Luger VS. Walther P38

ok, these are two respected pistols that are my personal favorite sidearms. now, what are some major differences beetween the two, i know the luger is more powerful than the P38.....

 

In fact the 'standard' issue Luger P.08 and the Walther P.38 shared almost identical ballistic statistics when using 9mm Parabellum 125-grain ammo ( 1040 fps m/v, 320-460ft.lb m/s/v ). Barrel of the P.38 was 4.75in as against 4in of the P.08.

The design of each weapon was completely different. P.38 was easier to manufacture with fewer processes than P.08, and was the first combat automatic to feature a true double-action giving a higher effective rate of fire. The safety of the P.38 was more secure, it was simpler to field-strip and was less prone to jamming in muddy or dusty conditions.

On the credit side, the P.08 remained more accurate to 'point-and-shoot' due its shape fitting the hand more comfortably with more controllable recoil, but then again, the toggle-action rising through the line of sight could upset aim.

You pays your money and takes your choice but the Luger always remains a fascinating piece of German precision engineering, rather in the manner of a Leica camera.

 

yea, i have always loved the luger, but really, is it true that they can go through 5 people, i am skeptical of this....
as you may have seen indiana jones? last crusade, harrison ford shoots a luger and it goes through 5 german soldiers.....(i doubt this) but you have to admit the indiana jones movies are great...

 

In such close proximity, I would say that it would.

 

that is quite impressive, i do have a luger that is in the "red zone" as far as the condition is....
could you hook me up with a seller?
now there is a site with incredible WW2 guns but they are in .22 cal. i have a few
authentic weight etc.

 

Not much of a pistol guy myself...when they get that close a club is just as efficent...but, there is really only one way to go: M1911 .45. Puts them down and they stay that way. The Webley .455 is just as efficent if you prefer a "rewallowa."
The 9mm just lets them know where you are....

 

yea, i know what you mean man, i got a .45 myself, but the only thing those bullets go through is watermelons, haha. now those webleys are pretty cool guns themselves...

 

thing i apreciated was that they used revolvers in ww2, nobody gives revolvers credit anymore...

 

Revolvers are great weapons; accurate, reliable, cool-looking, but militarily they are made obsolete by mag-loaders like the P-08/P-38, the Tokarev, and my personal favorite the 1911. As far as German pistols go I would be more comfortable with a P-38 in my hands, but since I'm not likely to engage in combat any time soon, a P-08 is a historical marvel, especially ones with Nazi markings intact, that I would love to get my hands on. My friend managed to buy one, and I'm real jealous of that

Incidentally, doesn't this thread belong in the WW2 weapons sub-forum?

 

yea, i have a P-80, but it is not in good condition it has the nazi markings but they are hard to see, i have only fired it once...haha

 

'Nazi' markings on standard-issue Third Reich P.08s are very indistinct. The main grouping can usually be found on the right-hand side of the receiver :-

Luger markings

 

Fortune, how far can you (or anyone) hit a man-size target with one of these? Joke aside, in other words, what is the practical range?

 

I love the Webley & the Luger, both very neat designs. I've had the 1911, and the P-38, PPG and shot all many times. I have a Polish made Radom my Uncle brought back from the war. A typicle gun from that period. A basic no-frills, unexciting design. The Nazi eagle is stamped on the left side of the receiver, and ink stamped on the inside of the holster.
The newer pistols now are much better weapons (and there're many good ones), for a war.
If I had it(wanted it) to do all again, (collecting that is), I'd keep the Webley and the Luger. For the "uniqueness", I suppose.

 

The Polish Radom is an interesting weapon and was pretty good for its time. Like quite a number of other pistols, it was basically a copy of John M Browning's M1911/HP35 principles but I believe its 'safety' could be rather suspect.

Great collectors item, though !

 

Luger was already obsolescent by the begining of WWII, due to a very complex and unusual action with lots of moving parts, and therefore was prone to jam. On the other hand, the P38 design was very modern (ergonomic safety, double action).

P38 was faster operating, and in all respect was on par with post war standards for the military handguns.

About firepower, both guns are pretty much the same and none of them is outstanding or weak, when compared to the bulk of 9x19 mm (including postwar designed ones).

The design of the luger, both internal and external, is unique and perhaps the reason why this gun has entered history.

 

istols:

 

Holy oop:!!!! A "VS" thread that actually makes sense and with weapons that are relevent to eachother .

 

...and contributors who manage not to offend one another.....

 

Agreed that the P38 is a more suitable combat and service sidearm, for several reasons. Cost, simplicity of manufacture, operator safety, and resistance to jamming from dirt were all critical advantages of the P38 over the P08 Luger.

But it is one large misconception is that the Luger was more complex. Only the manufacture of the Luger, the milling of the parts, was complex.
The actual design of the Luger, its operating system, is very much simpler and easier to understand than that of the P38, as well as of the 1911, Browning Hi-Power, and any other hammer fired gun of its day, where the main lockwork is hidden inside the grip-frame.

The entire firing train of the Luger its bolt, firing pin, and sear system is linear and fully accessible, easier to understand than the hidden lockwork of those other guns mentioned above. While field-stripping a P38 may be initially easier, once the "slide" or upper part is off the frame, the Luger's bolt is easier and faster to disassemble, all the way down to the firing pin.

There are ONLY TWO screws in a Luger, the grip screws. You can get the firing pin and trigger out of a Luger in seconds with no tools at all, as well as most other parts, which except for the grip panels, are all pinned, snap-fit, or interlocked together, due to the ingenious design. That design required more machining, but resulted in a simpler pistol.

The dangerous part of a Luger, the core of the gun, is the upper, where all of the essential sear parts are housed. A complete upper removed from the grip frame can fire a bullet anyway.

 

I think you've got a reasonable point. The Luger IMPO looks more complex ( certainly around the S-shaped coupling link ) but , with its double-action, the P-38 ended up with more parts than the P-08.....