Walther P1 Questions

[Avyctes]

I got one of these awhile back and finally got around to firing it this past weekend. 
I really enjoyed it - but I did however have some issues with it. 

I have an old WW2 BYF '43 P.38 that is far more accurate than this P1. 

From about 20' or so this thing is hitting about 6" Low and 5" to the Left.

The front sight is marked '3', I assume this is a height indicator.  My question is, in looking for a different height front sight to bring the POI up, would I go with a '2' or a '4'?  I'll adjust the windage when I install a shorter front sight.

Also, the recoil springs seem a little weak to me.  A couple of times I had to give the slide a 'bump' to fully seat it after charging.  I had one FTF and one FTE where it left the brass caught sidways between the slide and the frame.  Anyone else experience this, and would a new spring kit be the ticket? 

These seem like simple issues to fix to me. 

Chris.

[Mikey]

Avctes: it sounds like your old P1 needs a new set of springs to begin with and for that you can go to Wolff Springs in Ardmore, Pa, or to Samco, Sarco or Gun Parts America (Numerich Arms) for the springs.
 
As for the front sight, I would contact Eugene@LugerMan.com.  He performs quite a bit of work for Lugers and Walthers, and can either reline a barrel in the original 9mm or reline it in 30 Luger (he is relining a barrel for me now for my 1968 P1), and also has the necessary parts to help with that front sight problem.  I have not yet looked at my front sight blade to determine its number but asked him about it and he has blades or can make them.  HTH.

[Avyctes]

Mikey,

Thanks for the info.

I got the Wolff spring refurb kit ordered, and found the #4 front sight blade at Numrich.  They actually have all the front sights except the #3 that came on mine.  If the #4 doesn't bring the POI up enough I'll order the #5.  I read elsewhere that if it shoots low go one number up, so I'm going to take that advise and see what it does.

Very fun gun tho', glad to have it.  I quit shooting my wartime P.38, didn't want to add wear on it.  This P1 fills the niche. 

[1911crazy]

Are the german semi auto rifles and pistols very ammo finiky??  They can't shoot and handle the heavier loads.  Someone said before that some guys install stronger recoil springs thinking they can shoot the hotter ammo only to hurt something else on the gun down the road with the lugers & P38/P1's. .
 
I have a P1 too but i'm not sure which ammo to shoot out of it.  I have some older surplus spanish 9mm parabellum ammo that appears to be a tad hotter in my astra 600/43.  The only other 9mm luger ammo i have inhouse is the russian wolf and the russian tula 9mm.  Is that too hot or do i need another brand of 9mm ammo?  I want to shoot it but i don't want it to hammer itself apart either.

[Avyctes]

I read that you shouldn't fire anything heavier than 125GR through the P1. 

I was shooting some 115 GR and some 124 GR with borderline identical results (low and left).

I ordered the Standard spring kit, not the extra power kit.  I don't even know why Wolff makes the extra power kit available for the P1 since it causes problems (I read that also).  Maybe the extra power springs are Ok in the P.38 since it has the all steel frame, maybe helps tame the recoil, although I never found recoil a problem on my P.38 when I used to shoot it.

[1911crazy]

I haven't shot my P1 yet i have the spanish parabellium 9mm ammo (surplus) which seemed hot in my astra 600/43 and i have some wolf 115gr 9mm luger ammo too.   I wonder which ammo manufacturer makes the wimpiest 9mm ammo.  I don't want to hurt me new P1.
 
Recently the P1 has been offered for sale and then the P38 post war with the alloy frame and now were seeing the orginal steel frame P38's being offered at aim surplus.  My point is beaware of what your purchasing and read the fine print closely.

[Mikey]

About the only German WW1 - WW11 pistol I am aware of that is ammo sensitive is the P-08 Luger.  That pistol, and Walther P-38/P1 and the 1896 Mauser pistol in 9mm were all designed to run on the ammo of the day, which was a 125 gn fmj slug at about 1090'/sec.  Hotter ammo at the time was a 115 gn bullet at about 1120-1150'/sec.
 
Crazy:  your Astra may have seemed to recoil more or it may have seemed that your ammo was hotter in the Astra because the Astra is a direct blowback pistol.
 
I have used and shot the Wolff 124/125 gn fmj, the (forget the maker) aluminum cased ammo in 115 (CCI??), Canadian mil-surp and some european mil-surp through my P-38 and it is fine.  This is the ammo the pistol was designed to run on. 
 
You should forget about using any hollow points or softnose as you may well get jams.  These pistols are older genre designs meant specifically to run on fmj ammo.
 
Avyctes:  get ahold of the Lugerman (the link I posted) for a lower front sight and that should bring your poi to where it should be.