winston smith]

Schietteam NHN
The Walther P5 ». Next year (2010) the Dutch Police will choose a new service firearm with a new holster and the ammunition. With the new servicepistol ...
www.politieparcours.eu/engels.htm

In Dutch only-- so I tried a Babblefish translation---

The service gun
Walther P5

The current service weapon of the Dutch police force, the Walther P5, has enough time at the moment of this letter lagste has been had. Now, beginning 2009, the European invitation to tender of start has gone for the continuator of this weapon. The Walther have been almost 30 years in service and in 2010, will be replaced. The past 30 years have been for this weapon lively. A lot of acquired characteristics have been carried out and this way became a weapon which was bought for the old-fashioned price of 771 guilders (now € 350.00), an extremely expensive purchase… An overview of its history:...

Apparently the Dutch have 40,000 to 50,000 P5s.

 

[DougDubya]

40-50,000...

It's a good thing I keep a spare keyboard to take the place of a drool soaked one.