Ian used to many French and British weapons in his life. Walther built the P38, so that it does not run reliably, when it falls into enemie hands. He should have washed his hands in Sauerkraut, before using the P38.
Ian Wick with a straight pull pistol. I love how Ian is so familiar with firearms that he just gets on with it, Like yea, this is a straight pull now, big deal.
When i served in the german military we shot the P1/P38 but that was a model produced after 1992 and i never had any issues nor know anybody who does, but again, we had a newer version, now i feel like asking my father (Germany Army in the early 1970s) and my grandfather (Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS, still alive at age 97) what their experiences with the P38 was like.
I'd love to hear what they have to say about the guns. While they were in the opposing military, I find it fascinating hearing the stories to be told by veterans.
+Arphalia That's always nice to hear. When more americans were stationed here in Bavaria after the war, some of them became friends with their former enemies (My grandfathers and granduncles of which two were Waffen-SS soldiers: 1st Waffen-SS Division II. Panzergrenadierregiment 1 and 6th Waffen-SS Division "Nord"). Two of those americans who became close friends with our family while stationed in Germany but also afterwards were fighting my relatives in the Battle of the Bulge and the other one in the Alsace region but after the war they only had mutual respect for one another as soldiers doing their duty. Something that wasn't too uncommon between american and german soldiers after the war but sadly the media doesn't often report on it. I'll let you know after i asked my grandfather later today or tomorrow about his experience. I planned on filming him regarding WW2 topics, as he is still mentally very fit for being 97 years old. So if you or anyone has questions, feel free to ask and don't hold back, he didn't even mind telling me about the more gritty experiences, especially on the Eastern Front.
I found the loaded chamber indicator on the P1 pretty useful, especially at night. Imagine, you get surprised by a nearby noise and you dont want to make any noises yourself, that might give away your position. It is not as easy to silently rack the slide back and do a manual chamber check opposed to simply riding your thumb over the back of the slide, to feel the sharp edge of the indicator.
As a professional Gunsmith I have alot of experience with these I have a P-1 myself, the first thing I would have done was remove the loaded chamber indicater 2) I would have changed the recoil springs I got a Spring kit from W C Wolff & Co and changed all the springs including mag springs 3) I learned that European Pistols seem to like ammo especially this one seems to like the S&B its alittle hotter. I hope this helps.
Thank you Ian, maybe you know, maybe you don't, but coincidentally we're celebrating exactly today our past and present Alpini soldiers with a big celebration in Trento, and your Alpino hat with the black 'penna' is utmost appropriate for the occasion. Thanks! An italian fan.
Speaking of Tula working in a gun, I have a friend who has a Star Super B that would fail to eject with just about every brass ammo under the sun--and fail usually after every round. He was planning on changing the ejector spring when he ran a mag of Tula through the gun--flawlessly. And every mag of Tula after that was flawless. It's strange but neat to say the least.
Look in to the chamber from the back, for pistol I am shure their is some device to put in that shows that the chamber is empty. No fingers on the trigger.
The luger's chamber indicator actually saved my luger from completely exploding, rather than all the pressure of the ruptured cartridge going into the sides of the gun and blowing apart my prized artillery luger it just blew out the indicator/extractor.
Karl, that is one of the greatest points ever made about firearms and firearms safety, and should be talked about more. Loaded chamber indicators which have become the "soup du jour " in modern hand guns.
The five "P's" rule...proper preparation prevents pisspoor performance. The p08 luger's chamber indicator is its extractor so that cannot be removed...if the P38 firearm and its ammunition were given functionality tests prior, this would not have happened. Plus...you have a dusty environment which doesn't help... You did well with what you had.
I bought some WWII and post-war German ammo years ago during early 90's. A warning label was attached to the post-war ammo saying "Do Not Use in P38/P1 Pistols." That's when I found out about the 9mm velocity variations for German military ammo. When I choreographed the WWII and Post War ammo I found a much higher fps velocity and ft lb muzzle energy in certain types, both in WWII and Post War ammo (including stuff supposedly safe for handguns). The German's adopted a hotter ammo for their Submachineguns after WWII when the Army was reformed, but it wasn't authorized for handguns as their post Military and Police Forces had a combination of older P38 and newer P1s. P38's were originally built of steel and later of alloys towards to the end of the war. Post war guns are all alloys. A muzzle energy of 325 ft/lbs or less is generally recommended by experienced collectors for P1s and late war P38s. Any old gun has an unknown pedigree and you have to be careful. Tula makes decent ammo, but I wouldn't put it through an old gun unless I first knew the velocities and muzzle energy.
I like on my S&W SD9 VE the tiny window cut into the slide allowing you to see the rim of any cartridge that is in battery no moving parts and is fast and easy to do a visual loaded check.
The Ruger SR9 is the same way. I thought it was out of battery when I first fired it (it's my first personally-owned semiauto pistol), but the slide had no forward play. So, I shrugged, chanced it, and fired - checked again on the second round, same thing. "Oh, it must be that way. Huh."
The S&W M&P 9 is the same. Very simple, no parts required, therefore no issues, though in the field, it could allow dirt to get in the chamber. I've never had an issue with a loaded chamber indicator of any kind, not even on my P-08 nor my P.38. The best form of a loaded chamber indicator is to clear and prove the firearm safe. Works every time.
Considering the age of the pistol. Why I don't shoot my Nazi Mauser made Walther P-38 very often even though its had a gunsmith tune up and evaluation on all the parts. It still runs just fine. Its an awesome pistol and very well made. All machined. Most accurate pistol I have shot including revolvers. They don't make pistols like this anymore.
I have a P-38, BYF 44, produced in June 1944 according to the serial no., and have never had an issue with the pistol. It is tight as a drum and functions without issue I am happy to report. I also have a Walther PPK produced in 1966 that performs flawlessly. Perhaps I have been more fortunate than others. Who can say...Loved the video, as always!
S&B 115gr ball worked well in AC44 I shot. In this Walther spring holding loaded chamber indicator was somehow bend, same issue. Loaded chamber indicator is now gone. Gun runs flawlesly. Thanks for all you are doing there.
Indicators on any equipment are just that , when I was a motorcycle instructor I would often ask trainees , When the little green light on what does it mean? , almost everyone said that it means the bike is out of gear & in neutral , & I would always reply , No it means that the little green light is working ! , mechanical and electrical items malfunction , Nothing is perfect ,Trust only what You Know for certain . Thanks for the reminder & the great shows You make , Also C&Rsenal and all those other good folk doing similar good work educating those like Myself who maybe less well informed . Stay Safe & Stay Well .
I could be wrong about this but I think the Russians and the Germans were loading their respective handgun cartridges hot as Hades for use in submachine guns during WW II. Their handguns were most likely tuned to eat this stuff with few problems in the short term. These guns are now over 80 yrs old and the springs may have weakened a bit. You might want to replace your springs, assuming new springs are to be had, and you do need to make sure your gun eats what you want to feed it before using the gun/ammunition combination in any circumstance where the results actually matter. The best answer for some guns may be low powered rounds. For others you may need the hot stuff.
Thank you for this very educational video. I am just preparing my paperwork to get the permission to buy a P38. Since I was a child I wanted to own one and I always enjoyed shooting it when I joined the German army in the 90th. Greetings from Germany.
That's the irony though. Ian was specifically trying not to be hard on the gun by not using cheap shitty ammunition known to be hard on guns (Tula). And that's what caused the malfunction.
Loaded chamber indicators are like mag disconect safeties IMHO. That was an interesting failure . Lots to be learned from this video. Thanks for sharing !
My dad's byf 43 P38 works pretty good with Blazer 9mm, and we haven't had issues with the loaded chamber indicator. I can understand why the loaded chamber indicator was incorporated into pistol designs around this time, and post war usage too. Though I'd also like to believe that it's there so you don't have to open the action to check in a combat situation, say a mortar shell blows and the dirt/mud kicked up happens to lodge itself into the opening of the action. I mean when the last round is ejected the slide locks open, big opening for dirt to get in then as well. In a combat situation, more likely you should be locked and loaded, you should know that there is a round chambered. Storage and at the range, I wouldn't trust the indicator so much, now that I would always physically check to see if the chamber has a cartridge in it. Combat zone, your going to be certain you'll have a loaded round in. But doesn't hurt to check if you fear feeding issues or don't trust your own memory.
I have three P38's. One Wartime AC44 and two Post-War pre P1's. My AC44 P38 did have the Loaded Chamber Indicator fail in that same manner and I wound up replacing it's Spring. All three P38's have new Wolff Hammer and Recoil Springs. Recoil Spring Guide Rods in the two Post War P38's were Plastic and were chewed up, now replaced with Steel Guide Rods. Have not had any Ammunition Sensitivity Problems and they will run on CCI Blazer Aluminum. That said, I've found that standard 9mm 124 grain FMJ loadings with Alliant Green Dot Powder correctly produce the proper pressure curve that many 9mm Handguns with long barrel/chamber throats enjoy, particularly my 1936 S42 Luger and Glock 19. My Cz75 Clones and many other 9mm Pistols on the other hand, will thrive on most any 9mm Ammunition. Sorry for your troubles at the Match! While I have moved on to other Pistol designs for serious use, I still occasionally shoot my P38's and remember a time when I had to rely on one. I still like them!
When my Dad gave me his Luger and it came with original dated 1941 and 1942 9mm Parabellum ammunition. The cartridges were green colored steel cased and black painted bullets. The Russian Tulammo I use works well in another shooter Luger I bought and my Walther P1 with no problems. I suspect that the Germans originally designed their cartridges using steel cases using higher pressured powder to make them work. This is the same ammo that is issued to use in the MP 38 or 40. I don't currently own those submachineguns. I also think that the Russians have used the same recipe powder of German origin because they had calibers like the 7.62mm Tokerev which came from the German designed 7.63 Mauser to function in their pistols and submachine guns. I still love to use the Tulammo for my Sig P226, Glocks, and my older pistols like my P1 and shooter Luger. They function fine. I only had 3 malfunctions with using Tulammo, mostly is dud primers but never with short strokes of the slide or toggle.
The spring cover on the P38 is a well known problem with the design. If it's not on right it can fly off, with your rear sight and everything. Not fun. Another fault with the design is the hammer drop. There is nothing that physically prevents the hammer from striking the firing pin. In fact, it always strikes the firing pin when you drop it. There is just a little piece that catches the firing pin and holds it. If you use that too much it can wear that part to the point that the firing pin can now move and strike a primer. If that happens, your P38 is now a machine pistol as with the safety on safe the hammer cannot go back far enough catch the sear but it does go back far enough that it can strike the primer with enough force to fire.
I had a post was P38, approximately 1950’s that still had the loaded chamber indicator, and indicated loaded whenever the slide was closed because the spring that kept it downward was broken, and it occasionally had stovepipe issues.
Best guess about the ammunition issue. Tula and Blazer are both on the weak side (almost a -P load) but the bread cased Blazer creates a tighter seal with the chamber as the bread expands, making it harder to extract. That would account for the short stroking. But it could've been a lot of Blazer with .2 grains less powder per case, I don't know. Just a theory.
I agree with the argument against loaded chamber indicators, though it does make sense with the whole CO thing. But one of the most basic rules I was taught about guns: they are ALWAYS loaded, even when they're not. That said, a loaded chamber indicator is redundant for an attentive user, and as the video shows, is bad for more than just handling, as it can cause malfunctions.
I have a Ruger 22/45 Mark iii with a loaded chamber indicator thingy. The majority of malfunctions I have experienced involve a shell case getting hung up on a horizontal bar on the indicator.
What's funny is I bought a mid-war, bring-back, numbers matching Mauser production P.38 this past weekend, and she shot great with Blazer brass ammo, though I didn't try a thing else. All I had were two light strikes, I think both on the DA first trigger pull, but ignition on the second try both times. That was out of 50 rounds fired. I was however shooting 124gr loads instead of 115. I wonder if that makes a difference in this gun or not. The Walther P5 I had for a while also seemed to run better on 124gr as well, but easily tolerated anything I put in it.
I have a beautiful P4 and it literally is my favorite carry pistol 100% reliable. I also have a P38 and it works fine with 115 grain NATO white box ball. Never broke.
West German Army P1 was an extremly reliable gun, i loved shooting it during my whole service time. Last modifications Walther did were 1992 and production finally stopped in 2004.
My Ruger SR9 has a LCI that I think is somewhat ingenious; when a round is seated in the barrel, there's a teeeeeny gap that remains open that allows the round to be seen in the chamber. Nothing sticks out of the gun, there are no extra parts. It's just a 1/16" (or maybe 1/32") gap that allows the cartridge to be clearly visible, even at a glance.
Interesting. To my knowledge I have never had a loaded chamber indicator cause a problem or give a false reading while using a pistol with one. Alternatively, back in the late 70s I did know someone whose WW2 era P-38 slide cracked in two under recoil. There wasn't that much collector interest in those things back then and I believe he just got a replacement slide from Numrich or similar to resolve his issue. Yes, with any semi automatic before getting serious with it, test your chosen ammunition brand and make sure it functions well in the gun. A plain Jane 'white box' FMJ that feeds and shoots 100% reliably is 10x better than a super duper, super expansive +P JHP that jams or misfires every other shot.
As I recall (it's been a while) it was pretty hot. I was exhausted after running that once, let alone three and a half times. It's a good thing that happened to Ian rather than one of us mere mortals.
Glock does something similar, the indicator is just an extra bump on the extractor that sticks out a little proud of the slide when the extractor has a cartridge under it, and it's flush or nearly so when there's nothing under it. Edit to add: I'd have to say that I agree with the bump-on-extractor type being probably the best, least failure-prone, most fail-safe version I can think of.
Kurt Bergh an 'extractor mounted' loaded changer indicator is the best option. No extra parts, easily tactile. I do press checks, but if I wake up (i leave my gun loaded, I have no children) sometimes I'll just pull it from the holster, run my finger over the extractor to confirm the bump, and reholster.
As far as the ammo issue goes, I have a postwar P38 (not a P1) and it loves low powered trash ammo. Because its one of the aluminum frame models without the reinforcement, you can't really run hot loads like +P anyway. Still, its a beautiful little gun!
Blazer brass is pretty downloaded as well, it's good for gallery plinking with your second hand M&P9 and that's about it. Use something like Fiocchi, Winchester NATO, or Sellier & Bellot - which is loaded to full CIP spec.
A friends P38 had the same ammo issue. It worked perfectly with mild loadings but jammed with hot stuff. Unfortunately he had found a huge stash of cheap, foreign surplus ammo that he wanted to shoot in it but that stuff was HOT. Basically +P. So he picked up a stiffer recoil spring and now it shoots the hot stuff great but sometimes has issues with mild loads.
I love shooting my P38 AC41. It´s a nice gun, but i load the ammuniton myself for that old thing. To be honest i don´t think that the Indicator was the Problem, maybe it don´t get full in battery because of weak springs? I´ve got this Problem once when i cycle the breechlock forward by hand instead of the handle. By the way a mud test would be interessting! You make a great job! Thank you!
I've wondered how many times through history somebody has tried to drift the rear sight of a P38. That guy sootch00 told people that it was a drift adjustable sight LOL not that long ago
It was the hat...Ian should have worn his beret. :p Another reason for loaded-chamber indicators was to give a tactile indication if the shooter could not actually see the gun, as in darkness. Some pistols have extractors designed to stand out a bit when loaded, as opposed to specific parts. I've read that this was a feature of Beretta/Taurus 92 pistols, but can't tell the difference on my Taurus guns. EDIT: 'Ulterior motives...' describes ;perfectly the modern gun-controllers and their mandated 'safety' features--including loaded-chamber indicators.
I stopped using Tulammo when it gave me a squib on the 15th round. Luckily, there was _no_ powder in the case whatsoever, so the bullet barely even left the casing and prevented another round from chambering. That box and the other I bought with it are dead to me, though. It'll take a lot to get me to ever buy it again. I'll stick to Sellier & Bellot. The FNX-9 I was using has a loaded chamber indicator that is literally just a red dot on the rear of the extractor. If the extractor is engaged, you see the red dot. Simple. It's actually come in handy a few times.
I run Tula 9mm all the time, 4 to 5000 rounds through all my 9mm pistols, they all run fine. I find it to be loaded hotter than most brass cased ammo running 1200 fps consistantly with only 2 ftf in all those rounds fired.
That's weird, Blazer Brass is my go to cheap blaster ammo and never had an issue, it chronos at around 1175 for the 115 grain in a >4 inch barrel for me. It's a little slow but not Tula slow, it would be interesting to chrono both loads in the Walther. Looking back at the video the Blazer is barely ejecting when it does work, the Tula ejects just fine so either that batch of Tula is hotter than usual or that batch of Blazer is slow or??
The spring clip is a big design flaw on the P38, it's fragile compared to the other components. It is easily bent which will mess up the zero as it holds the rearsight. Not sure that the loaded indicator was there for the CO as the chances are the only guy with a P38 would be the CO!
Holy crap. I was having this exact jamming problem with my P38. No joke, I took that Neanderthal designed chamber indicator out after I saw this and boom, my gun cycles. I love the channel and all, but this time Karl spoke to me on a spiritual level. Hahaha
example.... i LOVED federal ammo..... but my m1 garand would sometimes TRIPLE fire...one trigger pull....blam, blam, blam. switched over to remmington today.... and not only did it function better (had my first even jam.... shooting the last of the fed ammo) but despite both being 150 grain SP-BT ammo.... the remmy doesnt sink up to the brass if i stick a round in the muzzle...... checking the barrel erosion so federal uses softer primers.... AND!!! smaller diameter bullets AND went from 8 to 12 MOA to 3 to 5 MOA.... which is perfectly acceptable for an M1 garand
I don’t trust the loaded chamber indicator but I’ve had zero issues with mine. I’ve had my slide cover fly off a time or two but I think I fixed that with a bend to tension it
Hm...Walther seems to LIKE that thing, after all the Walther P99 has it, too and that is a modern police or service pistol! Still, I agree that you should still check (if you have the time), don't trust the loaded indicator unless you don't have the time to check!
6:08 Kind of funny that I was watching this while eating traditional Russian "Tula honey-cake" ("пряник") with "condensed boiled milk" filling which is #1 thing Tula is famous for since medieval times. So much diss for Tula ammo :|
I used to have a mini14 that shot steel cased all day without issue. But when loaded with brass it had a consistent fail to eject/extract twice per mag
That makes even less sense in modern optic ready pistols, where the little hole gives gasses a way to get out of the chamber, right into your dot’s lenses, making them dirty faster than anything else. And without the need for a third party to identify the status of your gun
What actually happened is a WWII German Pistol recognized the Frankophile Ian and did it's best to sabotage his runs. I am also guessing that the Craptacular Tula ammo with steel cases is closer to the WWII german 9mm than you think. I have a post war P38 and it doesn't really have a preference on ammo, but it shoots left just because it can. All the good guns should have a loaded chamber checker that is made up of a pair of eyes and a visual of the actual chamber. (operator, not a mechanical device)
well it's completly strip out it's not like when ian usually only field strip firearms it seems pretty simple apart from the 3 parts next to the hammer (i don't recognize them ) the m1911 seems a mechanical mess especilly with that leaf spring and the mechanical nightmare of still in production handguns is probably the rhino www.gunsumerreports.com/Chiappa_Rhino_60DS/Chiappa_Rhino_60DS_064.JPG
I remember my P1 had an indicator, however never showed attention to it. Our major however when doing inspection checked the status visual or by touch.
Any concerns about the slide and/or frame cracking? The P38’s hard right angles in some areas are prone to stress magnification, and really were a bit of a design flaw. It’d be a shame to lose a nice historic piece. The problems were not remedied until later versions of the P1, and, in a sense, until later versions of the Beretta 92.
This kind of thing never happens with a 1911. MURICA!! (If you look closely I engaged the sarcasm font when I types that) Cool piece of history you have there Karl.
My Dad had the loaded chamber indicator break on his Stgw. 57 during his military service. So Karl is right: those things can break and falsely indicate an empty chamber.
Couldn't agree more about loaded chamber indicators, completely pointless "feature" that at its best promotes bad habits and at its worst causes problems.
I like but don't rely on the loaded chamber indicator on my Sig P365 since its just a small peep hole in the slide. You need moderately good light, you can't tell in the dark. I do wonder how much dust and debris can get through that hole.
Nice Alpini hat! Very appreciated that you're wearing it on the day of the National Gathering of the Alpini (it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adunata_nazionale_degli_alpini)!
I sure hope my SP2022 doesn't ever have a malfunction, 'coz mine has one. I was hoping when I ordered it that it would be the type that doesn't, plus they look better without one. It's just one more thing that can possibly go wrong that isn't necessary and can make someone have bad chamber discipline.
Crude ammo from central Russia saves Arizona man who is competing with a ww2 German pistol. This is why i love firearms.
Tula is like 150km south of Moscow, just sayin'.
Western Russia
Ian used to many French and British weapons in his life. Walther built the P38, so that it does not run reliably, when it falls into enemie hands. He should have washed his hands in Sauerkraut, before using the P38.
I just think the P38 could sense the French in Ian and decided to stop working
Illya Lypyak yes i agree that must have been the reason
Ian Wick with a straight pull pistol. I love how Ian is so familiar with firearms that he just gets on with it, Like yea, this is a straight pull now, big deal.
When i served in the german military we shot the P1/P38 but that was a model produced after 1992 and i never had any issues nor know anybody who does, but again, we had a newer version, now i feel like asking my father (Germany Army in the early 1970s) and my grandfather (Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS, still alive at age 97) what their experiences with the P38 was like.
I'd love to hear what they have to say about the guns. While they were in the opposing military, I find it fascinating hearing the stories to be told by veterans.
+Arphalia
That's always nice to hear. When more americans were stationed here in Bavaria after the war, some of them became friends with their former enemies (My grandfathers and granduncles of which two were Waffen-SS soldiers: 1st Waffen-SS Division II. Panzergrenadierregiment 1 and 6th Waffen-SS Division "Nord").
Two of those americans who became close friends with our family while stationed in Germany but also afterwards were fighting my relatives in the Battle of the Bulge and the other one in the Alsace region but after the war they only had mutual respect for one another as soldiers doing their duty. Something that wasn't too uncommon between american and german soldiers after the war but sadly the media doesn't often report on it.
I'll let you know after i asked my grandfather later today or tomorrow about his experience. I planned on filming him regarding WW2 topics, as he is still mentally very fit for being 97 years old. So if you or anyone has questions, feel free to ask and don't hold back, he didn't even mind telling me about the more gritty experiences, especially on the Eastern Front.
Right, be sure to let us know about that. It's important to preserve first hand accounts.
Amusingly my father and many retired soldiers I asked called the P1/P38 "8 warning shots and one deadly throw".
that would be awesome
going to start checking my local newspaper stands for P38's
Wearing a boiled wool hat in the Arizona sun seems like a bad idea...
Also, friends don't let friends use Blazer.
I found the loaded chamber indicator on the P1 pretty useful, especially at night. Imagine, you get surprised by a nearby noise and you dont want to make any noises yourself, that might give away your position. It is not as easy to silently rack the slide back and do a manual chamber check opposed to simply riding your thumb over the back of the slide, to feel the sharp edge of the indicator.
Revolver
Why is your defensive gun ever unloaded?
It must be the hat - its not German.
As a professional Gunsmith I have alot of experience with these I have a P-1 myself, the first thing I would have done was remove the loaded chamber indicater 2) I would have changed the recoil springs I got a Spring kit from W C Wolff & Co and changed all the springs including mag springs 3) I learned that European Pistols seem to like ammo especially this one seems to like the S&B its alittle hotter. I hope this helps.
So what if you had a P38 and the safety didn’t work?
Thank you Ian, maybe you know, maybe you don't, but coincidentally we're celebrating exactly today our past and present Alpini soldiers with a big celebration in Trento, and your Alpino hat with the black 'penna' is utmost appropriate for the occasion. Thanks! An italian fan.
I never knew about "Blood Rust" before. Thank you for enlightening me. Your videos teach me something new every day... ;-)
Speaking of Tula working in a gun, I have a friend who has a Star Super B that would fail to eject with just about every brass ammo under the sun--and fail usually after every round. He was planning on changing the ejector spring when he ran a mag of Tula through the gun--flawlessly. And every mag of Tula after that was flawless. It's strange but neat to say the least.
I would check/polish the chamber.
some guns prefer warmer ammo the p38 is one of them
I would never trust a loaded chamber indicator. the right way to know is to look and feel.
Look in to the chamber from the back, for pistol I am shure their is some device to put in that shows that the chamber is empty. No fingers on the trigger.
Nah nah, you gotta do James May way. Look up the barrel of a shotgun to see if there's one in the chamber.
TheFranss while your two friends look the other way and shield themselves from the splatter.
The luger's chamber indicator actually saved my luger from completely exploding, rather than all the pressure of the ruptured cartridge going into the sides of the gun and blowing apart my prized artillery luger it just blew out the indicator/extractor.
Karl, that is one of the greatest points ever made about firearms and firearms safety, and should be talked about more. Loaded chamber indicators which have become the "soup du jour " in modern hand guns.
Conclusion: The P38 doesn't work when you're wearing an Alpino hat.
Blazer didn't run in both my p38 and a buddy of mines p38. We had the same short stroking problem and a lot of failures to feed.
Oddly, blazer brass cycles my p38 and p1 just fine.
This is why ballisticians go prematurely grey.
:)
I've never had issues with blazer cycling my pistol, but I have a revolver lol
Considering the stress of 3 failures...And then 4th run when I'm sure Ian was expecting another failure that was an excellent score.
The five "P's" rule...proper preparation prevents pisspoor performance.
The p08 luger's chamber indicator is its extractor so that cannot be removed...if the P38 firearm and its ammunition were given functionality tests prior, this would not have happened.
Plus...you have a dusty environment which doesn't help...
You did well with what you had.
I bought some WWII and post-war German ammo years ago during early 90's. A warning label was attached to the post-war ammo saying "Do Not Use in P38/P1 Pistols." That's when I found out about the 9mm velocity variations for German military ammo. When I choreographed the WWII and Post War ammo I found a much higher fps velocity and ft lb muzzle energy in certain types, both in WWII and Post War ammo (including stuff supposedly safe for handguns). The German's adopted a hotter ammo for their Submachineguns after WWII when the Army was reformed, but it wasn't authorized for handguns as their post Military and Police Forces had a combination of older P38 and newer P1s. P38's were originally built of steel and later of alloys towards to the end of the war. Post war guns are all alloys. A muzzle energy of 325 ft/lbs or less is generally recommended by experienced collectors for P1s and late war P38s. Any old gun has an unknown pedigree and you have to be careful. Tula makes decent ammo, but I wouldn't put it through an old gun unless I first knew the velocities and muzzle energy.
I have a '43 Walther made P-38. One day, while firing, the spring clip cover thingy flew off and put a really nice ding in my glasses.
Hell of a lot better than a 'ding" in your eye! ~.-.^ Thank God for Eye wear.
I like on my S&W SD9 VE the tiny window cut into the slide allowing you to see the rim of any cartridge that is in battery no moving parts and is fast and easy to do a visual loaded check.
The Ruger SR9 is the same way. I thought it was out of battery when I first fired it (it's my first personally-owned semiauto pistol), but the slide had no forward play. So, I shrugged, chanced it, and fired - checked again on the second round, same thing. "Oh, it must be that way. Huh."
The S&W M&P 9 is the same. Very simple, no parts required, therefore no issues, though in the field, it could allow dirt to get in the chamber. I've never had an issue with a loaded chamber indicator of any kind, not even on my P-08 nor my P.38. The best form of a loaded chamber indicator is to clear and prove the firearm safe. Works every time.
Considering the age of the pistol. Why I don't shoot my Nazi Mauser made Walther P-38 very often even though its had a gunsmith tune up and evaluation on all the parts. It still runs just fine. Its an awesome pistol and very well made. All machined. Most accurate pistol I have shot including revolvers. They don't make pistols like this anymore.
I have a P-38, BYF 44, produced in June 1944 according to the serial no., and have never had an issue with the pistol. It is tight as a drum and functions without issue I am happy to report. I also have a Walther PPK produced in 1966 that performs flawlessly. Perhaps I have been more fortunate than others. Who can say...Loved the video, as always!
S&B 115gr ball worked well in AC44 I shot. In this Walther spring holding loaded chamber indicator was somehow bend, same issue. Loaded chamber indicator is now gone. Gun runs flawlesly. Thanks for all you are doing there.
In 6 years of working at a large gunshop, I have to say at least half of the P38s I saw come through were missing the LCI. No surprise here.
"missing" as is , "Yeah, I totally lost that thing during a breakdown clean of the gun, and totally not on purpose. Cross my heart."
Kinda like how most Browning Hi Powers are probably missing their Mag Disconnect too. ^.-.^
never shot a P38 before but all the older 9mms I have shot HATE blazer ammo... my 2 STAR Pistols especially
Indicators on any equipment are just that , when I was a motorcycle instructor I would often ask trainees , When the little green light on what does it mean? , almost everyone said that it means the bike is out of gear & in neutral , & I would always reply , No it means that the little green light is working ! , mechanical and electrical items malfunction , Nothing is perfect ,Trust only what You Know for certain . Thanks for the reminder & the great shows You make , Also C&Rsenal and all those other good folk doing similar good work educating those like Myself who maybe less well informed . Stay Safe & Stay Well .
I could be wrong about this but I think the Russians and the Germans were loading their respective handgun cartridges hot as Hades for use in submachine guns during WW II. Their handguns were most likely tuned to eat this stuff with few problems in the short term. These guns are now over 80 yrs old and the springs may have weakened a bit. You might want to replace your springs, assuming new springs are to be had, and you do need to make sure your gun eats what you want to feed it before using the gun/ammunition combination in any circumstance where the results actually matter. The best answer for some guns may be low powered rounds. For others you may need the hot stuff.
Thank you for this very educational video. I am just preparing my paperwork to get the permission to buy a P38. Since I was a child I wanted to own one and I always enjoyed shooting it when I joined the German army in the 90th. Greetings from Germany.
Whoops! Just shows how hard the firearms are pushed in a match.
That's the irony though. Ian was specifically trying not to be hard on the gun by not using cheap shitty ammunition known to be hard on guns (Tula). And that's what caused the malfunction.
Matt Hayward, shooting the P38 quickly and repeatedly is not being hard on it.
Loaded chamber indicators are like mag disconect safeties IMHO. That was an interesting failure . Lots to be learned from this video. Thanks for sharing !
My dad's byf 43 P38 works pretty good with Blazer 9mm, and we haven't had issues with the loaded chamber indicator.
I can understand why the loaded chamber indicator was incorporated into pistol designs around this time, and post war usage too. Though I'd also like to believe that it's there so you don't have to open the action to check in a combat situation, say a mortar shell blows and the dirt/mud kicked up happens to lodge itself into the opening of the action. I mean when the last round is ejected the slide locks open, big opening for dirt to get in then as well. In a combat situation, more likely you should be locked and loaded, you should know that there is a round chambered. Storage and at the range, I wouldn't trust the indicator so much, now that I would always physically check to see if the chamber has a cartridge in it. Combat zone, your going to be certain you'll have a loaded round in. But doesn't hurt to check if you fear feeding issues or don't trust your own memory.
I have three P38's. One Wartime AC44 and two Post-War pre P1's. My AC44 P38 did have the Loaded Chamber Indicator fail in that same manner and I wound up replacing it's Spring. All three P38's have new Wolff Hammer and Recoil Springs. Recoil Spring Guide Rods in the two Post War P38's were Plastic and were chewed up, now replaced with Steel Guide Rods. Have not had any Ammunition Sensitivity Problems and they will run on CCI Blazer Aluminum. That said, I've found that standard 9mm 124 grain FMJ loadings with Alliant Green Dot Powder correctly produce the proper pressure curve that many 9mm Handguns with long barrel/chamber throats enjoy, particularly my 1936 S42 Luger and Glock 19. My Cz75 Clones and many other 9mm Pistols on the other hand, will thrive on most any 9mm Ammunition. Sorry for your troubles at the Match!
While I have moved on to other Pistol designs for serious use, I still occasionally shoot my P38's and remember a time when I had to rely on one. I still like them!
When my Dad gave me his Luger and it came with original dated 1941 and 1942 9mm Parabellum ammunition. The cartridges were green colored steel cased and black painted bullets. The Russian Tulammo I use works well in another shooter Luger I bought and my Walther P1 with no problems. I suspect that the Germans originally designed their cartridges using steel cases using higher pressured powder to make them work. This is the same ammo that is issued to use in the MP 38 or 40. I don't currently own those submachineguns. I also think that the Russians have used the same recipe powder of German origin because they had calibers like the 7.62mm Tokerev which came from the German designed 7.63 Mauser to function in their pistols and submachine guns. I still love to use the Tulammo for my Sig P226, Glocks, and my older pistols like my P1 and shooter Luger. They function fine. I only had 3 malfunctions with using Tulammo, mostly is dud primers but never with short strokes of the slide or toggle.
Bonus points for Ian's old school tacti-cool use of a bread bag as dump pouch.
He used the devils hand what did you expect
A smoothly running P38... that's what I would expect.
Can confirm, we lefties invoke the powers of Satan when we use our evil Left hand
Top 10%, other 90% are leftovers.
I have a P 38 marked ac 42 with matching serial numbers also. I'm a southpaw and the pistol has never malfunctioned for me. Maybe it's possessed.
Too much elan can break German engineering?
or too much Ian
It's the American spy detector
ian is a francophile, I don't think a German gun likes francophiles .
And plus he is wearing an Italian hat.
@@dreamingflurry2729 No i don't belive you are evil.
@@user-gj1np9rp4d just about to dominate the world thats all
The spring cover on the P38 is a well known problem with the design. If it's not on right it can fly off, with your rear sight and everything. Not fun.
Another fault with the design is the hammer drop. There is nothing that physically prevents the hammer from striking the firing pin. In fact, it always strikes the firing pin when you drop it. There is just a little piece that catches the firing pin and holds it. If you use that too much it can wear that part to the point that the firing pin can now move and strike a primer. If that happens, your P38 is now a machine pistol as with the safety on safe the hammer cannot go back far enough catch the sear but it does go back far enough that it can strike the primer with enough force to fire.
I always lower the hammer with thumb when engaging the decocker.
I had a post was P38, approximately 1950’s that still had the loaded chamber indicator, and indicated loaded whenever the slide was closed because the spring that kept it downward was broken, and it occasionally had stovepipe issues.
My post war P38 has the wonderful load indicator. It always works and I like it.
Best guess about the ammunition issue. Tula and Blazer are both on the weak side (almost a -P load) but the bread cased Blazer creates a tighter seal with the chamber as the bread expands, making it harder to extract. That would account for the short stroking. But it could've been a lot of Blazer with .2 grains less powder per case, I don't know. Just a theory.
I agree with the argument against loaded chamber indicators, though it does make sense with the whole CO thing. But one of the most basic rules I was taught about guns: they are ALWAYS loaded, even when they're not. That said, a loaded chamber indicator is redundant for an attentive user, and as the video shows, is bad for more than just handling, as it can cause malfunctions.
I have a Ruger 22/45 Mark iii with a loaded chamber indicator thingy. The majority of malfunctions I have experienced involve a shell case getting hung up on a horizontal bar on the indicator.
Had a byf43. Mag catch broke, wedge lock broke, top plate broke. Very fussy about ammo. Gave up and sold it. Bought hi-power. No regrets.
What's funny is I bought a mid-war, bring-back, numbers matching Mauser production P.38 this past weekend, and she shot great with Blazer brass ammo, though I didn't try a thing else. All I had were two light strikes, I think both on the DA first trigger pull, but ignition on the second try both times. That was out of 50 rounds fired. I was however shooting 124gr loads instead of 115. I wonder if that makes a difference in this gun or not. The Walther P5 I had for a while also seemed to run better on 124gr as well, but easily tolerated anything I put in it.
Ian's getting quick & decisive on pistols though!
I have a beautiful P4 and it literally is my favorite carry pistol 100% reliable. I also have a P38 and it works fine with 115 grain NATO white box ball. Never broke.
That little blue box is adorable.
West German Army P1 was an extremly reliable gun, i loved shooting it during my whole service time. Last modifications Walther did were 1992 and production finally stopped in 2004.
My Ruger SR9 has a LCI that I think is somewhat ingenious; when a round is seated in the barrel, there's a teeeeeny gap that remains open that allows the round to be seen in the chamber. Nothing sticks out of the gun, there are no extra parts. It's just a 1/16" (or maybe 1/32") gap that allows the cartridge to be clearly visible, even at a glance.
Interesting. To my knowledge I have never had a loaded chamber indicator cause a problem or give a false reading while using a pistol with one. Alternatively, back in the late 70s I did know someone whose WW2 era P-38 slide cracked in two under recoil. There wasn't that much collector interest in those things back then and I believe he just got a replacement slide from Numrich or similar to resolve his issue. Yes, with any semi automatic before getting serious with it, test your chosen ammunition brand and make sure it functions well in the gun. A plain Jane 'white box' FMJ that feeds and shoots 100% reliably is 10x better than a super duper, super expansive +P JHP that jams or misfires every other shot.
As I recall (it's been a while) it was pretty hot. I was exhausted after running that once, let alone three and a half times. It's a good thing that happened to Ian rather than one of us mere mortals.
l'm not relying on a chamber indicator either, but l guess one built to the extractor would be pretty reliable? Like most HK pistols for example.
Glock does something similar, the indicator is just an extra bump on the extractor that sticks out a little proud of the slide when the extractor has a cartridge under it, and it's flush or nearly so when there's nothing under it.
Edit to add: I'd have to say that I agree with the bump-on-extractor type being probably the best, least failure-prone, most fail-safe version I can think of.
Kurt Bergh an 'extractor mounted' loaded changer indicator is the best option. No extra parts, easily tactile. I do press checks, but if I wake up (i leave my gun loaded, I have no children) sometimes I'll just pull it from the holster, run my finger over the extractor to confirm the bump, and reholster.
Beretta 96 is the same way. The extractor doesn't stick out or up but you can feel it if you check for it.
Kurt Bergh yeah , the Beretta has a red painted extractor that can be felt and seen.
As far as the ammo issue goes, I have a postwar P38 (not a P1) and it loves low powered trash ammo. Because its one of the aluminum frame models without the reinforcement, you can't really run hot loads like +P anyway. Still, its a beautiful little gun!
6:10 Now you have a bolt-action pistol to run with those bolt-action rifles.
Blazer brass is pretty downloaded as well, it's good for gallery plinking with your second hand M&P9 and that's about it.
Use something like Fiocchi, Winchester NATO, or Sellier & Bellot - which is loaded to full CIP spec.
And now I finally have a video to throw at people to back up why I always say loaded chamber indicators are bad on multiple levels.
P38 and p1's have amazing triggers just like the P99
A friends P38 had the same ammo issue. It worked perfectly with mild loadings but jammed with hot stuff. Unfortunately he had found a huge stash of cheap, foreign surplus ammo that he wanted to shoot in it but that stuff was HOT. Basically +P. So he picked up a stiffer recoil spring and now it shoots the hot stuff great but sometimes has issues with mild loads.
Oddly, I've seen P1 and P38 happily devour blazer brass...
It was the hat. The pistol was offended that anyone would wear a hat like that when shooting.
I love shooting my P38 AC41. It´s a nice gun, but i load the ammuniton myself for that old thing.
To be honest i don´t think that the Indicator was the Problem, maybe it don´t get full in battery because of weak springs?
I´ve got this Problem once when i cycle the breechlock forward by hand instead of the handle.
By the way a mud test would be interessting!
You make a great job! Thank you!
I've wondered how many times through history somebody has tried to drift the rear sight of a P38. That guy sootch00 told people that it was a drift adjustable sight LOL not that long ago
My P 38 (P 1,technically) is post war and it does have the loaded chamber indicator. As for Ian's hardships - I blame the hat!
What were the "penalties" for that both Karl and Ian were "awarded" during their completed runs?
KARL: "Quite violently, as you should" + IAN: **Cocks head and smirks** = GOLD
It was the hat...Ian should have worn his beret. :p Another reason for loaded-chamber indicators was to give a tactile indication if the shooter could not actually see the gun, as in darkness. Some pistols have extractors designed to stand out a bit when loaded, as opposed to specific parts. I've read that this was a feature of Beretta/Taurus 92 pistols, but can't tell the difference on my Taurus guns.
EDIT: 'Ulterior motives...' describes ;perfectly the modern gun-controllers and their mandated 'safety' features--including loaded-chamber indicators.
I stopped using Tulammo when it gave me a squib on the 15th round. Luckily, there was _no_ powder in the case whatsoever, so the bullet barely even left the casing and prevented another round from chambering. That box and the other I bought with it are dead to me, though. It'll take a lot to get me to ever buy it again. I'll stick to Sellier & Bellot.
The FNX-9 I was using has a loaded chamber indicator that is literally just a red dot on the rear of the extractor. If the extractor is engaged, you see the red dot. Simple. It's actually come in handy a few times.
Dang, I was worried. The video thumbnail shows a totally broken P-38. Thought that happened to yours! Whew...
I run Tula 9mm all the time, 4 to 5000 rounds through all my 9mm pistols, they all run fine. I find it to be loaded hotter than most brass cased ammo running 1200 fps consistantly with only 2 ftf in all those rounds fired.
That's weird, Blazer Brass is my go to cheap blaster ammo and never had an issue, it chronos at around 1175 for the 115 grain in a >4 inch barrel for me. It's a little slow but not Tula slow, it would be interesting to chrono both loads in the Walther. Looking back at the video the Blazer is barely ejecting when it does work, the Tula ejects just fine so either that batch of Tula is hotter than usual or that batch of Blazer is slow or??
Thats why i use S&B its loaded alittle hot side.
The spring clip is a big design flaw on the P38, it's fragile compared to the other components. It is easily bent which will mess up the zero as it holds the rearsight. Not sure that the loaded indicator was there for the CO as the chances are the only guy with a P38 would be the CO!
Holy crap. I was having this exact jamming problem with my P38. No joke, I took that Neanderthal designed chamber indicator out after I saw this and boom, my gun cycles. I love the channel and all, but this time Karl spoke to me on a spiritual level. Hahaha
example....
i LOVED federal ammo..... but my m1 garand would sometimes TRIPLE fire...one trigger pull....blam, blam, blam.
switched over to remmington today....
and not only did it function better (had my first even jam.... shooting the last of the fed ammo)
but despite both being 150 grain SP-BT ammo....
the remmy doesnt sink up to the brass if i stick a round in the muzzle...... checking the barrel erosion
so federal uses softer primers.... AND!!! smaller diameter bullets
AND went from 8 to 12 MOA
to 3 to 5 MOA.... which is perfectly acceptable for an M1 garand
Love the Alpini hat. Wish I could find one
Reminds me of me m1 carbine. Runs like a champ on regular range days. Ran like it suddenly decided to be a pacifist when I brought it to a match.
I don’t trust the loaded chamber indicator but I’ve had zero issues with mine. I’ve had my slide cover fly off a time or two but I think I fixed that with a bend to tension it
Hm...Walther seems to LIKE that thing, after all the Walther P99 has it, too and that is a modern police or service pistol!
Still, I agree that you should still check (if you have the time), don't trust the loaded indicator unless you don't have the time to check!
To be fair, on the P99, it's part of the extractor, rather than being it's own part like in the P38
I have a AC42 LP34 flare gun, that too has a small loaded chamber indicator. quite funny to see.
6:08 Kind of funny that I was watching this while eating traditional Russian "Tula honey-cake" ("пряник") with "condensed boiled milk" filling which is #1 thing Tula is famous for since medieval times. So much diss for Tula ammo :|
I used to have a mini14 that shot steel cased all day without issue. But when loaded with brass it had a consistent fail to eject/extract twice per mag
I had the same issue with Blazer Brass in my P38(made 2/62). Gonna try WWB next.
That makes even less sense in modern optic ready pistols, where the little hole gives gasses a way to get out of the chamber, right into your dot’s lenses, making them dirty faster than anything else. And without the need for a third party to identify the status of your gun
The penalties show how much a shit day can get into your head. I'm impressed at how calmly you took it.
And when the hammer sear wears... it goes full auto. Never a dull war when you're carrying a P38.
What actually happened is a WWII German Pistol recognized the Frankophile Ian and did it's best to sabotage his runs.
I am also guessing that the Craptacular Tula ammo with steel cases is closer to the WWII german 9mm than you think.
I have a post war P38 and it doesn't really have a preference on ammo, but it shoots left just because it can.
All the good guns should have a loaded chamber checker that is made up of a pair of eyes and a visual of the actual chamber. (operator, not a mechanical device)
I inherited a Walther P38 from my Dad. So, thank you!
Ian proved Murphys right on this day.
I'm no expert, but looking at the diagram, the P38 looks like a mechanical nightmare.
well it's completly strip out it's not like when ian usually only field strip firearms
it seems pretty simple apart from the 3 parts next to the hammer (i don't recognize them )
the m1911 seems a mechanical mess especilly with that leaf spring
and the mechanical nightmare of still in production handguns is probably the rhino
www.gunsumerreports.com/Chiappa_Rhino_60DS/Chiappa_Rhino_60DS_064.JPG
I remember my P1 had an indicator, however never showed attention to it. Our major however when doing inspection checked the status visual or by touch.
Any concerns about the slide and/or frame cracking? The P38’s hard right angles in some areas are prone to stress magnification, and really were a bit of a design flaw. It’d be a shame to lose a nice historic piece. The problems were not remedied until later versions of the P1, and, in a sense, until later versions of the Beretta 92.
This kind of thing never happens with a 1911.
MURICA!!
(If you look closely I engaged the sarcasm font when I types that)
Cool piece of history you have there Karl.
My Dad had the loaded chamber indicator break on his Stgw. 57 during his military service. So Karl is right: those things can break and falsely indicate an empty chamber.
Couldn't agree more about loaded chamber indicators, completely pointless "feature" that at its best promotes bad habits and at its worst causes problems.
I like but don't rely on the loaded chamber indicator on my Sig P365 since its just a small peep hole in the slide. You need moderately good light, you can't tell in the dark. I do wonder how much dust and debris can get through that hole.
Nice Alpini hat! Very appreciated that you're wearing it on the day of the National Gathering of the Alpini (it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adunata_nazionale_degli_alpini)!
Zee firearm doez not go in zee mikrowave. Guten tag.
Really interesting. What were the penalties for?
I sure hope my SP2022 doesn't ever have a malfunction, 'coz mine has one. I was hoping when I ordered it that it would be the type that doesn't, plus they look better without one. It's just one more thing that can possibly go wrong that isn't necessary and can make someone have bad chamber discipline.