Carl Walther GmbH was founded in 18861 in DE and has 1062 firearms in the catalogue. That scale matters here because this section is not a full company history. It is a catalogue-based sequence built from eight recorded Walther firearms, using their introduction dates and core specifications to show what this sample covers.
The sequence runs from the Walther Model 4, introduced in 19103, to the Walther PDP F-Series Pro, introduced in 20264. Between those endpoints sit the Walther P38 from 19385, the Walther Gewehr 43 from 1943, the Walther WA 2000 from 1982, the Walther PDP Compact from 2021, the Walther WMP from 2022 and the Walther LP500 from 2023.
Taken together, those entries span more than a century. The figures show not one continuous type line, but a spread across pistols, a battle rifle, a precision rifle and a match air pistol. The chart below makes the chronology clear and also shows where the long gaps sit in this eight-gun sample.
Introduction order across the years
In introduction order, the eight catalogue entries are the Walther Model 4 in 19103, the Walther P38 in 19385, the Walther Gewehr 43 in 1943, the Walther WA 2000 in 1982, the Walther PDP Compact in 20214, the Walther WMP in 2022, the Walther LP500 in 2023, and the Walther PDP F-Series Pro in 2026.
That sequence runs from 1910 to 2026. The value of laying the models out this way is that it shows chronology without implying a single continuous product line. The chart below makes the spacing visible. Two long intervals stand out in particular: 1943 to 1982, and 1982 to 2021.
The shorter intervals matter as well. There are years from the Model 4 to the P38, then 5 years to the Gewehr 43. At the recent end of the sequence, the catalogue entries cluster tightly, with 1 year from the PDP Compact to the WMP, 1 year from the WMP to the LP500, and 3 years from the LP500 to the PDP F-Series Pro. Together, those figures show a sample spread across more than a century, but unevenly distributed within it.
Year introduced, compared
The data in this chart
| Firearm | Year introduced (year) |
|---|---|
| Walther PDP F-Series Pro | 2,026 |
| Walther LP500 | 2,023 |
| Walther WMP | 2,022 |
| Walther PDP Compact | 2,021 |
| Walther WA 2000 | 1,982 |
| Walther Gewehr 43 | 1,943 |
| Walther P38 | 1,938 |
| Walther Model 4 | 1,910 |
From pocket pistol to service sidearm
The early pair in this sequence shows a clear move from a compact pocket pistol to a larger service sidearm. The Walther Model 4, introduced in 19103, is a blowback pistol chambered for .32 ACP. Its recorded figures are 522 g empty weight, 151 mm overall length, an 87 mm barrel and an 8-round5 magazine.
By 1938, the Walther P38 had shifted the pattern. It is a short recoil pistol chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, with an empty weight of 840 g, overall length of 216 mm, barrel length of 125 mm and the same 8-round magazine capacity. Against the Model 4, that is an increase of 318 g6 in empty weight, 65 mm in overall length and 38 mm in barrel length, without changing magazine capacity.
The ballistic and range figures move in the same direction. The Model 4 is listed at 290 m/s muzzle velocity and 25 m effective range. The P38 is listed at 350 m/s and 50 m. In catalogue terms, the later pistol doubles the stated effective range and raises muzzle velocity by 60 m/s.
That matters because it marks a change in role as much as in size. The P38 was developed "as the replacement for the costly and complex Luger P08 as the standard service pistol of the German Wehrmacht".
The wartime step to a self-loading rifle
The move from the Walther P38 to the Walther Gewehr 43 marks the clearest wartime change of category in this eight-gun sequence. The P38 was introduced in 19385 as a short recoil pistol in 9x19mm Parabellum. The Gewehr 43 followed in 1943 as a gas operated short stroke rifle in 7.92x57mm Mauser.
The figures show how large that step was. Empty weight rises from 840 g to 4100 g7, an increase of 3260 g6. Overall length goes from 216 mm to 1130 mm, a difference of 914 mm8. Barrel length increases from 125 mm to 549 mm, adding 424 mm9. Magazine capacity moves from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Effective range extends from 50 m to 500 m, which is 10 times the P38 figure.
This matters because it shows Walther appearing in the catalogue not only as a pistol maker, but also as a manufacturer of a full-size self-loading military rifle. The chambering change is part of that shift. The P38 uses 9x19mm Parabellum, while the Gewehr 43 uses 7.92x57mm Mauser. The cartridge chart below places that contrast in scale before the article turns to the later Walther WA 2000 and its .300 Winchester Magnum option.
The cartridges, to scale
Drawn from the recorded case and bullet dimensions, all at one scale.
The data in this chart
| Cartridge | Overall length (mm) |
|---|---|
| .300 Winchester Magnum | 84.8 |
| 7.92x57mm Mauser | 82 |
| 9x19mm Parabellum | 29.7 |
WA 2000 and the scale of the magnum rifle
The Walther WA 2000, introduced in 19825, is the clearest break in this eight-gun sequence by both mass and chambering. At 6950 g8 empty, it is the heaviest firearm in the sample shown by the weight chart below. That is 2850 g6 heavier than the Walther Gewehr 43 at 4100 g7, and 6110 g heavier than the Walther P38 at 840 g.
Its dimensions also mark a different class of arm. The WA 2000 is 905 mm long with a 650 mm barrel and a 6-round magazine. In the same entry, muzzle velocity is 880 m/s and effective range is 800 m. Those figures place it well beyond the pistol entries and above the Gewehr 43’s 500 m effective range.
The chambering data shows the same shift. One WA 2000 option is .300 Winchester Magnum, whose cartridge overall length is 84.84 mm10. The chart below highlights how close that is to 7.92x57mm Mauser at 82 mm1, and how far both sit from 9x19mm Parabellum at 29.69 mm11. In catalogue terms, the WA 2000 is where Walther’s recorded sequence moves furthest from service pistols and into a heavier, longer-range rifle format.
The modern spread: compact duty, rimfire magnum and match air pistol
The recent entries do not form a single line of growth in size or capacity. Instead, they split into different roles across three consecutive years.
The Walther PDP Compact, introduced in 20214, is a 9x19mm Parabellum pistol with short recoil operation, a 15-round5 magazine, 692 g empty weight and 191 mm overall length. Its listed muzzle velocity is 360 m/s and its effective range is 50 m. In catalogue terms, this is the compact service-pattern branch of the sequence.
The Walther WMP, introduced in 2022, keeps the same 15-round capacity but shifts to .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire and blowback operation. It is heavier at 788 g12 and longer at 208 mm. Its listed muzzle velocity rises to 575 m/s, while effective range remains 50 m. That combination matters because it shows a change in chambering and operating system without any increase in magazine capacity.
The Walther LP500, introduced in 2023, diverges further. It is a single-action, single-shot .177 Air pistol with 855 g9 empty weight, 420 mm overall length, 170 m/s muzzle velocity and 10 m effective range. Compared with the PDP Compact, it is 163 g6 heavier and 229 mm longer, yet its role is clearly different rather than larger in the same sense. The empty-weight chart below places all three well below the 6,950 g8 WA 2000, while still separating them from one another.
Empty weight, compared
The data in this chart
| Firearm | Empty weight (g) |
|---|---|
| Walther WA 2000 | 6,950 |
| Walther Gewehr 43 | 4,100 |
| Walther LP500 | 855 |
| Walther P38 | 840 |
| Walther WMP | 788 |
| Walther PDP Compact | 692 |
| Walther PDP F-Series Pro | 680 |
| Walther Model 4 | 522 |
What the eight-gun sample shows
Taken together, these eight entries show breadth rather than a single line of development. Within this sample from Carl Walther GmbH, empty weight runs from 522 g3 for the Walther Model 4 to 6.95 kg8 for the Walther WA 2000. Magazine capacity runs from 1 round9 for the Walther LP500 to 18 rounds13 for the Walther PDP F-Series Pro. Effective range runs from 10 m for the LP500 to 800 m7 for the WA 2000.
Those figures matter because they mark distinct firearm classes in the catalogue, not minor variations within one type. The sequence includes a pocket pistol in the Model 4, service pistols in the Walther P38, Walther PDP Compact, Walther WMP and PDP F-Series Pro, a battle rifle in the Walther Gewehr 43, a precision rifle in the WA 2000, and a match air pistol in the LP500. Even within pistols, the sample ranges from blowback and short recoil to single action, and from .32 ACP and 9x19mm Parabellum to .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire and .177 Air.
For the wider context beyond these eight examples, the manufacturer page is the best reference point: Carl Walther GmbH in the catalogue.
Sources and methods
Footnotes
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GunSpec catalogue record for the 7.92x57mm Mauser, which cites en.wikipedia.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩ ↩2
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GunSpec catalogue record for Carl Walther GmbH. In the API: manufacturers reference. ↩
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther Model 4, which cites americanrifleman.org, unblinkingeye.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther PDP Compact, which cites waltherarms.com, craftholsters.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther P38, which cites en.wikipedia.org, modernfirearms.net, weaponsystems.net, militaryfactory.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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Method, comparisons: a difference is one catalogue figure minus another of the same kind, in the same unit. Comparisons. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther Gewehr 43, which cites militaryfactory.com, weaponsystems.net, ww2-weapons.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther WA 2000, which cites militaryfactory.com, carl-walther.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther LP500, which cites waltherarms.com, carl-walther.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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GunSpec catalogue record for the .300 Winchester Magnum, which cites en.wikipedia.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩
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GunSpec catalogue record for the 9x19mm Parabellum, which cites en.wikipedia.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther WMP, which cites waltherarms.com, americanrifleman.org, pewpewtactical.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Walther PDP F-Series Pro, which cites waltherarms.com, hookandbarrel.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩
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