Walther Model 2

Despite the success of the Model 1 as a commercial venture, the Walther family was dissatisfied with its complicated construction. This involved a recoil spring under the barrel and a triggerguard-mounted stripping catch for holding the slide back. There was also a separate sleeve around the barrel that had to be unscrewed before the slide could be removed for disassembly Thus, within a year after the Model 1's appearance, a major simplification in Walther automatic pistol design was underway. The heart of the redesign was a recoil spring placed around the barrel (rather than underneath it) and held there by a bushing. This new arrangement was similar conceptually to that of the FN Model 1910 designed during this period by John Browning. Exactly how much of the Browning design was copied by the Walthers remains a matter for debate. This sticking point concerns the date when the pistol was introduced. The FN Model 1910, though patented in 1909, did not go into full production until 1912. Fabrique National apparently limited its production of the Model 1910 in the early years because sales of its Model 1900 pistol were still strong. The company hesitated, therefore, to introduce a competing product that might make its own gun obsolete. Official Walther history states that the Models 3 and 4 both came on the scene in 1910. But evidence now suggests that the FN pistol was produced in quantity at least a year before Walther's designs were completed, suggesting that the Walthers used the FN design as their inspiration. If true, then the Belgian company returned the favor in 1922 when it created the Model 1922 pistol from the Model 1910 --exactly the same way Walther had made its Model 4 by enlarging the Model 3.

The improved Walther Pistols - Models 2 and 3 - differed considerably in detail and execution from the FN design, however. For example, they all had concealed hammers, whereas the FN Model 1910 used a striker. The safety arrangements were considerably different, too. The FN pistol featured the company's famous "triple safety" consisting of a manual safety, a grip safety located at the rear of the frame and a magazine disconnect safety to prevent a round form being fired in the chamber when the magazine was not fully seated in the pistol grip. In contrast, the Walther pistols contained neither a grip safety nor a magazine safety. Despite these differences, the similarity of operating principle is what counts. It is extremely unlikely that young Fritz Walther could have developed by coincidence the same system as had the great firearms genius John Browning, who was then in the prime of his designing career. It is all but certain that the Models 2 and 3 did not go into production until 1913-1914, not the 1909-1910 period as earlier Walther-inspired sources have claimed. These dates also agree with the first appearance of the pistols in contemporary catalogs. Moreover, patents for the new design were not applied for until late 1911 to early 1914. The Model 3 is thought to have appeared first in 1913, while the Model 2's introduction was delayed until 1914. No matter what the true date of the pistol's first appearance may have been, Walther's redesign led to the .25 caliber Model 2 and the mechanically similar Model 3 in .32 caliber. Eventually, it extended to all Walther pistols introduced by the end of World War I, including Models 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Walther envisioned the six-shot Model 2 as a vest-pocket or deep concealment pistol, much like its original Model 1. The Model 2 weighed 9.75 ounces (277 grams) unloaded and about one ounce more when fully loaded with six rounds of .25 caliber ammunition. It measured only 4.25 inches (106mm), with a barrel length of 2.1 inches (54mm). Walther has always excelled in tiny automatic pistols - the so-called "vest pocket" design - and its Model 2 was a prime example of that type.

Dissassembly of the Model 2 began by clearing the weapon. In an automatic pistol, this meant removing the magazine and drawing back the slide eject any cartridges that might still be in the firing chamber. After making certain the weapon was completely unloaded, the shooter pressed a knurled barrel bushing that held the recoil spring in place and rotated it clockwise against the spring pressure. When the dissassembly notch was line up properly6 with the corresponding retaining lug (located on the inner surface of ths slide), the spring could then be eased out the front of the slide. The slide was then removed to gain access to the barrel for cleaning. This disassembly method, which remained the same for all Walther pistols through the Model 7, was a definite improvement over that found in the Model 1, but it was still hard to find the right spot for replacing the slide on the frame during reassembly The fieldstripping procedure pioneered by Walther years later in the Model 8 was much better than that found on any of the company's early pistols.

Two safety devices were standard on the Model 2. The first was a manual safety lever located on the left rear corner of the frame. After it was rotated rearward to cover the "F," the gun was ready to fire. When rotated back to its safe setting, this safety lever blocked the hammer from forward movement, but without interfering with the slide operation. Moreover, this safety could be set on safe only when the hammer was cocked, indicating the pistol's state of readiness. This is an effective system for use with single-action pistols with concealed hammers, similar in concept and operation to the manual safety found on Colt's Model 1903. Walther used this same safety mechanism throughout the entire Model 2-7 series.

The second safety device on the Model 2 was a rear sight that also functioned as a loaded-chamber indicator. When the firing chamber was empty this sight sat in the slide. But when a round was placed in the firing chamber, this rear sight ascended up into the sighting plane atop the slide. While clever and unusual, even unique, this arrangement called for several small, fragile parts that were expensive to manufacture. Walther dropped the arrangement in late Model 2s-and in the later Model 5 derived from the Model 2-in favor of a fixed rear sight groove. As a result, the Model 2 with its rear sight/loaded-chamber indicator setup has become exceedingly rare and highly desired among Walther collectors. The front sight on the Model 2, incidentally, was a simple hemispherical type dovetailed into the slide top. It remained so throughout production of the Model 2.

Although Walther later included loaded-chamber indicators on its other pistols-notably the PP/PPK series and the P38-their design was quite different. The loaded-chamber indicator is a good idea, but like any mechanical device it is prone to failure. Prudent shooters will not relay wholly upon a loaded-chamber indicator or any other mechanical safety device. No safety mechanism can ever take the place of constant vigilance and common sense when handling any type of firearm.

Still another compelling argument for accepting the later date (1913-1914) of the Model 2's introduction concerns the patent application found on the rear sight/loaded-chamber indicator. German patent records indicate that Fritz Walther did not apply for this patent (which became, when awarded, Deutsches Patent number 271863) until January 8, 1913. It is inconceivable that the astute Walthers would manufacture a pistol for almos four years, as tradition would have us believe without even trying to secure patent protection.

Walther also supplied the Model 2 with two piece grips made of checkered hard rubber. Th first few hundred units produced by the compan~ bore an inscription-"Caliber 6,35"-at the top o each grip. Later Model 2s substituted a "CW' logo (for "Carl Walther") in place of the calibe designation. Two screws, one on each side, held the grips in place. The magazine, made of sheet metal, held up to six .25 caliber cartridges. Its heel-type magazine release was located at the bottom rear of the frame, but it operated in the opposite direction to that which is considered customary. To release the magazine for reloading, the release catch was pushed to the rear with the thumb, with the first finger of the support (non-shooting) hand hooked around the extended front of the magazine baseplate. The magazine could then be pulled from the grip.

The following inscription appeared on the left side of the slide:

The right side of the slide was unmarked except for a proofmark (see appendix 3). Walther did not inscribe model numbers on its pistols until 1920, when the Model 8 first made its appearance. In 1973, firearms researcher James B. Stewart theorized that Walther had marked the Model 2 together with the Model 3 (in a serial number block separate from the Model 1) that ran from 100 to 14000. Since then, we've discovered that the Model 2 serials go higher, to at least 18000. Because the late Model 2 (without the pop-up rear sight) and the Model 5 are almost identical, it's difficult to tell exactly whether a given pistol is a Model 2 or a Model 5. When Walther stopped Model 2 production in 1915 in favor of the Model 5, we know the company switched from four-groove to six-groove rifling, a pattern that is still in use. Counting the grooves in the rifling appears to be the best and only reliable way of distinguishing a late Model 2 from an early Model 5.

The limited production of the Model 2 again suggests a later introductory date-probably on the eve of World War I-than an earlier one. If the Model 2 had been in production for nearly six years, then its small size, making it highly desirable for civilian shooters, would have caused many more to be built than actually were. As things stand, the Model 2 is exceedingly rare today, with surviving specimens in good condition fetching $2,000 or more.