PPK

There was a time when virtually all my defense type handguns were based on the 1911 Colt. That being the case, I bought a Browning 1911 22. It is mostly aluminum, including the slide, and has fired over 5,000 rounds, with inly a few malfunctions, all of which I attributed to the ammunition. The local gun shop has several German made Walther .22 long rifle PPKs.

I am now shooting a Beretta, Sig and CZ along with the 1911s (so the reason for the 1911-22 is no longer valid). I like the feel of the steel PPK. I have traded guns at gun shops and pawn shops most of my life, and know how this trade (my 1911 22 for their PPK) is likely to go. What do you guys think of the .22 caliber PPK? This would only be a warm-up range gun and not for defense.

(I have a Ruger Mk II, so If I get the urge for handgun accuracy, it fills in nicely.)

I take it you are talking about one of the older guns, not one of the new production models? I have owned neither in .22lr., but did shoot a friends older model in .22lr. The one thing I remember that stands out was the extremely heavy trigger pull, both SA and DA made the small gun hard to shoot well. Like most older Walthers, it was very well made and finished.

Larry

The current 22LR PPK/s in 22LR is made by the same folks that are making the 22 copies for most all of the manufactures these days, including your Browning

I have one of the Walthers that I use with suppressors. Buying one of the new ones was cheaper than having one of my old PP or PPK/s pistols extended and threaded.
I bought one in nickel since my original suppressor was just built in a plain tube. I never anodized or cerekoted it

It has bee totally reliable. I shoot it a couple times a week

I don’t think the current production ones are comparable to the older rimfire PP series guns. The magazines aren’t interchangeable, and I think the new guns are made of some kind of alloy. They look kind of cheap, but I haven’t shot one and they may be great guns. They just aren’t the same as the old-school PPKs.

The current Walther PPK/s .22 has actually been made by Umarex in Germany for Walther since 2013. Umarex is a well known and respected European maker of air guns and many .22 caliber copies of famous handguns for other makers.
Much of the gun is made of Zamak which is a primarily zinc based with aluminum and copper alloy. This is NOT pot metal as many have unknowingly claimed. This is a quality, light weight alloy plenty strong enough for these guns.
I have one of the PPK/s .22s and its a really good gun. I also have the adapter for use with my .22 suppressor. Like any other PPK/s the DA trigger pull is heavy. But it will lighten up and smooth out it time. The SA trigger is quite good.
Yes, there are some differences with it compared to the older Walther made steel .22 caliber PPKs. The magazines are not interchangeable. But this is a good thing as current model magazines are cheap and easy to find whereas the magazines for the older steel guns are almost impossible to find and extremely expensive.
Its not a target quality pistol, but is a fun little plinker. I like mine.
I also have a Browning 1911/22. Its a fine little gun, but the Walther is more accurate.

I own one of the newer production Walther PPK/S .22s, which the one you're seeing most likely is. Basically, if it has a threaded barrel, Matte Black or Nickel finish with black controls, then it's a modern iteration. Classic models from decades past are almost always Blued, save for a few old military contract or confiscated versions which were parkerized, plated, or coated afterwards.

There is a ridiculous amount of biased and misinformation regarding the newer (2013 or later) PPK/S .22, which I will go over here. (Settle in, this is going to take awhile to cover...)

* It's not really a Walther
As of 1993, Walther is a subsidiary of Umarex, a company which mainly produces Airsoft and Rimfire Replica Firearms. The Walther PPK/S .22 is produced at the Umarex factory, but bears the Walther banner and makes no reference to Umarex, which leads folks to believe that it's an Umarex manufactured gun using the Walther branding.
However, what folks fail to understand is that since Umarex owns Walther and has for decades, some of their firearms have been manufactured at the Umarex plant. Also, while fanboys love to use Umarex as a scapegoat for every time Walther turns out a pistol which isn't perfect or happens to have issues down the line, Umarex is in fact not a completely separate company who manufacturers low quality firearms while Walther continues to inexplicably make high quality firearms in spite of being a subsidiary of Umarex. In short, the Walther PPK/S .22 is indeed a Walther product, and even if it wasn't, that wouldn't make the PPK/S .22 a poor quality firearm. Umarex makes plenty of other officially licensed high quality Rimfire Replica firearms which are merely cheaper in price on average compared to Walther because Walther mostly makes firearms for self-defense or police, ergo more expensive materials are required because they're chambered in 9mm Luger as opposed to .22LR.

* It's made of pot metal
Due to a mixup on Walther Arms USA's website during the launch of the new production PPK/S .22 which erroneously listed the slide/frame material as "Zinc Diecast" many folks have turned their nose up at it and continue to do so to this day, citing said misinformation.
However, the Walther PPK/S .22 is in fact made of some sort of proprietary alloy which Walther Germany claims isn't "Zinc Diecast" at all. Presumably, it's the same Aluminum alloy they use for the 1911 .22 and PPQ .22 which were introduced around the same time.

* It's not really a PPK/S
Perhaps the most ignorant and demonstrably false bit of misinformation surrounding the PPK/S .22 is also sadly among the most prevalent. According to some, (namely purists) the Walther PPK/S .22 isn't really a PPK at all but rather a variant of the Walther P22 dressed up as a PPK/S.
However, this is a gross exaggeration at best. While the modern iteration of the PPK/S .22 has some minor internal differences from the classic Walther PPK/S which it shares in common with the P22, to say they're internally the same firearm is completely ridiculous. The PPK/S .22 only has three direct similarities with the P22, the threaded barrel, barrel shroud, and the barrel nut which secures it.

* TL;DR
Pretty much everything negative said about the modern iterations of the Walther PPK/S .22 are complete misinformation perpetrated by ignorant people who are just repeating what they've read online. They make excellent little plinkers with a touch of style and will please anyone besides purists who can't get past minor aesthetic differences from the classic models which typically cost 3x the price. You get what you pay for.

All I can say is. I like mine.


The one at the bottom. The top one is a regular .32 PP.

Kurusu said:

All I can say is. I like mine.

The one at the bottom. The top one is a regular .32 PP.

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Those are the classic models, the one TC is speaking of is most likely a modern iteration which isn't quite as pretty and is made of alloy rather than steel, but at around $300, you get what you pay for.

That said, if I'm wrong, then the TC would be both literally and figuratively robbing the second party if they agree to a trade between a 1911-22 and a classic PPK/S .22.

Dirty Harry Callahan said:

Those are the classic models, the one TC is speaking of is most likely a modern iteration which isn't quite as pretty and is made of alloy rather than steel, but at around $300, you get what you pay for.

That said, if I'm wrong, then the TC would be both literally and figuratively robbing the second party if they agree to a trade between a 1911-22 and a classic PPK/S .22.

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Mine besides being all steel is not a PPK/S.

My dad’s friend let me shoot his PPK .22 (can’t remember if PPK/S) and I fell in lust. But with the gun, preferring a .380 PPK/S that I now own. That .22 was great and I don’t recall it jamming.

Kurusu said:

Mine besides being all steel is not a PPK/S.

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I know, I was referring to the PPK/S the TC is looking to trade for, and attempting to inform him that a modern example wouldn't have such a gorgeous high polished blue finish.

So if the gun he's looking at looks like a hybrid of the PP and PPK in your picture, then it's a classic model PPK/S, which is worth significantly more than a modern iteration, ergo if the second party agrees to the trade, then it's a steal in every sense of the word.

I have a PP22 that was British issue during that skirmish a few years back in Northern Ireland. Officially designated L66A1, the Brits applied a black finish that can only be compared to black spray paint. However, it fits in the back pocket of my jeans when I walk the pups. Pretty accurate if I do my part.

Are these inclined to deliver the slide slice to the web of the gun hand?

If you really want to trade the 1911/22 for the Walther, the gun shop should give you a NIB gun and maybe a little bit of cash. I just checked GB and a new in box PPK/s .22 can be had for around $350. I'm sure if you shop around you can do better. Where as used 1911/22s start at $400 and go up from there. Ok, maybe a straight across trade if you really want to. But any deal where you have to put in cash, I'd walk away from.
OTOH, the gun shop does need to make a profit. So I just can't see how they could even offer any kind of a fair trade deal for you.
Honestly, I'd just buy the Walther for cash and keep the Browning.
Your call Dude.

shouldazagged said:

Are these inclined to deliver the slide slice to the web of the gun hand?

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Yes. If you don't pay attention.

Been there done that.

Have a newer PPK-S.
Good gun, my only negative comment is really heavy Double Action Trigger pull.

They are more expensive but I would look at a Beretta model 87 Cheetah. I purchased one several years ago and let it go. Wish that I hadn't done so. It was a wonderful little gun. Fit and finish were excellent and it performed flawlessly.

I own one of the new Umarex made Walther PPK/s 22lr and had it since 2015. It is a great shooter and one of the pistols that I take with almost every time I go to the range. It's also the same gun that I used to teach my daughter how to shoot. The only "bad" thing about is the excessively heavy double action trigger however a lot of the Walther PPk's in 380 also have a very heavy double action trigger. Single action trigger pull is light & crisp. Extremely reliable & fun shooter. I say go for it!

Thanks gentlemen. The PPK/s I handled was kind of heavy, so I assumed it was steel. Having grown up in Tennessee with "hog rifles" anything that was not iron, brass, silver or wood was pot metal. I have learned that "high strength aluminum alloy" is not pot metal. (I don't own a plastic gun.) A Marine sergeant in Navy boot-camp made that abundantly clear to me when I answered his question by telling him that the receiver of an M-16 is made from pot metal. One does not forget an experience like that.

Frogwalking said:

Thanks gentlemen. The PPK/s I handled was kind of heavy, so I assumed it was steel. Having grown up in Tennessee with "hog rifles" anything that was not iron, brass, silver or wood was pot metal. I have learned that "high strength aluminum alloy" is not pot metal. (I don't own a plastic gun.) A Marine sergeant in Navy boot-camp made that abundantly clear to me when I answered his question by telling him that the receiver of an M-16 is made from pot metal. One does not forget an experience like that.

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The newer Walther PPK/S .22 is equal in weight to the steel models, which was done intentionally. Although the PPK/S .22 is made of leightweight alloy, the frame is filled in beneath the grips as opposed to the steel versions which have more conventional frames, hence the equal weight.

Next time you get a look at it, check both sides of the slide. If either side reads; "Walther Arms Fort Smith, AR" then that's a proof positive way of telling whether it's a classic model or not since Walther didn't have a factory in the USA prior to 2010.



You'll never see that marking on the slide of an older model.