I may have a chance to purchase a ss ppk/s .380 (interarms) for a fair price. My main interest in the pistol is due the similarities with sw 3rd gens. I like da/sa and the slide mounted safety/decocker set up. I know of the current price and inventory issues with .380 ammo and have not seriously shopped for a 380 pistol in the past but this opportunity has got me thinking. I am interested in your opinions of the ppk and perhaps a comparison to the sig p232 which has always appealed to me despite the frame mounted decocker and lack of manual safety (not bad features just different from 3rd gens). Pistol would mainly be for occasional range time and maybe cc, 3913 is primary ccw. Thanks for your input.

I have owned several of these over the years & have found them to be excellent pistols. hth.

I too have owned the PPK/S in stainless and blue by Interarms.{2 blue and one ss} Can't fault any of them. Gave my son in law a blued one and he is thrilled.
The blued version I have carried for years. Had Teddy Jacobsen slick it up many years ago and even though it is .380, have never felt under gunned.

I think with the advent of the polymer pistols such as the bodyguard and lcp they are a little impractical for carry due to weight and cost. However they are very enjoyable to shoot and ideal for a gun to play with while watching James Bond movies!

I previously owned an Interarms Walther PPK/s (stainless) and found that it was very accurate and ran flawlessly.

Other than the small sights and an occasional "slide bite" (caused by my gripping it too high on the backstrap)... I found this little semi-auto nice to shoot and was easy to carry in warm weather.

After owning the PPK/s for several years I decided to try a Sig P-232 SL (stainless) and found that I liked it better. I found the rear sight gap to be much wider and this made it easier for my "older" eyes to pick up the front sight. I also felt that the trigger pull was smoother and did not stack as much just before the hammer dropped producing what seemed like a lighter trigger pull to me.

I found the frame to feel slightly larger and this seemed to reduced the frequency that my hand was bit by the slide when I gripped the handgun poorly.

As a result of the above... I presently only own the Sig P-232 SL.

The one thing that I do miss about the Walther PPK/s is its classic shape and the way the trigger guard pulls down to disassemble the weapon for cleaning and maintenance.

Classic gun and the Interarms are some of the best to be had....IMO.

People would laugh but it was fun to shoot a IDPA course with one once in awhile........

A stainless .380 PPK was my primary suit/concealed carry gun until a 3913 entered my life in the early 90s..... still break it out if a Tux is called for!!!LOL In a Sparks summer special it disappears.......the weight issue is overstated in my opinion.

A nice selection of wood grips are available and fairly cheap for the PPK/s vs. PPK. Hogue usually has a nice selection of woods.

Last year I picked up a stainless PPK/s in .32 apc w/ 4 mags for about $350.......LGS ....a hoot to shoot!

I agree with all the posters but Lowrider said it best
I have three in 380 2 of which are Interarms made in USA 1 blue 1 SS,
The other is my favorite a 1966 proofed from "West" German marked imported by Interarms without import stamps (Pre 1968)
Neat gun more similar to WWII production than Interarms made guns it has dark blue finish with brown mottled plastic grips and a lanyard loop mount and old style frame grooves and sites.

An alternate take is the Mauser HSc in 380 acp, neat design but a tad heavy and the similar H&K Model 4 which has kits to fire 4 calibers and is lighter than both due to an aluminum frame.

I really like my stainless Interarm's PPK in 380 and do shoot it on occasion.
A note on the new Mauser's Hsc's: I had one of these and finally traded it off after 3 different gunsmiths and myself couldn't get it to cycle reliably.
Jim

Engineguy.... was just enjoying you Combat magnums.... now these guns......you must have the biggest "basement in Fla. LOL

Thanks to all for the quick replies. Forgive my ignorance but were the pistols actually made in the USA by interarms or made in Germany and imported by interarms? I will keep researching the ppk/s variants and see how the deal/purchase works out. An original walther in .22 would be my 1st choice but that appears to be a bit too costly. The HK looks interesting also. Too many choices, so little time and money. Thanks again for the info.

They were made in Gadsden, AL by Ranger Arms.

This gun has quite the history and I am just learning. I think this is how it went down. Someone please correct me if I made a misstep.

The PPK (Police Pistol Kurz) was originally manufactured in Germany prior to and during WWII. After the war, production was moved to France then back to West Germany. Interarms was the importer then sometime in the 80's made a deal w/Walther, and a manufacturer named Ranger to became the American manufacturer/distributer of the PPK/s. The "S" designation signified changes required by 1968 Gun Control Act.

Today it is manufactured in the U.S. by Smith and Wesson under license from Walther.

I have owned a Interarms/Walther PPK stainless for about 20 years. A very attractive firearm that handles, carries and shoots well. Being a lefty, I have to de-cock with the off hand. Yesterday I took it to the range and it worked flawlessly, as usual. My friend just got a Glock 42 and we fired that also. I gotta tell you, I am very impressed with the G42. It is a tad smaller than the PPK. It has less recoil even though it is several ounces lighter than the PPK. The big Glock sights made the PPK sights seem even smaller. At 20 feet, the Glock can put all rounds into one hole if I do my part. The PPK is no slouch in the accuracy department either, but I was more accurate and faster round-to-round with the G42.

I am not selling my PPK to get a G42, but if I get a G42, I would likely carry that over the PPK, especially in a back-up role to a G23.

For a righty already familiar with the DA/SA manual of arms, at fair price the Walther should be a good buy. But, if you ever shoot it side-by-side with a G42, you may find the Walther not the optimal .380 platform. But, it wins in the looks department, if that is important to you.

__________________
Tony

OP, Interarms manufactured or Interarms import?

I believe it is interarms manufacture but have not seen the pistol yet..will find out more this week.