And here I thought I'd never own a Walther P88...

[MattyD380]

This was definitely one of those "the gunshop doesn't know what they have" kinda things. Mint condition P88 Compact, 1999 date code. Bought it for $599.

I'm not sure it had ever been fired...

8748787486

But it has now...

87485

It's super accurate and seems perfectly reliable--that's 50 rounds of S&B at 10 yards. I was kinda getting used to the trigger, but the thing is definitely a "1-hole" gun. I put about 150 rounds through it in all, including Freedom reman... which actually choked my BHP and my CZ PCR. Also put a mag with random, old JHPs in it. Ran great.

Super happy with the gun. Incredibly smooth and intuitive shooter. The fit, finish and build is... on another level. It's probably the nicest gun I've ever owned.

[ccmdfd]

Congratulations on making such a huge steal!

[MattyD380]

Congratulations on making such a huge steal!

Thank you, sir! I almost pretended to haggle… almost… 🤣

[Borderland]

You stole that one.

P-88 was the last really great pistol Walther produced. Too expensive for the unwashed masses. I've lusted for a PP Super. Never found one with a price I could live with. Fiocchi is the only company that builds ammo for it, occasionally.

https://i.ibb.co/tJg9mKQ/Walther-PP-Super-parabellum-pl-no-BG.jpg (https://ibb.co/87qHKsN)

[Lex Luthier]

You stole that one.

The last really good pistol Walther produced. Too expensive for the unwashed masses. I've lusted for a PP Super. Never found one with a price I could live with. Fiocchi is the only company that builds ammo for it, occasionally.

https://i.ibb.co/tJg9mKQ/Walther-PP-Super-parabellum-pl-no-BG.jpg (https://ibb.co/87qHKsN)

Sir, a gaggle of P99 variants would like a word with you out back.

Congrats, MattyD380 .
Stock up on springs and mags when you can.

[Borderland]

Sir, a gaggle of P99 variants would like a word with you out back.

Congrats, MattyD380 .
Stock up on springs and mags when you can.

Striker. Like all the rest of the really great pistols being sold these days. ;)

Sorry, I'm a DA/SA kind a guy.

[MattyD380]

You stole that one.

P-88 was the last really great pistol Walther produced. Too expensive for the unwashed masses. I've lusted for a PP Super. Never found one with a price I could live with. Fiocchi is the only company that builds ammo for it, occasionally.

https://i.ibb.co/tJg9mKQ/Walther-PP-Super-parabellum-pl-no-BG.jpg (https://ibb.co/87qHKsN)

When I saw the price, I almost felt a tinge of guilt. Luckily it passed rather quickly.

There’s a PP Super in .380 for sale on the Walther forum as we speak: https://www.waltherforums.com/threads/hard-to-find-walther-pp-super-in-380-case-manual-mags-mag-extension-now-1300-shipped.128185/#post-1288909

It’s not exactly cheap… but for what it is, I think maybe one could rationalize it.

[MattyD380]

I will also second the P99 as an excellent gun. It doesn’t feel as special as the P88 or the P5, but I’m not sure it’s any less accurate. And it is DA/SA.

And, for shits and gigs, I also shot my P5 today…

87489

Just to see, I mag-dumped some of that shit reman through my P5 ProMags, as fast as I could pull the trigger (not this grouping—this was steady fire). Never missed a beat.

[Borderland]

I'm looking for one for 600 bucks, or maybe a tad more. I know some old FFL some where who can't search GB is going to take one in on trade and I'll be the first guy to see it in his case. 9x18 Super? Never heard of it.

[GJM]

What optic will you mill it for? :p

[MattyD380]

What optic will you mill it for? :p

https://media0.giphy.com/media/tjwzClJM6fyEw/200w.gif?cid=82a1493bryicvnx16g8h84ltfj06hzkyifiqg 59tpw4k4556&rid=200w.gif&ct=g

You can joke about some things…

😉

[MattyD380]

I'm looking for one for 600 bucks, or maybe a tad more. I know some old FFL some where who can't search GB is going to take one in on trade and I'll be the first guy to see it in his case. 9x18 Super? Never heard of it.

I feel like that’s more or less exactly how this P88 acquisition transpired. Haha.

[JAD]

I am strangely drawn to DA/SAs of that era - of course the Smiths but also the Star M30, HK P9, and Steyr GB. The only one I’ve actually succumbed to buying is the P229, but I could easily own a bunch. Well boughten.

[MattyD380]

I am strangely drawn to DA/SAs of that era - of course the Smiths but also the Star M30, HK P9, and Steyr GB. The only one I’ve actually succumbed to buying is the P229, but I could easily own a bunch. Well boughten.

Thanks. I’m pretty stoked.


Yeah, the Steyr GB and P9S have always been on my radar. At that time, it seems there was a lot of innovation… but still that sense of “old-world” quality in things. At least that’s my 2020s-shaded perspective on it.

[Joe in PNG]

Niiiiicccccceeeeee!!!!!!!!

[Jim Watson]

Wow, what a Deal, about half the price I would have expected to see.

I was taken in by gunzine praise of the P88; but when I got to handle one, the plastic grips bulged out over the ambidextrous overlapping interlocked control levers were not comfortable.
I liked the look and feel of the P88C with its regular Walther slide safety and walnut grips, but by the time any had made it to my area, AWB94 had kicked in and full size magazines were not to be had.
So I bought a CZ75 for which standard magazines were still available.

[LockedBreech]

What a grab. Absolutely beautiful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MattyD380]

Yeah, I was honestly more interested in the Compact vs. the full size... for stated grip reasons. I have small hands and it feels really good.

And yes, mine came with the neutered 10-rounders. Which, interestingly, are the same as the P99 10-rounders I have--except for a different plastic base assembly. 14-rounders are out there, but their $100+. I'll probably end up springing for one sooner or later.

Folks on the Walther Forum also use early P99 16-rounders in their P88Cs. So... could do that, too.

[Paul D]

Nice thievery! According to this reference (https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/walther-book-model-1-ppx.html), only 7344 were made.

[spyderco monkey]

Congrats, thats a great find.

Lifesizepotato - massive collection of rare and high end pistols - gives a great overview.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgnq7Ddy5As

[TheNewbie]

I wish Sig had also combined the slide release and decocker.

[RevolverRob]

Give you $650 for it. You make a profit!!

Last time I saw one, was a Pawn Shop in Austin. Was a full size with five mags and about 60% finish. The guy wanted $2200 for it back in 2009.

Interestingly enough, that gun was still there four months later. And still there six months later when the shop went under. I offered the guy $1100 for it (which was then a fair market price), but he refused, "I know what it's worth!" Guess it wasn't worth paying rent.

[MattyD380]

Give you $650 for it. You make a profit!!

Last time I saw one, was a Pawn Shop in Austin. Was a full size with five mags and about 60% finish. The guy wanted $2200 for it back in 2009.

Interestingly enough, that gun was still there four months later. And still there six months later when the shop went under. I offered the guy $1100 for it (which was then a fair market price), but he refused, "I know what it's worth!" Guess it wasn't worth paying rent.

Geez. $1100 was damn good offer. I almost bought a full-size P88—well worn—for like $800 on GB, this fall. I thought it was reasonable, esp. for GB.

Prices can be all over the place at these local joints. The place I bought this P88 occasionally has some screaming deals. They had a fairly pristine Sig P6 for $299 (which I bought the F out of) a few years ago. Today, I saw a commemorative Walther PP in the case for $1200–which is more or less what I’d expect for something like that. I guess the guy putting the tags on today actually knew what he was doing.

I also shot the it again. Because… it’s awesome. Didn’t clean it or put any more oil on it. Ran like a top. Not that that’s super impressive from a reliability standpoint, but the gun is so tight I half expected some kind of a break in period. It’ll hang up just out of battery if I ride the slide. And there’s basically zero play in the slide-to-frame fit.

Shot some nice tight groups… even though I’d had a lot of coffee… and I was shooting S&B, which has kind of a jerky, unpleasant recoil impulse, in my opinion.

87581

This thing is kinda like my version of a high-dollar 1911.

[Bucky]

Awesome find. I am very fond of the P 88 compact.

[JonInWA]

Yeah, you stole it-congratulations. They're superbly accurate guns. I owned a late-production one for a number of years; I liked it well enough, but never used it or actually carried it heavily. Be very careful with US cleaning and lubrication solvents with the grips; the German plastic Walther used is extremely susceptible to being weakened/softened/crystallization/cracking when exposed to many solvents that are common here. As I recall, Earl Sheehan at Earl's Repair Service specifically recommended Kleenbore's Formula 3 Gun Conditioner only, but I'll have to check my notes, and it might be worth a call to see what he currently recommends-or just get a set of Nill grips.

For carry, I had Kramer make one of their excellent horsehide holsters for it; I'm sure they can still make one for you if desired.

Best, Jon

[MattyD380]

Yeah, you stole it-congratulations. They're superbly accurate guns. I owned a late-production one for a number of years; I liked it well enough, but never used it or actually carried it heavily. Be very careful with US cleaning and lubrication solvents with the grips; the German plastic Walther used is extremely susceptible to being weakened/softened/crystallization/cracking when exposed to many solvents that are common here. As I recall, Earl Sheehan at Earl's Repair Service specifically recommended Kleenbore's Formula 3 Gun Conditioner only, but I'll have to check my notes, and it might be worth a call to see what he currently recommends-or just get a set of Nill grips.

For carry, I had Kramer make one of their excellent horsehide holsters for it; I'm sure they can still make one for you if desired.

Best, Jon

Thanks, Jon.

I'm using Hoppes #9 solvent. But I'll make a point to keep it off the grips. And I'll check out the Kleenbore. If you've tried the Nills, do they add a lot of thickness to the grips? That said, I kinda like the feel--and the look--of the all-business black plastic.

[Sig_Fiend]

The P9S is absolutely worth buying. There's no other pistol like it. If H&K is like Porsche (my opinion, many engineering parallels), the P9S is like a Carrera 2.7 RS. The P9S Target is like a Carrera 3.0 RSR. The P9S Sport Group is like the world-dominating Porsche 935.

The CZ 52 has a remotely similar operating mechanism in that they're both roller-locked. Leave it to "ze Germans" to take what was originally a 7.62 operating mechanism and decide to put it in a pistol. "Ja! Ziss vill be ze greatest pistol und all ze vorld!"

87607

[JonInWA]

Thanks, Jon.

I'm using Hoppes #9 solvent. But I'll make a point to keep it off the grips. And I'll check out the Kleenbore. If you've tried the Nills, do they add a lot of thickness to the grips? That said, I kinda like the feel--and the look--of the all-business black plastic.

I'll recommend taking off the grips before cleaning and lubing for anything other than Kleenbore Formula 3. Walther really used some plastics that were inherently compromised back in the day; I also had a P5C where the plastic filler piece that anchored the hammer strut crystallized and broke, breaking the hammer strut's anchor. That rendered the P5C immediately unfirable. I had Earl's replace with an new one, and then traded out of the gun. The standard P5 had the hammer strut anchored in a hanger on the receiver, so it was only a P5C issue.

I agree with the aesthetics of the OEM black plastic. The problem is that materially the plastic is crap, which can induce operational issues, which is a hard no go for me.

The plastic grips on the P1, P5, P5C and P88 that I owned all seemed to be of the same material composition. I replaced the OEM P5 grips with a Hogue rubber grip set on all of my P5s, which they initially manufactured at the behest of the Dutch National Police, as the OEM grip for their issue P5s.

I've never personally owned any Nill Grips, so I can't personally attest to their relative/comparitive thickness, but they seem to be very well regarded in Europe and over here by users. They're quite spendy, though.

Best, Jon

[P30]

If H&K is like Porsche (my opinion, many engineering parallels)
The factories of HK and Porsche are only 50 miles apart. I've got some HKs but no Porsche. Which engineering parallels do you mean?
BTW: I live about 200 miles away from the Porsche factory.

[Sig_Fiend]

The factories of HK and Porsche are only 50 miles apart. I've got some HKs but no Porsche. Which engineering parallels do you mean?
BTW: I live about 200 miles away from the Porsche factory.

Often not compromising on engineering quality and precision. Then having product lines last for significant periods of time. In some cases, it's to the point of being a bit outdated and behind the curve in certain ways (well, more so in the 80s and 90s with certain models, not so much now), while still being perfectly viable and performant enough for most uses. I can go into more detail but don't want to derail the thread. Happy to do so over PMs if you'd like though! :)

[MattyD380]

I visited a Mercedes truck factory near Karlsruhe. My then father-in-law had a trucking company near Düsseldorf, so they gave us a tour when the trucks were delivered (free gift with purchase!)—which was really cool. Then we went to a lovely little town on the Rhine and drank so much wine… well, I forget. 😁

But that part of Germany seemed very nice. Looks like Ulm isn’t too far from there either. So many awesome things made so close together.

[BCG]

89096
picture taken on 04/21/2022 at 5280 Armory (https://5280armory.com/)

[Yeet-Cannoneer]

When I was a kid in the late 1980s the local German Polizei in that city carried the P88. The city was Mainz, Germay in the state of Rhineland Pfalz. I was a gun nerd even as a kid and thought the wondernine was cool.