The following information on the Mauser WTP-2 vest pocket pistol comes from Chapter 34 of Mauser Rifles and Pistols by W. H. B. Smith. Mauser Rifles and Pistols is also available to purchase in print.
This weapon was introduced in 1939 by Mauser as an improved form of the earlier Model 1. It can be distinguished at once from the earlier Model by the fact that its grip is much more sharply curved, extending back over the top of the hand, and by the position of its thumb safety. The thumb safety on this model operates below the left hand stock, the thumbpiece protruding directly to the rear of the trigger. When forced down it leaves the pistol ready to fire. The general mechanism is the same as the earlier WTP-1. The slide in this new model bears the stamp “W.T.P.—6.35—D.R.G.” (The earlier Model 1 bears on the slide “T.—6.35”).
Because of the shift in the safety position, the new model has higher stocks which reach to just below the slide and are fastened with screws.
The dimensions of the Model 2 are as follows: Overall length 4.06 inches, barrel length 2.02 inches, maximum height 2.75 inches, weight 9.5 ounces. The magazine capacity is 6 cartridges, the same as in the earlier model.
This arm was designed specifically to fit better in the shooting hand than did the earlier type and to weigh about 2-ounces less. In workmanship, material and finish this is an excellent weapon, though it does not have the complete safety factors embodied in the Colt Automatic Pistol, which is provided with a grip safety which functions automatically.
Both models of this Mauser WTP are equipped with magazine removal safety. When the magazine is withdrawn from the grip it is impossible to pull the trigger. This feature was introduced to prevent accidents, which sometimes happen with pistols not so equipped, when shooters unfamiliar with semi-automatic weapons remove the magazine without checking the firing chamber. In an automatic pistol, not only must the magazine be removed to be emptied, but the slide must be pulled back to eject the cartridge (if any) in the firing chamber before the pistol is truly safe unless it is equipped with a magazine safety.
So long as there are any cartridges in the magazine, every time an automatic pistol is fired the arm is re-cocked and the chamber reloaded by the recoil. Hence, if the magazine is withdrawn and the pistol is not equipped with the special magazine safety, a pull on the trigger will fire the cartridge in the chamber. This chamber cartridge is frequently overlooked even by experts.
