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The Walther Model 4
by Ed Buffaloe
The Walther Company was founded in 1886 by Carl Walther in the town of Zella St. Blasi, Thuringia, a traditional metalworking and weapon-making area in Central Germany. (The town was renamed Zella-Mehlis after 1919.)
The company manufactured rifles and shotguns that were hand fitted, and quickly gained a reputation for superior quality that has remained associated with the Walther name to this day. Three of Carl’s five sons, Fritz, Georg, and Hans Erich, took over the family business after the death of their father in 1915.
In 1899, the first 7.65mm Browning (.32 A.C.P.) pistol was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium, and became known as the Model 1900.
Though the 1896 “Broomhandle” Mauser preceded it, the 1900 FN Browning is the first successful “pocket” self-loading pistol. In 1905, FN began production of the first 6.35mm Browning (.25 A.C.P.), which was likewise the first successful vest pocket semi-automatic pistol. These two guns gained worldwide attention, and almost everyone in the firearms industry began to design pistols for the two cartridges, hoping to cash in on the success of the Browning guns.
By 1908, Carl and his son Fritz had produced prototypes of both a .32 and a .25 caliber pistol. The .32 was designated the Venus-Pistole (the Walther factory was called the Venuswerke) and had its
recoil spring mounted over the barrel, like the 1900 Browning. The .32 Venus-Pistole was never produced. I suspect (and this is pure speculation) that by the time Walther was ready to tool up for the Venus-Pistole the 1910 Browning had made its
appearance and the 1900 Browning and guns like it had already begun to seem a bit retro by comparison. In any case, the
Walther Company began manufacturing its first .25 caliber pistol in 1910, later christened the Model 1. The Model 1 was
slightly smaller and lighter than the 1905 Browning, but was similar in design, with the recoil spring beneath the barrel and a
spring-loaded striker. However, the Walther’s barrel was fixed, its extractor was on top of the gun, and the slide was cut
away in the front to reveal the barrel. Beautifully made and with excellent fitment, it was an instant success, with sales of just over 30,000 by 1915.
The Model 1 was followed by the Models 2 and 3, which were simplified in design, used a hammer instead of a striker, and
had the recoil spring around the barrel. This last feature was almost certainly influenced by the design of the 1910 Browning.
The Model 3, in .32 caliber, actually appeared first in 1913, probably because the company was still selling their existing
stock of the Model 1. The Model 2, in .25 caliber, appeared in 1914. The Model 2 was approximately a quarter-inch
shorter than the 1905 Browning vest pocket, and more than three ounces lighter. The Model 3 was an inch shorter than the
1910 Browning, three ounces lighter, and held one less round. The Model 3 was only about 2mm longer than the 1908 Bayard, held one more round, and was much more ergonomic in design.
The Model 3 was only produced for a very short time, probably less than 2 years, and only about 3,500 were made, making
it one of the rarest early Walthers. The Model 3 was said to be prized by secret agents during the cold war because of its concealable size and relatively powerful round.
 But World War I required a handgun more suitable for military
use, and the Walther Company designed the Model 4 as quickly as possible by simply enlarging the Model 3, giving it a larger grip, longer barrel, better sights, and a greater magazine capacity.
They were rewarded with an order from the German government in May of 1915 for 250,000 Model 4s. Some might wonder why a .32 caliber handgun was ordered for military use, when
the primary service weapon was the much more powerful Luger 9mm P08 Parabellum pistol. Personally, I suspect that the P08 Parabellum, while powerful and accurate, was finicky about dirt
and residue and, being complex to field-strip, was hard to maintain in the trench-warfare environment of World War I*. The Walther, while underpowered, was reliable and easy to
maintain. Once it was adopted, it rapidly gained the confidence of the soldiers who used it. By the end of World War
I--thanks to its government contract--Walther was the largest pistol manufacturer in Germany and was among the first companies to be allowed to resume pistol production after the war.
The Model 4 is a relatively simple handgun of blowback design, with a fixed barrel, an external extractor, and a concealed
hammer. Its most unusual feature is that (like its predecessor the Model 3) its extractor and ejection port are on the left. The
barrel acts as a guide for the concentric recoil spring, which is held in place by a bayonette-type lug that covers the front of
the barrel, and by a sleeve at the rear which also serves to cover the spring. When the slide moves rearward, it forces the
trigger bar down, disconnecting it from the sear. The safety is a rotating thumb lever that positively locks the cocked
hammer. There is a screw on the backstrap of the grip that regulates the tension of the flat hammer spring. The gun is
well-balanced, fits the hand very nicely, and points instinctively. It is also reasonably accurate.
My Model 4 is one of the third variant, manufactured just after the war. There is absolutely no play in the fitment of the slide and receiver. The gun tends to shoot a bit high at ten yards, but is spot-on at 25
to 50 yards. The trigger pull is rather heavy and the gun has considerable recoil. Recoil causes the trigger guard to batter my
trigger finger, making it sore after a couple of magazines, so I prefer to shoot the gun with a glove on. Nevertheless, the grip
fits my hand perfectly and it points better than any gun except the Remington Model 51. The slide does not stay back on the
last round, and there is no provision for locking it open. The gun lacks a magazine safety and may be fired without a
magazine. The thumb safety is rather clumsy to disengage, but it is more secure than that of the 1910 Browning, which can
be easily broken. Like the ever-popular Brownings, the Walther’s virtues were its simplicity, reliability, accuracy, and quality of manufacture. True sophistication would come later.
In the 15 years of its manufacture, there were four major variations of the Model 4.
First Variant (Early World War I production.)
- Left side of slide marked (in capitals) “SELBSTLADE-PISTOLE CAL. 7,65. WALTHER’S-PATENT” on one line above the Walther banner.
- On the earliest pistols, the right side of the slide was blank. Later pistols had (in capitals) “Carl Walther WAFFENFABRIK ZELLA ST.BLASII” on one line.
- 11 vertical slide serrations up to serial number 34,000. After serial number 34,000 there were 6 vertical slide serrations with a flat bottom.
- Partially exposed trigger-bar on left side of receiver
- No rear sight, but had a groove along the top of the slide.
- Triangular or ramped front sight.
- Release catch for the locking lug/slide extension on right front of slide.
Second Variant (World War I production.)
- Left side of slide marked (in capitals) “SELBSTLADE-PISTOLE CAL. 7,65. WALTHER’S-PATENT” on one line above the Walther banner.
- Right side of slide marked (in capitals) “CARL WALTHER WAFFENFABRIK ZELLA ST.BLASII” on one line, or in rare cases blank.
- 6 vertical slide serrations.
- Adjustable raised rear sight in a dovetail mount.
- Most front sights were hemispherical, but a few were triangular.
Third Variant (Post-war production, approximately 1920-1923.)
- Left side of slide marked (in capitals) “WALTHER’S-PATENT CAL. 7.65” on one line above the Walther banner.
- Right side of slide marked (in capitals) “WAFFENFABRIK WALTHER ZELLA-MEHLIS” on one line.
- 15 fine v-shaped slide serrations angled forward.
- Internal trigger bar.
- Adjustable raised rear sight in a dovetail mount.
- Triangular front sight.
Fourth Variant (Limited production, 1928-1929, just prior to introduction of the PP.)
- Serial numbers 480,000 to 500,000. The same as Third Variant, except:
- Left side of slide marked (in lower case) “Walther’s Patent Cal. 7,65” on one line above the Walther banner.
- Right side of slide marked (in italic) “Waffenfabrik Walther Zella-Mehlis (Thür.)” on one line.
Disassembly
- Remove the magazine.
- Draw the slide back to make sure the chamber is empty and to cock the hammer.
- Press in on the barrel bushing, turn it counterclockwise (or toward the left side of the gun), and draw it carefully off the end of the gun under pressure
from the recoil spring. (For the earliest variant, press the catch on the right front of the slide, turn the barrel bushing counterclockwise, etc.)
- Remove the recoil spring and sleeve by twisting them off the barrel.
- Pull the slide all the way to the rear, lifting the front of the slide slightly to get it all the way back, then lift the rear of the slide up and off the rails and pull the slide forward and off the barrel.
Do not pull the trigger with the gun disassembled, as it could damage the lockwork. If the grips are removed from the early models with the external trigger bar, the trigger bar may fall out.
Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. There is a little trick to getting the slide back on the receiver, but it is best learned by experience. With the slide pulled all
the way to the rear, press down on the rear of the slide and push toward the front.
* In regard to the Luger 9mm pistol H.B. Pollard says: “As a piece of design it is curiously efficient, but its small calibre, high velocity, and rather delicate lock
work are points against it as a purely military arm. ...it is wonderfully designed--theoretically capable of great things, but when taken practically it tends to break
down through over organization, and its very virtues become defects.” (Automatic Pistols, 1920.)
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1910 Browning
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Walther Model 4
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Cartridge
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7.65mm / .32 ACP
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7.65mm / .32 ACP
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Magazine Capacity
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7 rounds
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8 rounds
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Overall Length
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6 inches / 153mm
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5.94 inches / 151mm
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Overall Height
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3.91 inches / 99.4mm
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4.05 inches / 102.9mm
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Grip Depth at Base
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1.67 inches / 42.4mm
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1.62 inches / 41.2mm
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Barrel Length
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3.44 inches / 87.5mm
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3.46 inches / 88mm
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Slide Width
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.8 inches / 20.3mm
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.8 inches / 20.5mm
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Weight Empty
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19.6 ounces / 554.8g
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18.42 ounces / 521.2g
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References
German Handguns, by Ian V. Hogg. Greenhill, London: 2001.
Pistols of World War I, by Robert J. Adamek. Pentagon Publishing, Pittsburg: 2001.
The Walther Handgun Story, by Gene Gangarosa, Jr. Stoeger Publishing, Wayne, NJ: 1999.
Walther Pistols, by W.H.B. Smith. Stackpole, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: 1946.
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