...P38 question...

[Herr Mario]

...while at the range Sunday-and before shootin' the rifle,I shot off a clip on my allmatcher P38 that I hadnt fired since I got it...I should've bought more ammo...:( anyway,it was fron about 20 yards at a paper plate...first shot was a few inches high and right of aim...no idea where the next 7 went:( :( ...yeah-I know I shoulda been closer/more ammo:rolleyes: ...but here's my point...functioned flawlessly...124 gr. ammo...groves and lands fine-mebbe shallow...???(anyone got a pic of what a GOOD berrel should look like?)....some minor pitting..muzzle seems fine...in other words,it doesnt seem shot out...and I'm not THAT bad a shot....any ideas/comments...????:icon_scratch:

[SAC22PPC]

operator error...
sorry thats about all i know about pistols! about ten years ago my brother let me shoot his dan wesson 22 and i could not hit a can from 5 feet away.
since then about all i have done is shoot a pellet pistol i bought. this is about it for my exp with pistols. i would love to have one of those ruger mark2 target models...but ny state has a permit program and i dont know three people who either think i am safe or i would like as refferences!


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[Herr Mario]

...dont think thats what it was Sac...i'm a pretyy decent shot with pistols-at least with all the others I've shot...:dontknow: :rolleyes:

[Daro]

Herr Mario:
I've been doing some studying about the P-38 the last couple days, and have come upon a book called "Know Your P-38". In it on page 41 there is an article stating that, "Like most other large military automatic pistols. the P-38 is not meant for target shooting. It was designed to be a short range defensive weapon. From a target shooter's point of view, the gun has a number of drawbacks. First and foremost, being the independent mounting of the barrel and slide plus the fact that the sights are mounted on these two moving surfaces."
It goes on to say how they were machined with greater clearance, and also that the rear sight was not movable..
I don't know if this would make that much difference for you, but it is one reason why you may have been off that day..
Daro

[Herr Mario]

....yeah-I hear ya....understand that,but at 20 or so yards I'd figure I'd at least get 'em all on paper:rolleyes: ....I know of others that have shot WAAAAAAY much better...:BangHead: ...still havent "retried"....will give it another go when I'm on vacation:D

[WmRoy]

I've never shot a p38 but I know that I'm worthless with my Dad's p08 Luger. I'm never much good with a handgun but I can't hit squat with that old Luger............. still like that gun though.......... hope he leaves it to me......

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Herr Mario]

....hmmmmmmm.....mebbe it IS operator error....was cleaning/oiling/general gun maitenance today since its crappy rain outside:rolleyes: ....when I got to the P38,it all came back to me -so I aimed (no ammo) at a target and watched CAREFULLY as I slowly pulled the trigger,and at the very last second before it would go BANG,the muzzle noticeabley jerked to the left of what I was aiming at-on multiple tries:( .....doesnt do thjat with my other pistols....guess I gotta practice my technique on this one...:BangHead:

[SAC22PPC]

aaahhhhhssooooooo said the chinaman


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[Mosko]

I'm not a pistol man myself, (we all know that), but I have a P1, which is the post war manufactured version of the P38, with the alloy frame.

I had a range trip with "Spuds" not long ago and brought the P1 along for a test drive. The ammo was commercial FMJ reloads that we purchase from the "Alabama man" who vends at the local gun shows around here, and I have no idea what the specs for tha ammo is, it just comes in a plastic bag of 100 rounds, marked 9mm Parabellum, fmj.

I started shooting at a plastic drink bottle laying on the ground at about the 50 yard line, and fired several clips, while moving the bottle to about 75 or 80 yards with good hits.

Spuds and a few of the others remarked that I can't normally hit a bull in the ass with a handgun, but were fairly amazed at the exibition with the P1.

All I can say is that I normally can't! I think the combination of excellent reloads, and a most excellent Walther P1 pistol (mfgd 3/64), made me look better than I am.

Or, maybe I'm a good handgun shooter, when I use a quality pistol and ammo, who knows.

But as I said, not being much of a handgun guy, If I had to fire one, and needed accuracy, I wouldn't use anything else but the P1. How they compare to the P38, I don't know that either. This particular P1 is the only thing like it that I have ever fired, so I have no other experience to comapre it to.

[Daro]

Mosko:
I think I held one of those P-1 at a gun show a couple weeks ago. It was so light that I wondered if it were made out of aluminum. I knew it looked like a P-38, but I could not understand why it was so light. The war time pistols weigh considerably more than that. They are quite a handful to shoot also
Daro

[Herr Mario]

....yup-I've had both in my grubby lil' hands...the postwar are alloy frames and are so much lighter compared to the war ones,it didnt 'feel' right to me...:laughing3: ....I'll have some time off on the upcoming 4th -will make a point of a live fire retry...;)

[DOGolden]

I had a P1 some time back. Beautiful gun really. But it just wasn't me if you know what I mean {not that accurate}. I'm not a reknown pistol shooter either, so it had to go. I sold it to a vendor at a gunshow in Charleston. Oh well...

The best shooting pistol I ever had was a Spanish Star B (9mm). The second best shooting pistol I ever had is Amy's Spanish Star (9mm Largo). Go fish...