The production of the P88 Compact - the slightly lighter and smaller, which was also cheaper to manufacture - variant continued up until year 2000. In 1996, Walther discontinued the standard version. Again, it was rejected due to a lack of manual safety. The Walther P88 also took part in the 1990 Bundeswehr pistol tests held by WTD91 military technical department. The sales of the standard model started in 1988 for the 50th anniversary of the legendary Walther P38. Ultimately, the Beretta 92F (92SB-F) would be chosen as the M9 pistol. The P88 also failed both the wet and dry mud tests. Also, the P88 failed the dropping tests, with the rear target sights popping off and the pistols frames cracking from 7000 rounds of sustained fire. Firstly, it lacked the specified manual safety function. During the trials, the Walther P88 ended up being eliminated from consideration for not meeting a handful of the 72 “must” conditions. The Walther P88 was entered for the third and final JSSAP XM9 pistol trials conducted in 1983 to 1984 with interruptions. It was also Walther's contribution to the US Army's Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP XM9) handgun trials. The designation “88” was chosen when the civilian marketing began in 1986/1987 in view of the 50th anniversary of the legendary Walther P38. With the P88, Walther had the intention of being able to offer the German armed forces an adequate successor for the aging Walther P1. The Walther P88 was mainly designed as a sidearm for military and law enforcement use. The reasons for this were that with this type of breech and the barrel bearing specially refined by Walther for the P88, a higher shot precision, a narrower breech structure and simplified production could be achieved. Walther P88 uses a modified Browning system, rather than Walther P38 (or P1)'s swing bolt lock. Walther was able to fall back on more than 50 years of experience with the dural grip of the Walther P1, which initially did not achieve the specified break and abrasion resistance. To save weight, the handle is made of duralumin.
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