Toolroom Prototype .32 ACP Walther Olympia

Toolroom Prototype .32 ACP Walther Olympia

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In the late 1930s, Walther experimented with the idea of an Olympia target pistol in .32 ACP. They used the frame from a 1936 pattern standard (.22LR) Olympia with a .32 caliber barrel, increased mass slide, and magazine adapted from a Walther PP. The project never progressed beyond the toolroom sample we have today, probably due to a combination of less-than-huge market demand for such a gun and the increasing military production Walther was undertaking.

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50 Comments

  1. Jed Sparks on April 28, 2023 at 3:51 am

    Ive wanted an Olympia for about 50 years. Never could make the leap.



  2. Gonçalo Alegria on April 28, 2023 at 3:52 am

    Very elgant pistol.



  3. Ken Helmers on April 28, 2023 at 3:54 am

    ahh, what could’ve been 🙂 Thanks Ian!



  4. dion jay woollaston on April 28, 2023 at 3:54 am

    I think it should be nicknamed the Frankenstein pistol



  5. DiehardMechWarrior on April 28, 2023 at 3:57 am

    Speaking of pistols…I have a few general questions for Ian/anyone who wants to take a crack at answering this:

    In the Murder, She Wrote episode “Death Takes a Dive,” the victim is killed by a previously fired .38 round which was then fired from a shotgun at the time of the murder.

    Question 1: Is this even possible (a previously fired round being loaded into a different cartridge/caliber and being fired again)?

    Question 2: Would it throw off any ballistic testing?



  6. Randy Watson on April 28, 2023 at 4:00 am

    I’m sorry to be off topic but I think you might be interested in this video about old gunsmithing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpNMmKL2vkg



  7. Zero fire on April 28, 2023 at 4:01 am

    This fireplace sure collects alot of different and unique handguns!



  8. planescaped on April 28, 2023 at 4:03 am

    He always has that wood- framed fireplace background when examining super rare, one of a kind, classic pistols.

    I assume it’s some posh private collector’s house.



  9. bubblegump on April 28, 2023 at 4:04 am

    if you read the comments i was wondering if you have ever heard of the 1873 evans rifle? they were a 28 shot repeater made in the 1870’s and if you have heard of or seen one



  10. Gustav Gnöttgen on April 28, 2023 at 4:05 am

    Looks sporty, elegant, kinda 30ies industrial… OH WAIT A MINUTE



  11. Lazarus Long on April 28, 2023 at 4:06 am

    How interesting! I wonder what its story is, in my mind I imagine that someone who worked in the toolroom put the uncommon degree of finish on it that he might use it as his own. Perhaps because he knew there would never be a commercial one, so as he liked it so well, he finished it to a degree of usability and took it home with him.



  12. the Beatles help on April 28, 2023 at 4:06 am

    This German Olympia looks pretty as do all German guns and I feel that if I were to go hunting, this would be the handgun I would take



  13. Sabretoothsquirrel on April 28, 2023 at 4:06 am

    I really like the design of this gun and the Olympia. Very elegant and cool.



  14. Cubic5 on April 28, 2023 at 4:06 am

    A story I heard about Walther: Long time ago (1960’s?) when South Africa was preparing to start producing the FN rifle for their own use, the people in charge went off to Europe to get artisans to do the machining. Somehow they ended up meeting old man Walther, and he told them to go back to South Africa and look for the second and third generations of artisans, the people who grew up with machining. And they did, and found all the people they need here in South Africa.



  15. KorbinX on April 28, 2023 at 4:09 am

    That looks pretty awesome. Thank you, as always, for the great content.



  16. Sneaky McSqueaks on April 28, 2023 at 4:09 am

    One of best gun channels on the web. Thank you very much, Ian! Always learned something new. Amazing.



  17. me3333 on April 28, 2023 at 4:09 am

    And then War Were Declared!!! oops wrong channel sorry



  18. Badlaama Urukehu on April 28, 2023 at 4:11 am

    Is that a big dog licking and snortling in the background?



  19. poofables on April 28, 2023 at 4:13 am

    Geez Ian, why don’t you just marry it?



  20. Da Durkey on April 28, 2023 at 4:14 am

    this is probably a dumb question but in the early 1900’s did the armed forces practice trigger discipline, by that I mean keeping your finger of the trigger till you have your sights on the target.



  21. Daniel Burgess on April 28, 2023 at 4:15 am

    "Very" unique? Either something is, or isn’t unique.



  22. Shijin on April 28, 2023 at 4:16 am

    Kinda sad that you have yo blur the swatstika, this is an educational video, it shouldnt need to be



  23. knightofavalon86 on April 28, 2023 at 4:16 am

    It looks like jango Fett tried to kill Obi-Wan with that



  24. Gustav Meyrink on April 28, 2023 at 4:17 am

    Walther is pronounced ‘Valter’, the a sounds like either one in ‘pasta’.



  25. Da Durkey on April 28, 2023 at 4:17 am

    this is probably a dumb question but in the early 1900’s did the armed forces practice trigger discipline, by that I mean keeping your finger of the trigger till you have your sights on the target.



  26. William Prince on April 28, 2023 at 4:19 am

    NRA Bull’s-eye is one of the competition type of shooting Ian was talking about.



  27. 51WCDodge on April 28, 2023 at 4:20 am

    You wouldn’t delay a rapid fire pistol. Dwell time and action time count, you are measuring at 1,000 of a second.



  28. Dana Munkelt on April 28, 2023 at 4:20 am

    Wish i could find a long barrel .32.



  29. Joe Taylor on April 28, 2023 at 4:20 am

    Indeed Olympic rapid fire is a discipline shooting at 5 targets, one shot per target each set exposed together sequentially five times for an ever decreasing period of time. In the UK there is a community of dedicated shooters that pursue this discipline, but do so with 5 shot semi-auto. 177 co2 or air powered target pistols. There are domestic competitions in this format, but some use this as a practice for the true. 22 short Olympic discipline, but have to hold their weapons off-shore, often in Belgium or France and practice with their competition weapons there.



  30. GearCheck 101 on April 28, 2023 at 4:22 am

    Ian, I’m pretty sure the mysterious cuts on the slide are for spent cases to clear during ejection. I am guessing with straight walls cases bounced around between them and didn’t eject out the top fully, causing malfunctions.



  31. SNOUPS4 on April 28, 2023 at 4:22 am

    Is it also whence the Bergmann pistols came? From fireplace guy?



  32. 1234 5 on April 28, 2023 at 4:23 am

    Scheiss Zensur! Was soll das? Zieht nicht mehr



  33. Lucy Fuir on April 28, 2023 at 4:25 am

    Reminds me of a Browning buckmark 22LR



  34. renateke on April 28, 2023 at 4:26 am

    Famae sg 542!!!! 💪💪💪



  35. James Hutchins on April 28, 2023 at 4:28 am

    Looks like a sweet tac driver



  36. Sam Baggins on April 28, 2023 at 4:28 am

    It is an olympic event. I have watched it. It was pretty underwhelming lol. If they want to impress me with a gun event. Us the 500 Smith and Wesson.



  37. TraitorVek on April 28, 2023 at 4:29 am

    I think Captain Scarlet had one – Not Sure – #Scarlet #Captain



  38. John Whitley on April 28, 2023 at 4:30 am

    Cool video! The "Toolroom" archaeology walk is great stuff, keep it coming!!
    "From whence we came", popped into my head about humble starts!



  39. Nico Cortes on April 28, 2023 at 4:31 am

    wooden baseplate on magazine? Very cute…



  40. Sedated and Restrained on April 28, 2023 at 4:33 am

    This must be an old video, he still had his standard "buck a month" Patreon outdo, haven’t heard that for quite awhile!



  41. Risto Alanko on April 28, 2023 at 4:33 am

    Olympic discipline have only .22 LR pistols, but ISSF still has some "big bore" competition, usually with 32 S&W wadcutter, the pistols are "scaled up" .22 semi-autos.



  42. Beck Dan on April 28, 2023 at 4:36 am

    Why have you not shot these on cam



  43. Trey Wait on April 28, 2023 at 4:36 am

    Looks like the gun from "The Man With The Golden Gun".



  44. Pete McClure on April 28, 2023 at 4:41 am

    Being a Brit and not having access to firearms what would be helpful sometimes is have a sample of the ammunition with gun.
    Watch everyday -Brilliant channel



  45. Jerry Johnson II on April 28, 2023 at 4:41 am

    Very Cool Walther !!!!!!!



  46. Scott Kenny on April 28, 2023 at 4:44 am

    Always an interesting gun to show up with the fireplace in the background. Ian, I think you need a fancy Victorian smoking jacket for doing more videos with the fireplace.



  47. Daniel G on April 28, 2023 at 4:45 am

    If I wanted to get involved in modern pistol challenges (2 gun, etc) would it be stupid to get into .32 ACP or is it better to just stick with 9mm or something else a bit beefier?



  48. joetca on April 28, 2023 at 4:46 am

    TELL ME YOUR SECRETS, FIREPLACE!



  49. Dave Weller on April 28, 2023 at 4:47 am

    I like this gun wish they made it



  50. Sar Jim on April 28, 2023 at 4:48 am

    Considering the direction of the Nazi government in 1936, Walther may have concluded that the next Olympics might not include Germany. Little did they know it would actually be twelve long years until the next Olympiad, an even longer 16 years before West Germany in was once again allowed to compete. Form then, it was another 40 years before a united Germany was finally represented in the 1992 games, something I never expected to see in my lifetime.