Bought a New PPK/S by Walther.

American1776 · Jun 17, 2021

Found a brand new Walther PPK/S made by Walther in their Fort Smith Arkansas plant.

I’ve owned many PP series over the years, including W.German 7.65mm and S&W versions.

I must say, the new one is top notch in fit and finish. On a par with the W. German one I had.

Lettering are stamped instead of laser etched, and there is zero rattle.

Not a tool mark can be found, and the finish is spotless.

No sharp edges. The pistol does justice to Walther’s old school craftsmanship. I’ve read that there are no MIM parts, and I can attest that the trigger and hammer both appear to be solid steel. Comes with a presentation style case.

I’ve got pocket sized Glocks that fire .357 and 10mm, and they hold more bullets. But this little pistol just looks and feels like it belongs in the hand.

I like this a lot.
Anyone else like the new Walthers?

ISCS Yoda · Jun 17, 2021

Definitely a classic!

mauser9 · Jun 17, 2021

A real beauty. Had a blued Interarms one years ago. Kinda like the stainless one a bit better. One of the best concealable pistols out there. thanks for sharing.

colt_saa · Jun 17, 2021

Congratulations
That is a fine looking addition to the family

Faulkner · Jun 18, 2021

I shot a new Arkansas made Walther at the range lately and like the extended beavertail.

I carried an .380 ACP Walther PPK/S imported by Interarms for a number of years as a backup gun and occasional off duty concealed carry. I had performed some internal polishing of mine and found it to be very reliable and very, very accurate. I used to consistently ring a 6 inch steel plate at 50 yards.

Problem is, though, I did not find it a fun gun to shoot. For me if I were firing more than a magazine I found it was just plain painful to shoot. I always dreaded doing annual qualifications with the PPK/S, which require 50 rounds, because the .380 ACP in the Walther's blowback operation is quite stout. I would generally wear shooting gloves to help dampen the sharp pop of the recoil if I was shooting it more than a few rounds at a time. The sharp edges around the grip didn't help either.

Echo40 · Jun 18, 2021

Congratulations, it's a real beauty.

I've always been fond of the classic Walther PP Series, and I wanted one of these new production Walther Arms USA PPK/S models since they were first announced years ago, but by 2016 I had become impatient and bought a like new S&W PPK/S.

I must say, I much prefer the smoother lines and stampings of the newer Walther USA PPK/S to the last generation S&W PPK/S. My S&W PPK/S has sharp edges at the muzzle end of the slide which taper off into a pair of little fang-like points, and the laser-etched markings just aren't as visible or attractive as proper rollmarks. I really wish that Smith & Wesson had put more care into the fit and finish of their PPKs, because they just don't hold a candle to the newer ones coming out of Fort Smith Arkansas.

LB001 · Jun 18, 2021

Latest USA PPK/S

Can you tell us what the single and double action trigger weights are?

cyberdemonbfg · Jun 18, 2021

American1776 said:
Found a brand new Walther PPK/S made by Walther in their Fort Smith Arkansas plant.

I’ve owned many PP series over the years, including W.German 7.65mm and S&W versions.

I must say, the new one is top notch in fit and finish. On a par with the W. German one I had.

Lettering are stamped instead of laser etched, and there is zero rattle.

Not a tool mark can be found, and the finish is spotless.

No sharp edges. The pistol does justice to Walther’s old school craftsmanship. I’ve read that there are no MIM parts, and I can attest that the trigger and hammer both appear to be solid steel. Comes with a presentation style case.

I’ve got pocket sized Glocks that fire .357 and 10mm, and they hold more bullets. But this little pistol just looks and feels like it belongs in the hand.

I like this a lot.
Anyone else like the new Walthers?

Nice piece.I have one just like it and carry it daily..along with a Seecamp,lol.

jbenedetto2 · Jun 18, 2021

Picked up this 22LR last month. Love it.

rockquarry · Jun 18, 2021

I'm not up on Walthers and am unfamiliar with "Ft. Smith" guns. I've had several PPK/Ss, blue and stainless, but those were purchased used from fifteen to twenty-five years ago. These guns were all good ones and did well even with cast bullets at twenty-five yards. Feeding and function was always reliable. How do the "Ft. Smith" guns compare with the older ones?

mauser9 · Jun 18, 2021

Thanks for the info concerning the newer ones. Mine was bought new in 81-82 and stamped Interarms. Ended up trading for a CS-9. Just couldn't resist.

Echo40 · Jun 18, 2021

rockquarry said:
I'm not up on Walthers and am unfamiliar with "Ft. Smith" guns. I've had several PPK/Ss, blue and stainless, but those were purchased used from fifteen to twenty-five years ago. These guns were all good ones and did well even with cast bullets at twenty-five yards. Feeding and function was always reliable. How do the "Ft. Smith" guns compare with the older ones?

Yours were likely all Interarms models, either manufactured by Manurhin in France or Ranger in USA. Manurhin models are among the finest ever made in terms of fit and finish, although there's nothing wrong with the fit/finish of Ranger models either.

The Fort Smith models are largely based upon the design of the Smith & Wesson manufacturered models, which feature a modified feed ramp for more reliable feeding of JHPs and an extended beavertail to help mitigate slide bite. Unfortunately, Smith & Wesson models are inferior to the Fort Smith models however, because S&W's modifications to the design resulted in some teething issues and were actually subject to a recall in 2009 when it was discovered that some models had a safety defect in which a round could go off if the decocker was engaged with a live round in the chamber. Fortunately, the recall fixed the issue and all Models produced from 2009 onward were free of such issues.

In terms of overall fit and finish, I would grade them like this...

Walther (Germany, Thurgia) > Manurhin (France) > Walther Arms (USA, Arkansas) > Interarms/Ranger (USA, Georgia) > Walther (Germany, Ulm) > Smith & Wesson (USA, Massachusetts) > Smith & Wesson (USA, Maine) > FEG (Hungary) > Walther/Umarex (Germany, Cologne)

As you can see, the Walther PP Series has certainly gotten around, being manufactured in multiple different countries over the decades since it was first introduced. The Walther PP has a rich history with a vast assessment of models produced over time. (PP, PP Sport, PP Super, PPK, PPK/L PPK/S, PPK/E)

Some will argue over the order I posted, but that's my opinion on the subject, those made pre-WWII in Germany are the finest, post-WWII in France are a close second, and so on. That being said, all Walther PPKs are beautiful, high quality firearms, some just have nicer fit/finish than others.

boykinlp · Jun 18, 2021

Here is my Manurhin PP:

rockquarry · Jun 18, 2021

Forte Smitten Wesson said:
Yours were likely all Interarms models, either manufactured by Manurhin in France or Ranger in USA. Manurhin models are among the finest ever made in terms of fit and finish, although there's nothing wrong with the fit/finish of Ranger models either.

The Fort Smith models are largely based upon the design of the Smith & Wesson manufacturered models, which feature a modified feed ramp for more reliable feeding of JHPs and an extended beavertail to help mitigate slide bite. Unfortunately, Smith & Wesson models are inferior to the Fort Smith models however, because S&W's modifications to the design resulted in some teething issues and were actually subject to a recall in 2009 when it was discovered that some models had a safety defect in which a round could go off if the decocker was engaged with a live round in the chamber. Fortunately, the recall fixed the issue and all Models produced from 2009 onward were free of such issues.

In terms of overall fit and finish, I would grade them like this...

Walther (Germany, Thurgia) > Manurhin (France) > Walther Arms (USA, Arkansas) > Interarms/Ranger (USA, Georgia) > Walther (Germany, Ulm) > Smith & Wesson (USA, Massachusetts) > Smith & Wesson (USA, Maine) > FEG (Hungary) > Walther/Umarex (Germany, Cologne)

As you can see, the Walther PP Series has certainly gotten around, being manufactured in multiple different countries over the decades since it was first introduced. The Walther PP has a rich history with a vast assessment of models produced over time. (PP, PP Sport, PP Super, PPK, PPK/L PPK/S, PPK/E)

Some will argue over the order I posted, but that's my opinion on the subject, those made pre-WWII in Germany are the finest, post-WWII in France are a close second, and so on. That being said, all Walther PPKs are beautiful, high quality firearms, some just have nicer fit/finish than others.

Good, concise explanation. Thank you.

boykinlp · Jun 18, 2021

Here is my Manurhin PP:
Larry

AlaskaDawg · Jun 19, 2021

Reliable TPH next?

Glad to see a great endorsement of the quality of manufacturing. I had a German TPH and sold it for a lot back then 2,000.00 as it was Swiss military marked and with the box. Thought I would replace it with an American TPH that was not such a collector. Now have two with several spare magazines. Neither is reliable. Would still buy a new build if the Walther USA can build a reliable one. Wishing and dreaming. Anyone else?

HOUSTON RICK · Jun 19, 2021

Definitely an all around nice gun. Welcome to the club.

Echo40 · Jun 19, 2021

AlaskaDawg said:
Glad to see a great endorsement of the quality of manufacturing. I had a German TPH and sold it for a lot back then 2,000.00 as it was Swiss military marked and with the box. Thought I would replace it with an American TPH that was not such a collector. Now have two with several spare magazines. Neither is reliable. Would still buy a new build if the Walther USA can build a reliable one. Wishing and dreaming. Anyone else?

While I doubt that Walther would revive the TPH right now when .22/.25 Mouse Guns are no longer trendy, I too would buy a new TPH if they were to put them back into production.

That being said, the PPK/S-22 makes for an excellent, inexpensive plinker, so you may want to consider one of those.

97ViperGTS · Jun 19, 2021

New Walther USA PPK/s is a PIG!

It devoured everything I’ve ever fed it! Without any hitches!

Can’t say that for my old Interarms PPK and THP. They were both MONEY PITS... trying to get them to function right/be reliable.

New Walter USA THP? I’d be up for one if it was as good as my new PPK/s!

Puller · Jun 19, 2021

Forte Smitten Wesson said:
I must say, I much prefer the smoother lines and stampings of the newer Walther USA PPK/S to the last generation S&W PPK/S. My S&W PPK/S has sharp edges at the muzzle end of the slide which taper off into a pair of little fang-like points,

Ha, that part about the little fangs described my Interarms PPK/S to a tee. I agree with Faulkner, the earlier version PPK/S in .380 ACP is not fun to shoot. The one I had (and eventually sold) would draw blood after shooting a dozen or so rounds due to the fangs and sharp edges.

Even so, the PPK/S has an attraction so much so that I need to check out the Fort Smith version.

Bought a New PPK/S by Walther.

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