Firearms display marks manufacturer's anniversary

In order to mark the 120th anniversary of German gun-making firm Carl Walther, its agents in Malta - Lock, Stock & Barrel (Phoenix Group) - have mounted a compact exhibition of firearms.

The exhibits range from a 1908 Modell 1, Walther's first semi-auto pistol, to a 1945 Karabiner 43, a self-loading rifle produced for the Wehrmacht.

The exhibition is being held at the Phoenix Building, in Sta Venera, and will remain open until Sunday (from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday).

The state of Thuringen, in eastern Germany, has long been considered as one of the great gun-making centres of the world. In 1592, the gunsmiths of the area around Thuringa forest formed a gunsmiths guild and this was incorporated in the town of Zella St Blasii.

In 1886, a 26-year-old engineer named Carl Walther began operating a small gun shop, Waffenfabrik Walther, in Zella St Blasii. Walther's first products were shotguns, hunting rifles, and small pocket pistols.

As Waffenfabrik Walther became more successful, it expanded both in size and in scope, producing such diverse items as office machinery in addition to firearms.

However, it was not until 1908 that Mr Walther marketed his first successful self-loading pistol. From that point on he never looked back and the brand name is now synonymous with such legendary pistols as the Walther PPK, the Walther P.38 and a variety of military and sporting guns that capture the imagination of shooting enthusiasts and historians alike.

Walther is a highly respected name in the sporting world and its range of match pistols and rifles accompany top shooters to victory, a spokesman for Lock, Stock & Barrel said.

The most recent hit was the modern P.99 which is now a standard issue police pistol in many countries. It has also been immortalised in the recent James Bond films.