bad_man_ one
Member
With all the questions on the Walther PPK and PPK/S's,
I figured I would add some of my findings.
Please correct me if any of this information is incorrect.
All my little Walthers are Stainless and are from Interarms of Alexandria VA, PPK-.380, PPK/S-.380 and TPH-.22LR and work flawlessly.
I may stand to be corrected here,
But I don't think Smith and Wesson ever picked up making the TPH after Interarms went out of business.
The findings:
From 1953 until Samuel Cummings (the owner) death April 29, 1998 @ 71 in Monaco, Interarms of Alexandria VA imported firearm models from multiple foreign manufacturers.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 limited the size and weight of handguns that could be imported - hence the Walther PPK was barred because it was too small.
To comply with GCA68, imported handguns have to score a minimum number of points.
Walther was able to accomplish this by combined the frame of a Walther PP with the slide of a PPK, and thus the Walther PPK/S was born.
Walther manufactured the PPK/S in Ulm Germany until the mid-70's when economics and a licensing agreement with Interarms moved production to the USA.
From 1978 to 1999, USA Walther PPK/S were manufactured by Ranger Manufacturing in Gadsden Alabama and distributed by Interarms(Formerly Interarmco).
The Ranger Manufacturing Co. was once Black Creek Manufacturing Co.
Swith & Wesson began manufacturing the Walther PPK and PPK/S in Houlton Maine in 2001.
Just in, adds to the confusion:
Interarms had a license from Walther Germany and the PPK/S was made by Mid-South Industries in Gadsden, Alabama for Interarms.
(See page 110 of the great coffee-table book "Walther, A German Legend" by Manfred Kersten).
Here is a cool link, scroll down to Ranger Manufacturing Co., Inc., Gadsden, AL - pg. 139 of the PDF:
http://www.vpc.org/graphics/prod2002.pdf
Try an internet search "Sam Cummings, 71, Trade In Weapons on a Grand Scale" to find the obituary and there is also some wiki info out there.
Regards,
BM1
I figured I would add some of my findings.
Please correct me if any of this information is incorrect.
All my little Walthers are Stainless and are from Interarms of Alexandria VA, PPK-.380, PPK/S-.380 and TPH-.22LR and work flawlessly.
I may stand to be corrected here,
But I don't think Smith and Wesson ever picked up making the TPH after Interarms went out of business.
The findings:
From 1953 until Samuel Cummings (the owner) death April 29, 1998 @ 71 in Monaco, Interarms of Alexandria VA imported firearm models from multiple foreign manufacturers.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 limited the size and weight of handguns that could be imported - hence the Walther PPK was barred because it was too small.
To comply with GCA68, imported handguns have to score a minimum number of points.
Walther was able to accomplish this by combined the frame of a Walther PP with the slide of a PPK, and thus the Walther PPK/S was born.
Walther manufactured the PPK/S in Ulm Germany until the mid-70's when economics and a licensing agreement with Interarms moved production to the USA.
From 1978 to 1999, USA Walther PPK/S were manufactured by Ranger Manufacturing in Gadsden Alabama and distributed by Interarms(Formerly Interarmco).
The Ranger Manufacturing Co. was once Black Creek Manufacturing Co.
Swith & Wesson began manufacturing the Walther PPK and PPK/S in Houlton Maine in 2001.
Just in, adds to the confusion:
Interarms had a license from Walther Germany and the PPK/S was made by Mid-South Industries in Gadsden, Alabama for Interarms.
(See page 110 of the great coffee-table book "Walther, A German Legend" by Manfred Kersten).
Here is a cool link, scroll down to Ranger Manufacturing Co., Inc., Gadsden, AL - pg. 139 of the PDF:
http://www.vpc.org/graphics/prod2002.pdf
Try an internet search "Sam Cummings, 71, Trade In Weapons on a Grand Scale" to find the obituary and there is also some wiki info out there.
Regards,
BM1
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