Any PPK fans out there?

[mrgweeto]

Indian Arms

I saw the picture of the PPK and it looks identical to my Indian Arms 380. The safety lever broke a while back because they weren't milled but cast. That was the problem with a lot of them, My gun shop gunsmith found a Walther PPK replacement on line but blued so he got that until I can find a SS one. All he had to do, he said, was to tweak it ever so little and it works fine now. I may use a burnish polish to make it look stainless but I plan on keeping it and using it at the range so at this point it is not a high priority. If someone out there knows where I can get a stainless one feel free to let me know.

 

[Taj]

This is a "no s--T story I have to tell. After I retired from my LE career I worked for a period as a personal body guard for a very wealthy guy that owned 20th Century Fox studios Pebble Beach Golf Course and a whole bunch of other things. He and his wife went to a premier of some new movie and I was assigned to attend with them. I was in a tux and had a seat directly behind them. There were two empty seats to my right and who comes up a sits next me, but Sean Connery and his wife. He saw that I was sitting alone so started a conversation with me and even offered me some of his pop corn. I indicated I was with the folks sitting in front of me and he knew who they were. He said, "OH, you must be the heat" then he ask if I was packing and if so what was I carrying. I had to laugh out loud and replied, "Walther, PPK" All he said was "Good choice".

 

[bph9]

I carried an Interarms PPK/s as a Narcotics agent for many years. It was bad about the edges of the slide cutting the web of your hand if you had big hands. Dremel tools are great for fixing the sharp edges. The .380 ACP was (and is) also marginal as a stopping round. I always carried the hottest stuff I could get my hands on. If you are considering the .32 ACP I think that it is completely out of the question for self defense. The DA trigger can also be a bit onerous on some individual Walther pistols. All that said, it is a flat, easy to conceal, pistol. I do not like the American made example and feel it is inferior.

With some of the micro 9mm pistols now on the market, my own Sig P938 for example, it is hard to justify the Walther as a practical choice. You may find the Sig P230 is a better example if you want a small .380 that is better designed than the Walther. Another choice is the Glock .380 which is similarly sized.

I disagree. In Germany Army tests the .32 acp would penetrate a military helmet while the .380 bounced off. That is why they made the .32 acp standard for the Germany Army and rejected the .380 acp.

Considering the fact that bullet diameter is irrelevant but penetration and bullet placement are what kills the .32 acp rates as superior to the .380 acp. And considering people shoot the .32 acp on average more accurately because it recoils less than the .380 this is yet another reason the .32 acp is superior.

 

[JoeDice]

My PPK

I had a very nice war-time PPK. Made in 1944 very near the end of production. I inherited it from dad and kept it since 1992 when he passed.
I shot it a few times 7.65x17 ( 32ACP) but never carried it . Since it was a safe queen and IM getting old ,I decided to sell it to a collector of wartime military arms and used the funds to buy something I shoot and enjoy and carry. It’s with someone who appreciates it and I’m very happy with the price Zi got .

 

[glenwolde]

I'm a fan, but I've never owned one. I do have a copy of a PP. It's a FEG PA-63 in 9mm Makarov.

 

[JMD999]

had a stainless PPK/s in the 90s, love the gun, not the reliability

 

[BillToll]

PPK

I've carried a PPK/S for years when hiking and it's a great gun. But an even better concealed carry gun is the Colt Model 1908 in .380 caliber. It is surprisingly thin and could even be carried under the arm comfortably. If you are old enough to remember the actor Robert Taylor, he carried one of these in his detective movies.

 

[Aggie1906]

Ja, I have a half dozen or so.
All German> OK, or French.
First one was one of those post Olympics ex cop PPs
that were so cheap at Interarms when Kamarad upgunned.
And none of them want to slice my mid size hands.
They seldom go to movies, but like to be fondled and even shot.

 

[Buck13]

You'll remember that Bond wanted to keep his .25 ACP and M had to call him back with "Just leave the Beretta."

 

[mrpski]

Bond, at least in one of the early books of the series, carried a .32 ACP PPK. I used to have .380 Walther PPK back in the 1980's. I think it was during the Interarms days, long before Smith got it.

It was nice. Only "con" was that I got cut by the slide if I was not careful.

As a freshly minted police academy cop on the street in 1974 my first two gun store purchases were a smith 357 model 19 for my duty gun and a 380 PPK/S for off-duty. Sold both of those suckers also down the line somewhere. Believe each of them cost about 200 bucks more or less at the time.

 

[Lufbery]

I'm a long time fan of the Walther PP series of pistols and have carried one from time to time. I actually prefer the slightly longer grip of the PPK/S.
Alas the true Bond gun, a blue PPK in .32acp has eluded me. Someday.....

Top: 380
Middle: .32
Bottom: .22LR

I really like the TPH you have there. How does it shoot?

 

[Campino1]

Backup

Carried a stainless PPK .380 in the plate pocket of my vest all the years I was with PD. Very accurate little guy- now I have upgraded with some very nice Hogue walnut grips.
A classic but time has cauight up with it and many excellent micro 9mms are the same size- Kimber Micro 9 has pretty much taken it's place

 

[Buck13]

been a Bond fan for as long as I can remember... but could never justify the cost of one... substituted a FEG PA-63... then got a new Umarex 22lr... that works for my level of Bond..

My cheap James Bond is a Bersa Thunder 380CC. The sights are comically small but I can shoot a decent group at 7 yards if the lighting is good. It's been reliable for the small number of rounds I've put through it (200 or so). I actually enjoy shooting the little stinker; it just has so much competition in my safe and I get to go to the range so rarely that other guns get most of the love.

The finish on the slide has worn quickly when carried. That's about the worst thing I could say about it.

edit: They say the MIM safety/decocker levers on the Bersa break fairly easily, so if that ever happens I'll say something much nastier. But I know to be gentle with it and I don't use it as a safety (i.e. I return it to the fire position immediately after I use it to decock), so it's likely I won't run afoul of that problem with my infrequent use.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

You'll remember that Bond wanted to keep his .25 ACP and M had to call him back with "Just leave the Beretta."

And, for the record, it is a Beretta 418

Beretta 418 | James Bond Literary Wikia | Fandom

(c) fandom

 

[cruiserdan]

I really like mine. In .380 the recoil is, what I would call, snappy. Harsh in what to me is a non-offensive way. My Model 29s are way more brutal with full-power loads. I wear gel-padded fingerless cycling gloves when shooting it recreationally and that tames the recoil dramatically. If I ever needed to use it for self defense, I imagine I wouldn't even notice the kick.

 

[SteveB2187]

If I ever needed to use it in anger, I imagine I wouldn't even notice the kick.

I hope you're using the word "anger" here where you really mean self defense. Not something you'd want to say to the police.

 

[SteveB2187]

Now, there's a rare PPK you definitely want to hang onto. German-made 7.65mm with no import marks or "Under license of" stamps on it. Wow. Good luck finding one of those any more these days.

 

[cruiserdan]

I hope you're using the word "anger" here where you really mean self defense. Not something you'd want to say to the police.

A very valid point indeed. I need to re-watch Massad Ayoob. Nouns matter.

 

[Engine49guy]

Appears there are alot of SW fans that also like the PPK.
I'm in that group, when Florida first announce it would create a state CCW back in 87 I was one of the first in line to get one and the PPK was in my carry rotation, while there are much smaller n lighter options today back then not so much ( btw recently finally picked up a bodyguard 1.0 with laser for pocket carry).
For the critics of the PPK you have to put it in context, the PP/PPK series was developed....
(Wait for it) in the 1930's !!! so comparing it to today's guns is like comparing a P38 to a Glock 19 and while u can you really shouldn't.
The PPK is iconic pistol, it set a new standard with its small size, double action and decocking safety and loaded chamber indicator all borrowed no doubt from its bigger sibling the P38.
These things were being carried by high ranking German officers as they blitzkrieged accross Europe and Afrika, then on the big screen in the hand of 007 himself.
The PPK is instantly recognizable and has had many copies, some are straight up copies while some are kinda close like the Makarov etc.
I still have a stainless Interarms PPK in stainless and the less encountered deep blue ( it's really more like black chrome).
Also have a post war German made gun from 1966 as well as a US made TPH ,
Imo the Interarms are equal to the 1966 gun, only noticeable difference is the grooves on the topstrap are different and the German gun has the beautiful mottled brown grip panels and pinky extension where the Interarms guns are black.
Also have a few copies in 22lr that seem to run better than that TPH including an Iver Johnson and an old Excam.
Whike I sokd off my comblock Makarovs years ago still have a few pairings that go well with the PPK such as the Mauser Hsc and HK4.
While I'm not a fan of the long tang if it works for you so be it, my hands are big but not fat so frame bite has never been an issue, Also prefer the PPK over its bigger brothers PP and PPKS.
IFMf you find yourself wondering if u shoukd own one they are not crazy expensive or out of production and clean lnib used ones don't usually go down in value so more like why not own one.

 

[Shibadog]

My first centerfire handgun was a .380 PPK-West German made. Great little pistol. I used to run out of town on my lunch hour and run 50 through it 3 or 4 times a week. I paid $125 new. Several years later a buddy offered my $175 for it, soi sold it. Regretted it almost immediately