After almost seven decades I've finally got my hands on a Walther PPK. Found it today out at Virginia Arms in Manassas. It was made by S&W in Houlton so it would surely disappoint the Walther purists. It has the distinction of being the cleanest and best finished stainless firearm I've ever bought! There is a caveat to that statement; they didn't do a good job finishing the area, on both sides, where the trigger guard pivots. But, the blasted areas do not have a single mark - and the polishing, and grain, on the sides of the slide and frame are as perfect as I've ever seen. The polished sides remind me of the polish work on Smith 2nd Gen stainless autos but with a finer grain. It was pricey - $599 - but I offloaded a couple of clunkers (NAA .32 and Ruger P95) and that covered almost $500 of the bill. Have to admit - it's too nice to shoot for now but that's where my Glock 42 and LCP come into the picture...

shes a beauty for sure. congrats!

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Congratulations on the new addition

I own several Walthers from the PP family. They are a mix of German, French and American manufacture

I love what Smith and Wesson did when they extended the tang. For those of us with a meaty web between the thumb and first finger, Walthers always liked to bite. The new tang fixes that. I wonder why that revision took 75+ years to occur?

That looks like a sweet specimen of one of the most well known guns ever. I have quite a few handguns and have many times thought about getting a PPK. But never did. I think it is a truly beautifully designed pistol. And it always looked Good in Sean Connery's hand after he slide it out of his Tuxedo pocket.

Let us know how she shoots. A good report may be enough to finally push me over the edge to pull the trigger on one.

In my mid 60's now and I am just beginning to thin the quantity of guns I have. I am giving the kids the guns they would inherit some day now. Sell some I just don't shoot very much and maybe just pick up a PPK to carry on occasion. I will skip the Tux though.

That is indeed well finished!

I own a S&W PPK/S myself, but it isn't finished anywhere near as nicely as yours...



I got mine LNiB for $500 a couple years ago, and while it had high polished flats, it had quite a few sharp edges on it which I had to smoothe out personally. If you look at the front of the slide in particular, you may notice that it doesn't match up with the frame anywhere near as nicely and comes to sharp points at the edge.
On a related note, notice that the laser-etching on mine in white rather than black.

Thanks for the kind comments, Gents - and I didn't realize that the newer/US versions have a longer tang. I'm a real newbie when it comes to the PPK/PPKs - I have a couple of very nice older Walther's but they're both large frames. The grips on your PPK are nothing short of stunning, Harry, they look a little like something Altamont would make but I don't think they could cut the Walther name/logo into them. The laser-etching on mine is pretty sharp-edged - if I planned to carry it I think that might be a big deal. Last but not least - I don't have a trigger gauge but the DA pull on mine seems lighter and definitely shorter than my long-gone BG .380 ...

Thanks for the compliments, the grips on my PPK/S are either older Altamont Grips or some sort of knockoff. I'm not positive since I didn't buy them directly through Altamont, but rather a private seller on Amazon.com, but they're definitely of the same style as the ones Altamont makes, and they do indeed make them with the Walther Banner on the grips.

Walther PPK/S | Altamont Company

I'm pretty sure that the grips on my PPK/S were manufactured by Altamont and the seller simply bought them in bulk during a Black Friday Sale or something then sold them at full price for a profit. (IIRC, they actually have the Altamont name lasered into the wood on the insides of the grips, but I haven't taken them off it awhile, so I don't really remember.)

If you like them, then you may want to check out Altamont's grips for the PPK.

Walther PPK | Altamont Company

I'm not a fan of the extended tang on the S&W PPK and PPK/S pistols.

It's both too long and too sharp edged. It digs in to your side when carried in an IWB holster.

I much prefer the original shape, used by Walther, Manuhrin and Ranger:

You got yourself a great gun! I’ve had a S&W/Walther stainless PPK almost since they first came out and, while I’ve heard a number of people complain about them for one reason or another, mine has been 100% reliable since day one. I’ve also carried in a CompTac IWB holster for years and the longer tang has never stuck me in the side - not once. Neither has it cut me, scratched me or gouged me with any sharp edges. Don’t be afraid to carry it or shoot it. They’re fine guns and you shouldn’t let it waste away sitting in the safe!

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Everybody could shoot

I'm a huge fan of the Walther PP series pistols and own 5 of them including the somewhat scarce S&W version in .32acp.
Long or short tang, either way works for me. These are absolutely wonderful guns.



Be aware that S&W had to recall some of the early guns due to unintentional discharges that could happen when the decocker was used. Its easy enough to check your gun here S&W PPK/PPK/s Recall
IF your gun needs the recall done, DO NOT send it to S&W. Instead, send it to Walther Arms in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They will pay shipping both ways, do the job right and have it back to you in a little over a week.

Gray Fox: I've only handled one .32 S&W PPK pistol and bought it on the spot for much more than most would pay for it. However,it's great shooter and I left gun show glad I finally found one to buy. (I've never been able to find any data on how many PPKS & PPK pistols S&W were made by caliber.)

DE Pistole: The S&W made PPK and PPK/s pistols seem to be the red headed step child of both S&W and Walther. S&W seems to have no records of them and Walther will barely even acknowledge they exist. I've never been able to find any details on production numbers or dates. Even the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 4th Edition only has two paragraphs that barely mention them (pg 403).
Once you get that little recall thing cleared up, they are excellent pistols. I love mine.

Nice!

The S&W PPKs seem to be climbing in value. I bought a used one 3 years ago in the box for $400. Never really cared for them, but I cannot pass up a smoking deal. Like Dad always said... "Guns bought well are like money in the bank"

Agree - my S&W Walthers have been awesome over the years. Have been fortunate to have found only post recall S&W Walthers and mine have been excellent. They got/get a bum rap because of the tang and recall, but I think the feed ramp is an excellent reliability improvement. I only have the .32 now, but that may change if I'm lucky at the next GS.

There’s a very nice PPK/S available here locally for $590 but the guy is quite a ways away from me. It has a few small very light scratches on the frame & the slide is immaculate. I don’t think I can link it here without getting my ... um ... dingus wacked. I’m very particulate about scratches & this one is very nice.

I know what Walther purists say about the Smith & Wesson version, but I like mine a lot. Since it is stainless, I gave it a light going over and took some of the sharp edges off the pistol. A useful addition was a small piece of 3-M tape made to create foot treads on otherwise slick surfaces, like an aluminum ladder. You can get it off Amazon and buy a lifetime supply in a roll. It is a great "poor man's checkering," doesn't wear off, and comes off cleanly when you want it to.

A really accurate and dependable, if much maligned product of S&W.



Edited to add: were the Smith & Wesson PPKs ever produced in a blued version, or only stainless?

They were indeed available in a Blued Finish, but it seems that they were initially only available in Stainless Steel and the Blued Carbon Steel models were only made available for a limited time at one point during the production run. Same goes for the .32 ACP chambered models.

That being said, while the Walther purists and snobs don't care much for Smith & Wesson PPK(/S) models, it seems to me that they're a vocal minority, with most folks outside of that circle being able to appreciate them for what they are.
Personally, I prefer the S&W manufactured PPKs to previous iterations for a number of reasons, and it's plain to see that even Walther themselves appreciated the improvements S&W made to the pistol's design when the new production Walther PPKs out of Arkansas retained the extended beavertail and modified feedramp of the S&W models.


As you can see, the new Walther PPK looks pretty much identical to a Smith & Wesson PPK, with the only difference being the slide markings are cast in rather than laser-etched and the fore end of the slide is rounded off a bit more nicely.

So yeah, the purists can say whatever they want, but the fact that Walther retained the modifications Smith & Wesson made to the design clearly illustrates that these modifications are approved of and thus genuine improvements.

Dirty Harry - well said! S&W made great improvements and Walther did well to retain them. Back in the day some purists also scoffed at the PPK/S, now a staple and both a concealability improvement to the PP and a round count improvement to the PPK. Looking forward to the Fort Smith PPKS/PPK pistols and what further enhancement tweaks they might make to these all steel classics.

I'm hoping that the guys at Fort Smith will either bring back the PPK/L but chamber it in .380 ACP.

I would also like to see them bring back the TPH in a sort of "Mark 2" configuration with a polymer frame and chambered in .380 ACP as Walther's entry into the lightweight .380 pocket pistol market. It would also give them a niche as well since none of the .380 pocket pistols on the market right now are DA/SA hammer-fired.

Like mine with the extended tang.
PPK




The .32, shooting fun fun fun.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Nice .32 PPK; I have the same one. Wish there were records on the number made in this caliber. Hanging on to mine for sure.

A PPK-L would be cool, but I'd want it in .32 acp. I had a really nice sig P230 (alum frame) in .380 acp. A very fine piece, but the recoil was a tab snappy for me.

To me, snappy recoil in exchange for lighter carry weight is a more than even trade.

The discomfort of shooting a firearm with snappy recoil only lasts as long as you continue pulling the trigger, whereas the discomfort of carrying a heavy firearm is pretty much constant, so I'll take snappy recoil if in exchange my carry gun can be strapped on and be pretty much forgotten.

That's not to say that the PPK is necessarily uncomfortably heavy to carry at all times, but in the Summertime on the hotter days it can be, so if Walther offered a PPK/L in .380 ACP that weighed 17oz or less, then I would be all over that.

Good point.

Was lucky at the gun show. Cost me an arm and leg, but picked up this mint in the box 1980 Ulm/IA PPK in 380. Picture of pistol on top of my laptop.

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Congrats!I have one of its older brother in .32 and it speaks German.
Even though the thing is small,I hold on to it since the little pipsqueak is fun to shoot(and quite accurate up to 20 yds!).

Very nice specimen, but ... how did this work legally?

It’s a PPK, so not legal for general import after 1968. But it’s Ulm-proofed for 80, so obviously Manurhin-made, Ulm-finished. It has Interarms’ regular slide logo on the slide, so it was commercially imported and did not come in on a law enforcement exemption or other individual permissible circumstance. I’m puzzled. What am I missing?

I really think that FEG solved the hammer bite issue more elegantly than S&W did. Their contours are much more graceful.

I don't have fat hands, so haven't been bitten by the PP series, or by Browning 9mm pistols, etc. My dad's Walther Model 9 .25 did slide cut me. So did his Bernardelli equivalent.

My PP was a .32 that was fantastically accurate to 25 yards. I could easily cover all shots from a magazine with the palm of my hand, and on a good day, it shot better.

Well my story is a bit different. Years ago I bought a Manurhin .32 PP that had been a Swedish police pistol. But I always wanted a .380 PPK (James Bond don't you know!). Fast forward to a couple years ago or so, my LGS had a S&W .380 PPK for $400, so I jumped on it. When I shot it I discovered why it had been sold! The hammer would follow 1-3 times per magazine. Fortunately my LGS guarantees used guns for 30 days so I had them send it back to Walther on their dime.


When I got the gun back it functioned properly,and still does. I have never had issues with slide-bite with any small auto pistol, and I have had a bunch, mostly .32 ACP. But the S&W Walther was a different matter. Not slide-bite, buy that ugly long frame spur would literally tear a chunk out of the second joint of my thumb in only 1-2 rounds! You can guess what happened with that! Dug out my PP and using it for a pattern the PPK now looks like a "real" Walther. Still gouges my thumb, but so does my .32 PP, but not nearly so bad as it did with that uglier that s**t long spur on it!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Personally, I don't hate the extended beavertail on modern production PPK(/S) Models, nor do I understand what makes it so ugly to others.

Yes, it is quite bulky, and maybe it could have been contoured more nicely, but seeing as the PPK(/S) is already rather significantly more expensive than other .380 pistols on the market today, I think it was made as is to reduce the cost of machining the beavertail into a more streamlined shape. It's already hard enough trying to sell a heavy, all-steel, straight blowback .380 Pistol at $650-$700 in a world of lightweight, polymer-framed, delayed blowback pistols which can be had for 1/3 the price.

Folks can go on and on about how ugly the beavertail on modern PPKs is, but it's still by far one of the most attractive pistols in current production.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

LOL I still have my suit (edc) gun from the 1980s a stainless Interarms PPK .... it bit....... but I had a local gunsmith added a up swept beavertail extended tang to it..... and Hogue checkered wood grips.....polished the feed ramp for hollowpoints and smooth the trigger....carries nicely in a small Sparks Summer Special IWB holster! Still makes me

got two others a Blue.380 Interarms PPK and a interarms PPK/s in .32.....not the most modern design or lightest concealed carry..... but the operations/ controls mimic my larger carry guns .... 3rd Gen Smiths and Beretta 92s Compact and a Centurions.

Years ago, I answered an alarm call at one of our businesses. As I was checking the building, I found a bunch of S&W PPK/S slides. They had been sent to my town for heat treating.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

For comparison's sake, here is an original Zella-Mehlis Walther PPK, manufactured during the WWII years, most probably in 1941. This example was willed to me by a deceased WWII vet who was a good friend - he brought it home from the European theater.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Closest thing I have is a "wannabe" PPK, as in this Russian Makarov in .380, and it never has bitten me. Unlike a little Beretta Jetfire 950 BS .25 auto I once owned. Man that sucker hurt.

I will own one someday, even if it take me seven decades. They just look so sleek. And they feel great in the hand.

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Absalom: Yes, after 1968 LEOs could import PPKs. Also, some were legally brought back my US military personnel who purchased them at US military Rod and Gun clubs in Germany. However, even with both of these scenarios, not many came in after 1968. (The Legacy Collectible website recently sold a 1978 Ulm/IA PPK in 380 and they provide a little background on it.)

Kraynky: Frankly, I believe your Mak ("wanabe" PPK) is a better fighting weapon than a PPK. Build like a tank; about the size of a PP; also a fixed barrel blow-back so as accurate as the PPK; more rounds; and, while the Mak round is a slight up-gun to the 380 ACP, the Mak pistol better absorbs recoil. (I once had an East German Mak I still kick myself for trading.)

PS: I also have a .32 S&W PPK that I love shooting and occasionally carry. It's totally reliable with HP / JHP / FMJ and I consider it the best evolution of the PPK design. I expect the Fort Smith PPKS and PPK pistols will also have great reliability as they continue the S&W feed ramp design.

The Makarovs are efficient and practical designs, however other than outward appearance they are nothing like the Walther PP series. I found them interesting, and managed to acquire one from each country that produced them. They seem to have become way less available lately. They are great shooters; reliable and accurate. I favor the East German examples as being the best made of the lot.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -