Walther PPK Range Report

[quikdraw67]

Picked this pistol up a few months ago.

This was sold as being factory refurbished. It looks like new to me. About $200 less than the going rate for new.

Came with an extra mag in the Walther jewelry case, with the outer cardboard box with the paperwork.

25ft indoors. 2 handed grip. 20 shots fired, 4 - 5rd strings. No FTF/FTE issues. PMC 95gr FMJ.

This was surprisingly pleasant to shoot. And it's accurate.

I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Engine49guy]

I'm guessing its the S&W built version by the huge tang?
I love the PPK , used to ccw a SS Interarms version years ago before they went up in value , still have a NIB Interarms version in blue and one in SS as well an early SS TPH in 22lr, all are great guns.

 

[quikdraw67]

I'm guessing its the S&W built version by the huge tang?
I love the PPK , used to ccw a SS Interarms version years ago before they went up in value , still have a NIB Interarms version in blue and one in SS as well an early SS TPH in 22lr, all are great guns.

Nope, you guessed wrong.

These are the post S&W guns from Walther USA in Ft. Smith AR.

The interesting thing is that the label on the outer carton says "Made in Germany".

IIRC the whole idea of the PPK/s was to get around the points system of the GCA68 stupidity.

Maybe they mean that it was refurbished in Deutchland.

No matter where it's from, it's a great little gun.

 

[Engine49guy]

Interesting, haven't come across one of the new ones yet.
IIRC the PPK/S is the shorter PPK slide mated to the longer PP grip frame.

Yours is appears to be 100% PPK (PPK. Polizei Pistole Kurz or Police pistol small)

 

[OLDSTER]

They are all great (iconic) pistols. PP, PPK ,PPKS, Walther and Manurhin. A history that offers fantastic collectible options. I have a "new old stock" Walther/Manurhin PP from 1956 in .32acp. I'm looking for one like yours for a .380.

 

[2152hq]

Looks like it and you shoot together very well!
Nice looking Walther
The Ft Smith guns came out around 2018 or '19 (?) I think.
Slides made in Germany at Walther, maybe some of the other parts, The frames andthe rest in AR, USA, and assembled there. I think they made the PPk & PPk/S version as well,,maybe still do.

Perhaps since Walther in Germany actually had a hand in some production of the gun(s), they were able to mark the box as it is.
The slide legend is marked as Walther made in Ulm, Germany on the left side, which the slide itself is...
The 'Walther Arms, Inc./ Ft Smith, AR' marking was put on the right side of the slide originally.

 

[quikdraw67]

Take a look, thanks

 

[BAM-BAM]

My suit gun in the 80s was a stainless PPK with a duckbill tang welded on to eliminate the slide bite carried in my first Milt Sparks Summer Special...

Found an ANIB in box Blue PPK a dozen years back and later a little used PPK/s in .32apc ($300) at a LGS... with a handful of mags.

Only thing better is a S&W 3913NL for EDC!!!!!

 

[2152hq]

Take a look, thanks

Looks like brand new,,nice buy!

In most of Europe (incl Germany) re: handguns, the slide is the 'control part' or what we would call the 'firearm' in the same way we call the Frame in the USA the 'firearm' when getting right down to US laws and regs.
(Long-guns in Europe, it's the bbl(s))

So mixing words a bit,,the slide being mfgrd in Germany,,the firearm was under German/European regs... Mfg'rd in Germany.
But since the GCA68, the Walther PPK did not meet the BATF point system minimum necessary for importation into the USA.
So the PPK had to be mfg'rd here in the US if it was to be again be made and sold in the US.

So it has a German mfg'rd slide and it being irrelevent as to wether German regs consider it the 'firearm' or not,,it's mearly the slide in the USA,,a gun part. Same as any other small part on the gun.

The frame is made in the USA, so it's not imported and the gun is assembled in the USA, so the complete firearm is not imported.
Neither could or can be imported (PPK) because of the 68GCA import rule on handguns needing to make the minimum points for importation.

 

[Brooks]

I say shooting the Walter PPK is not a pleasant experience unless it's .32acp.
I had a PP in .32 .... that was the nice shooter.

 

[Gene L]

I don't think it's painful, at least for me. Me and my grandson shot a .380 PPK on Thursday. During shooting, he changed hands to shoot from the left hand because he said the pistol had made his hand sore. I could tell I'd been shooting by the slight redness of my hand, but it wasn't partifcularly painful.

 

[colt_saa]

Very nice

I am so happy that Walther is continuing the longer tang on this family of pistols

As one who has a meaty hand, it REALLY helps stop the slide bite.

I still have my first stainless PPK (Interarms), but I prefer to shoot the newer one.

I keep the older one because a retired Cop buddy did the engraving for me and I like the look

BTW my carry ammo, Hornady Custom 100 grain XTP, leaves my barrel at 1000 FPS. It is a nice load and very accurate in my PPK pistols

 

[malph]

It's not a pistol, at least in 380acp, that I'd want to shoot all day but in relatively small amounts it's not so bad.

Then again, I feel the same way about airweight J-frames.

 

[BB57]

Very nice

I am so happy that Walther is continuing the longer tang on this family of pistols

As one who has a meaty hand, it REALLY helps stop the slide bite.

I own:
- a pair of Manurhin made Austrian Police surplus PPs in 7.65 Browning;
- a pair of stainless steel Ranger made PPK/S pistols in .380 ACP;
- a British L66A1 (a British contract German military marked PP in .22 LR); and
- an Umarex Walther PPK/S .22 LR.

I used to own a S&W made PPK/S in .380 ACP. I sold it mostly due to two recalls and significant reliability issues. However, it walls got sold due to the extended tang.

I don't automatically object to the longer tang and what it does to destroy the graceful lines of the pistol, but I do object to the sharp edges left on the tang. That poor finish detail makes it both uncomfortable to shoot and uncomfortable to carry in an IWB holster.

—-

I've also never personally had any issues with slide or hammer bite with a PP series pistol - but with a caveat.

Slide bite on any PP series pistol (or a 1911 or Hi Power for that matter) is largely an artifact of shooters inappropriately applying a modern high grip on a pistol designed in 1929 (PP), 1931 (PPK) and 1968 (PPK/S) - or 1911 and 1935 for the respective Colt and Browning pistols.

A proper "high" grip on a pistol involves getting the web of the hand as high up on the beaver tail of the pistol as you can get it to reduce the vertical difference between your hand and the bore axis to reduce muzzle rise - but without interfering with the slide.

By definition when you get slide or hammer bit, your grip is too high. Full stop.

In that regard, the longer tang can be seen as an attempt to modernize the PPK/S along the lines of modern tactical pistol design, but it's just not. Keep your hand down where Carl Walther felt it belonged and enjoy shooting it how it was designed to be shot.

 

[BB57]

I say shooting the Walter PPK is not a pleasant experience unless it's .32acp.
I had a PP in .32 .... that was the nice shooter.

PP series pistols are very pleasant to shoot in .32 ACP and they definitely feel sharper recoiling in .380 ACP.

But shoot the aluminum framed Bersa Thunder in .380 ACP and then pick up a PP or PPk/S in .380 ACP again and it will feel much better.

 

[BB57]

Looks like brand new,,nice buy!

In most of Europe (incl Germany) re: handguns, the slide is the 'control part' or what we would call the 'firearm' in the same way we call the Frame in the USA the 'firearm' when getting right down to US laws and regs.
(Long-guns in Europe, it's the bbl(s))

So mixing words a bit,,the slide being mfgrd in Germany,,the firearm was under German/European regs... Mfg'rd in Germany.
But since the GCA68, the Walther PPK did not meet the BATF point system minimum necessary for importation into the USA.
So the PPK had to be mfg'rd here in the US if it was to be again be made and sold in the US.

So it has a German mfg'rd slide and it being irrelevent as to wether German regs consider it the 'firearm' or not,,it's mearly the slide in the USA,,a gun part. Same as any other small part on the gun.

The frame is made in the USA, so it's not imported and the gun is assembled in the USA, so the complete firearm is not imported.
Neither could or can be imported (PPK) because of the 68GCA import rule on handguns needing to make the minimum points for importation.

Looking at it the other way Germany was prohibited from producing small arms after WWII. Walther had moved its tooling west to avoid the Soviets and now had its facilities located close to France but by law could not produce pistols. Walther consequently entered into an agreement with Manurhin where Walther created the forgings for the slide and frame then shipped them to Manuhrin to be machined, finished, roll marked and assembled in France.

In the mid 1950s when Germany was again allowed to produce firearms, Walther continued the arrangement with Manuhrin, which continued to sell Manuhrin marked pistols, but started having Manuhrin ship fully machined but unmarked and unfinished slides (along with the finished frames and small parts) to Walther that then roll marked and finished the slides, assembled the pistols as Walther marked and "Walther made" pistols even though all Walther did was the roll mark and finishing of the slides and the final assembly.

Since the frames and slides were finished in different factories one of the most notable thing about "Walther made" pistols during that era is the poorly matched blue between slide and frame.

That continued until 1986 when Walther discontinued its agreement with Manuhrin and started producing the entire pistol in its one facility. Most of the PP series pistol fans generally agree that overall quality dropped - provided they are not Walther fan boys or snobs.

 

[CajunBass]

We (my wife and I) have three of the "Fort Smith" PPK/s's. Two in 22 LR, and one in 380. We like all three of them.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Here's a real McCoy PPK - made in Germany in 1941. This one was willed to me by a friend who flew P-47s in Europe during WWII. This was his personal defense gun, packed while he was flying. I treasure it and have never fired it.

John

 

[quikdraw67]

Here's a real McCoy PPK - made in Germany in 1941. This one was willed to me by a friend who flew P-47s in Europe during WWII. This was his personal defense gun, packed while he was flying. I treasure it and have never fired it.

John

That's awesome. The pistol looks in great condition for a WWII survivor/bringback gun.

 

[Echo40]

Very nice.

I own two of the larger framed PPK/S models myself, a Smith & Wesson .380 in Stainless Steel plus a German PPK/S .22 with a matte black finish.