I've owned a S&W PPK/S since 2016 and it has never once failed me. I actually put it through a rather extensive test once in which I was actively trying to make it fail, but it only hiccuped once when I attempted to chamber a round which had a substantial amount of bullet setback, ergo it was therefore completely out of spec and was unlikely to feed in any gun.
I carried this beauty from 2016 to 2019 when I replaced it with a Ruger LCP, but as you can tell by the series of pics I took of it throughout the years, it still holds a special place in my heart.
Sure, the LCP is smaller, lighter, chambered in the same cartridge, and only holds one less round in the magazine, but it's obviously nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing, and nowhere near as accurate either.
Purists will call Smith & Wesson blasphemous for daring in their hubris to think themselves capable of improving upon the design, but obviously they did, and Walther themselves approved of the changes because they were carried over to the latest iteration of the PPK(/S) produced by Walther.
Smith & Wesson improved on the feed ramp which was previously a two piece design which had trouble feeding modern Jacketed Hollow Point ammunition by making it into one continuous slope. In addition, they extended the beavertail in order to prevent the infamous "Walther Bite" from slicing open the hands of shooters as the original design was known to do because of it's stubby and frankly inadequate beavertail.
Once again, the purists will tell you that it wasn't a problem and accuse anyone who has suffered from slide bite while shooting a PP Series pistol of using an "improper grip" then proceed to "educate" you on the "proper" method of gripping the gun which is awkward, unintuitive, and strangely has never appeared in any instruction manual or official documentation for the gun.
Once again, Walther themselves has adopted the changes that Smith & Wesson made to the PPK(/S) which can be easily verified by checking out their website...
PPK/s | Stainless – www.waltherarms.com
It looks familiar, doesn't it?
Well…not quite.
In 2013 Carl Walther discontinued its arrangement with S&W and started selling its own firearms in the USA,
Since 2013, Carl Walther has handled the marketing, distribution, sales, and servicing of its firearms in the USA through the newly-formed Walther Arms Inc., a subsidiary of the PW Group of Arnsberg, Germany. PW owns both CARL WALTHER GmbH Sportwaffen and Umarex. Walther Arms Inc began production in Fort Smith AR in 2018.
I would not read too much into the fact they are making them on former S&W tooling, and would not say it reflects acceptance of the S&W version as being a “superior” design.
Having owned Walther, Manurhin, Ranger and S&W examples, I can say based on my experience with them that the S&W isn’t superior anywhere other than apparently on paper.
