Walther PPKS

[Narragansett]

I have an Interarms Walther PPK/s from the mid to late 80's. A finger grip mag and a flush mag. I have a box, and I think a 15 yard test fire target. I fired a clip full out of each mag, cleaned it and put it in the safe 30 years ago. It is stainless. Virginia made I think.

I know there are German ones and S&W ones. Any help on setting a price on this would be appreciated. Thanks

[Laketime]

I have a Smith & Wesson one.And I have seen used Interarms selling in the $450-$475 price range at dealers in my area.

[Narragansett]

Originally Posted by Laketime

I have a Smith & Wesson one.And I have seen used Interarms selling in the $450-$475 price range at dealers in my area.

Are the interarms ones more valuable than the S&W?? Somebody said that to me, but I fail to see why

[topgun742]

I recently sold one on GB for $650.00.Seems there is a shortage because S&W has'nt produced any for some time.

[Muley Gil]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

I have an Interarms Walther PPK/s from the mid to late 80's. A finger grip mag and a flush mag. I have a box, and I think a 15 yard test fire target. I fired a clip full out of each mag, cleaned it and put it in the safe 30 years ago. It is stainless. Virginia made I think.

I know there are German ones and S&W ones. Any help on setting a price on this would be appreciated. Thanks

Some of the S&Ws were built, at least in part, in Alabama. I went into a heat treatment shop in the city where I was a police officer and saw PPK/s parts in boxes.

[mauser9]

I heard the german made PPKS are worth a premium. Mine was purchased in early 80s which had Interarms stamped on slide. I like the stainless version myself. Later traded mine for a CS-9 with no regrets.

[Absalom]

The story of the US-made PPK/S production can be a bit confusing.

Interarms had theirs made in Gadsden, Alabama, by a outfit that at the time went by the name of Ranger Manufacturing, but later changed, to Black Creek (?), throughout the 1990s. Those guns have a pretty solid reputation.

But be careful when talking to a Walther purist who may disdain anything not made in Germany as unfit for human consumption; they can be annoying (even though all “German-made” Walthers of the PP/PPK series were actually made in France until 1986).

After the agreement with Interarms expired in 1999, S&W took over production in the 2000s. Where the actual parts were manufactured and assembled under the S&W banner, I do not know; but I know from casual readings on the Walther forums that these appear to have more issues and are considered less desirable than the Interarms/Ranger series.

For pricing, I would go to the Gunbroker site and do a search for “Interarms PPK/S”. There is quite a number currently on offer; I just checked. Asking prices are all over, so are conditions, but you can compare yours to those and get an idea what you might put on it.

[Texas Star]

The S&W-made ones supposedly had poor QC and lack the legend of German craftsmanship and being made at the home factory.

I think $450 is a good price for a German or Manurhin-only marked example. German-marked should bring a premium over a French-only marked one.

This is largely about prestige, not function.

[Laketime]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

Are the interarms ones more valuable than the S&W?? Somebody said that to me, but I fail to see why

Some like the Smith with the changes to the longer tang,and changes to the feed ramp,while some prefer the interarms with the stamped markings over the cheaper laser etched markings..Both guns will be fine I think.Smith was plagued with a recall early on which doesn't help give it favoritism.

[CZU]

What caliber? That will make a big difference, 7.65mm examples bring more.

[Echo40]

It all depends on where you live, really...

In some states Interarms PPK/S models sell for $300 whereas in others they command prices upwards of $700. It's best to do some research in regards to how desirable they are in your area if you plan on selling locally.

The pecking order generally goes something like this; Walther (Thurg) Prewar > Walther (Thurg) Wartime > Manhurin > Walther (Ulm) > Interarms > Smith & Wesson > Walther (Fort Smith, AR)

[Narragansett]

Originally Posted by CZU

What caliber? That will make a big difference, 7.65mm examples bring more.

380 acp caliber

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

380 acp caliber

The Interarms/Ranger PPK/S in the .32 caliber was only introduced at the very end of the production run, in 1998/99, and therefore exists in relatively small numbers. That’s not too long ago, but I’m sure in 50 years they’ll be “collectibles”

[Grayfox]

A little late to the party, but let me ad to the confusion.
Interarms also imported German made PPK & PPK/s pistols before Ranger began production in the U.S. So you need to check an Interarms pistol for where it was made. The German guns are a little more desirable, but not a whole lot.
Smith & Wesson PPK and PPK/s are the red headed step child of the line. Neither S&W or Walther will barely acknowledge their existence. Even the SCSW only contains one paragraph on these guns and it simply states that S&W did make some between 1999 & 2004. Walther has no records on them at all. Thus, while being good guns, they are the least desirable.
Anyway, around my neck of the woods, a nice Walther/Ranger PPK/s will sell for $550/600.

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by Grayfox

A little late to the party, but let me ad to the confusion.
Interarms also imported German made PPK & PPK/s pistols before Ranger began production in the U.S. So you need to check an Interarms pistol for where it was made. The German guns are a little more desirable, but not a whole lot.
.....

The imported German version is easy to identify as these will have a standard Walther/Ulm set of stampings on the left slide, no “under license of”.

I believe all those are Manurhin-produced and Ulm-finished. By the time Walther ended the partnership with Manurhin in 1986, Interarms was having the PPK/S produced here and no longer importing any, so I actually don’t think any of the relatively few entirely Ulm-made PPK/S were imported commercially.

Manurhin also imported some entirely Manurhin-finished and branded guns to the US, but quickly found themselves in litigation with Interarms and Walther over the rights to the Walther trademarks, which they lost.

[Echo40]

Originally Posted by Grayfox

A little late to the party, but let me ad to the confusion.
Interarms also imported German made PPK & PPK/s pistols before Ranger began production in the U.S. So you need to check an Interarms pistol for where it was made. The German guns are a little more desirable, but not a whole lot.
Smith & Wesson PPK and PPK/s are the red headed step child of the line. Neither S&W or Walther will barely acknowledge their existence. Even the SCSW only contains one paragraph on these guns and it simply states that S&W did make some between 1999 & 2004. Walther has no records on them at all. Thus, while being good guns, they are the least desirable.
Anyway, around my neck of the woods, a nice Walther/Ranger PPK/s will sell for $550/600.

Actually, Walther Arms of Fort Smith, AR will acknowledge their existence, as references to them as well as the past recall remain on their website, and although they were manufactured by S&W, Walther Arms covers them under their Legendary Lifetime Warranty.

[2152hq]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

I have an Interarms Walther PPK/s from the mid to late 80's. A finger grip mag and a flush mag. I have a box, and I think a 15 yard test fire target. I fired a clip full out of each mag, cleaned it and put it in the safe 30 years ago. It is stainless. Virginia made I think.

I know there are German ones and S&W ones. Any help on setting a price on this would be appreciated. Thanks

PPK/s cal 380, in Stainless, Interarms marked, late 80's I'd guess to be a Ranger Arms mfg for InterArms..(Marked 'Made in USA' under the Walther banner on the slide usually)
In that condition with the box, both magazines, target (IIRC they came w/a cleaning rod too) and manual it'd be priced at around $600 on a dealers shelf here in the NE.

[03hemi]

Love my 380 PPK/S's, I have two, a W. German, Interarms and a S&W in ss, love both and the blue Interarms has never been fired outside the fatory to boot. The "perfect" blue Interarms are bringing about $1600+ and the ss S&W $600+ on GB right now. fwiw

[wingsfan]

My experience with the S&W Walthers was not a great one. They were very picky about ammo. To make matters worse, every gun was different, some would only feed FMJ ammo, some only hollow points. I agree that the S&W Walthers suffered from poor quality control. The Interarms PPK I owned fed everything I put thru it. The only issue was slide bite. I’d say $500-$600 depending on condition and extras.

[walter o]

I have a 32 cal. PPK/S made in Springfield MA. under license of carl Walther.Does that make it a S&W made gun or something else ? Does not have the extended tang on the back of the grip.
S/N2981aaa

[Echo40]

Originally Posted by walter o

I have a 32 cal. PPK/S made in Springfield MA. under license of carl Walther.Does that make it a S&W made gun or something else ? Does not have the extended tang on the back of the grip.
S/N2981aaa

Yours is actually a transitional piece manufactured by Ranger (same folks who previously made them for Interarms) for Smith & Wesson. Until Smith & Wesson was setup to produce the PPK(/S) themselves, they had Ranger do it for them since they were already setup to produce them domestically.

If you compare yours with an Interarms model, you'll notice that the only difference is that the Interarms stamping on the slide has been replaced by "Walther Arms USA - Springfield, MA".

They're pretty neat and semi-collectible since they weren't made for very long before S&W took over production.