Milsurp After Hours

I have a P1 and a question. Is it safe to carry the hammer down on a loaded chamber with the safety off? I'm left handed, and usually carry revolvers because the safeties on most autos are awkward for me. It would be carried in a hip holster when I'm out on my farm or woods walking.
Thanks

Why do you need to carry it with the safety off.

I'm left handed, and usually carry revolvers because the safeties on most autos are awkward for me.

The idea was to be able to do that in the original design.

The shooter could load a round into the chamber, use the de-cocking lever to safely lower the hammer without firing the round, and carry the weapon loaded with the hammer down. A pull of the trigger, with the hammer down, fired the first shot and the operation of the pistol ejected the fired round and reloaded a fresh round into the chamber, all features found in many modern day handguns.

However,even with the safety on, there was a possibility of something breaking and causing an accidental discharge. The later P5 design was beefed up in the next generation design.

Manufactured in Ulm, West Germany, by Carl Walther Sportwaffen GmbH, the P5 was a further development of the famous Walther P38 and P1 series. Development began following requests by German police and federal agencies for a new sidearm . Walther engineers decided to use the P1 model as the basis of the P5 and gave it a similar locking system, reinforced frame, and dual recoil springs. In addition, the Walther improved the extractor, shortened the barrel, and increased the slide length. Safety was enhanced by utilizing an innovative pivoting firing pin that can move forward only when the trigger is pulled. In addition, the P1's slide-mounted decocker/safety was moved to a frame mounted decocker/slide stop multi-lever.[citation needed]

[edit] Variants

Both quotes from Wikipedia

Thanks for the replies. Out of the over twenty handguns I own the only autos are 1911's, a Colt Model 1903, and a Ruger MkIII. I bought the Walther because one of my areas of interest is WWII firearms (I could not afford a genuine P38).
My wife and I have a small farm in a rural area with lots of woods around. Besides the usual deer, turkey, rabbits, etc are predators that would love to get our chickens, rattlesnakes (the best dog we ever had was bitten by an Eastern Diamondback right by the back door) and recently rabid racoons getting after peoples livestock have become a problem. Coyotes abound but are seldom seen.
I usually carry a Ruger Single Six 22 magnum in my pocket during the day, and a 38 Special after dark (when the "big boys" are out). I know the Wather gets jealous geting left in the sock drawer, so I thought I'd take her out for a walk once in a while.
I just would like to be able to draw and use it without fumbling with a safety or having to take the time to rack the slide to chamber a round. This is why the 1911's get left in the house.

The price of P38's has gone down recently. SOG has some now that were Russian captured that have been reworked and refinished. At $398, they run a hundred dollars less than previously. The only problem is that one major part or the other has been forced matched. The Russians never seemed to be able to keep all the parts of anything together for reassembly...and refinishing is a bit of a negative. However, the frame is still steel and not aluminum like the P1's that came later. And...probably they should be selling for still another $100 less, except for the recent inflation of all gun prices they probably would.

Unless you are expecting to be attacked by some form of deadly rabid wildlife - carry it loaded with the safety on.
IF you just have to carry it with the safety off put it in a closed holster, like the military soft type.
It really doesn't matter how you carry it as long as the trigger is covered so it could not be snagged on something.
Sarge

Got an email from AIM. Looks like the P1 has been added to the C&R list recently Also looks like the price has been jacked a bit from what I remember then being last time I checked......but I may be imagining things here.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx? ... 9mm+Pistol

That's what the price is in my area also. I paid $299, but only got one magazine, and no holster.

You might want to consider carrying a CZ82. Its a true ambidexterious pistol and you shouldn't have any problem with the safety. 12 + 1 isn't a bad option either.