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View Full Version : A pistol ahead of its time.



MilitaryArms
23 December 2011, 15:53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk7T_8SjhT0

lethal dose
19 February 2012, 14:37
really nice review, MAC. the p38 is, indeed, a joy to shoot. thanks for the rundown.

lamarbrog
19 February 2012, 19:01
To me, the two big "what ifs" in small arms development are related to the AK47 and the P38.



The technology of the double stack magazine was available at the time in the form of the Browning P35 Hi Power. In fact, after German occupation of Belgium, the Germans were manufacturing the Hi Power for their own military use.

The "what if" is if the P38 had been designed (or redesigned) to accept the 13 round magazine of the P35. Can you imagine? Basically, a rough equivalent of a Beretta 92FS/M9 in use by the German military in WWII a full 50 years before the M9 was adopted by our military.

At least, I think it is interesting to think about.

MilitaryArms
20 February 2012, 17:48
I would agree, the only thing would have kept the P38 from slipping into the pages of history would have been a higher capacity magazine. Had it carried a 13 round magazine like the P35 it might still be in service today. I has all the features of a modern double action auto.

lamarbrog
20 February 2012, 22:01
I may or may not have access to a P38 and a P1.... and I may or may not have access to some CAD software.... and I may or may not know a few machinists with machine shops.

I wonder... P38 slide, P35-style frame? Hmm... the missing link?

This is why it's bad for me to talk about guns late at night.