Any reason not to buy a new Walther PPK?

[aterry33]

As opposed to an older one? I'd like to pick one up eventually. I don't know much at all about Walthers, i.e. do the new ones have some sort of annoying lock or magazine disconnect safety, etc.

I don't think so but just checking.

I am tempted to get blued model just for that classic look, but stainless makes a lot more sense for this type of gun. Not sure i'd ever carry it instead of the 642 in my pocket but it's nice to have that option.

 

[viceunit]

I don't know that much about current production PPK's, I'll admit. I have a stainless Interarms PPK that I got around 12-14 years ago in a straight up trade for a Colt Officers ACP stainless. I probably would not make that trade today, but then it was close to even. And, I wanted a stainless PPK badly because it looked like it was hewn from a solid chunk of stainless.

I carry it frequently even though I have a 442 or a 3" 36 because I like the flatness of it. I also have a comfortable and very slick Bianchi suede horizontal shoulder rig that lets the Walther seemingly jump right into my hand. An IWB holster is also very convenient and it makes a nice BUG to whatever my primary is (G23 usually). A few times I have had 2 BUG with me and the PPK is one of them. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The only thing I should do is swap in a spring kit, the action is heavy. I never had a feeding or function problem with a variety of HP rounds. Once I gave it a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner we had at work and it took all of the paint out of the sights and safety selector position dot (red off safe) and I had to repaint those. No more sound waves to clean this gun! A buddy of mine with big mitts had a problem with slide bite when he shot it, but with my medium sized hands I never had that problem.

My son has a Kel-tech .380 that is certainly smaller. Just for pure shooting, I'd rather shoot the PPK. But that Kel-Tech would make a nice BUG to the other two BUGs!

 

[DCWilson]

I bought a new production PPK/S in .380 about 16-18 months ago -- just in time for the recall. I hadn't even shot it when I sent it off for the part replacement and tuning, and I didn't shoot it much after it came back. But I didn't have any FTF or ejection problems, and the thing did not go off unexpectedly while I was operating the decocker.

This was intended as a replacement for a much loved wartime .32 PPK that was a gift to me when I was a teenager and which I foolishly let get away at some point. I would prefer to have the older one, but the new one is adequate. I like the traditional style and all-metai construction.

The action on the new one is very stiff. The decocker really needs some thumb pressure behind it to move off the detente, and I did a little internal work on the detente notch to loosen mine up. It still needs even more TLC.

Some people have reported multiple problems (or maybe multiple returns for the same problem) on the newer PPKs.

There is a Walther forum where you can read about the old guns and the new ones. Probably worth a look. I'm not LE and don't carry, so mine is just a HD gun. Actually, it is a backup HD gun, because I have bigger revolvers that I would reach for first in the event of a break-in.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I have owned a good many Walther handguns over the years and am totally unimpressed with them. I do currently own a German made NDS marked PP in .32 a.c.p., imported by Interarms. One of two Walthers that worked out of the ones I have owned. Walther's tend to bite the hand, jam, and are known to not like hollow points. For what Walther's cost, I would look for something else.

 

[SteveG]

I don't often respond the way I will here, but this is a sore point with me.

I had an Interarms and also one of the German (actually made in France) models. They were fun to carry (they're probably still the gun most used in shows because of how they look) and I never really had a problem. Liked the way they looked, though I didn't find them all that comfortable to shoot but the relative merits of how the real ones work is a pretty subjective thing.

Now...I bought one of the Maine versions about two years ago. A total piece of crap...went back three times (the recall was also part of the second time I had a problem) and I finally got a refund after writing the CEO and the person he passed me along to. I experienced more problems in one shooting session than with that gun than I had in two years of shooting autos. Note these 'new' PPKs are made in the state of Maine, not Mass. I thought it was a disgrace for S&W to make it and also a complete waste of time. If you want one, the Interarms and Germans models come up now-and-then and they work. Check out Walther Firearms and Accessories, Earl's Repair Service Inc. - Home Page They know their stuff and won't even touch the Maine guns. Give them a call...they're pretty good at answering questions.

Just let me say that this was MY experience...but if you check around different forums you'll find it not a rare one. You'll also find the Maine guns have fan boys too...but like somebody wrote, having to take a chance when you buy a gun that you get "one that works" is not what it should be about. Perhaps they've improved since my experience but be very careful before you lay down good money for one of those.
Steve

 

[Marshal Tom]

I have owned several of them over the years and have sold them all off. I think that the older Interarms guns were generally much better than the current S&W product. I have noted the following over the years. Very stiff springs due to the blow back design, hard to work for some people. Sharp edges all over the gun, I cut my thumb once operating the slide. Very stiff trigger requiring tuning or replacement Wolf springs which make a huge difference. I am left handed and they do not provide an ambi safety, not a really big deal because they have a floating firing pin and can be safaly carried with the safety off. It is really a decocker anyway. As stated already they can be ammo sensitive with hollowpoints.

I took one of the new ones in trade and sold it to a friend of mine. It was a stainless S&W. It was a peice of crap and would not work. He had it repaired and traded it away for a Kahr 40. He is a happy camper.

I love them and hate them at the same time. I think that there are better designs out there and guns that weigh less and operate more consistantly. There are 9mm's the size of the Walther now with more modern designs. They can be a great little gun if you get a good one but as I said before, there are 9mm's that are the same size offering much better performance.

Tom

 

[shawn mccarver]

No reason not to buy new. They work well and are backed by S&W's excellent service if anything does go wrong.

 

[~tc~]

Have you priced/checked availability of 380 in your area lately?

 

[Bullzaye]

I would tend to agree with SteveG and Marshal tom.

I'll keep this as short as possible...my experience with the S&W manufactured PPKs was about 10 years ago. It was horrible. My BNIB TPH came apart in my hands after about 20 rounds of factory ammo. When I returned it to S&W for service, they said it couldn't be fixed, and offered me $100 for it. I almost exploded at them about the absurdity of their offer. Then they finally offered me a new PPK in exchange, since the TPH was apparently no longer available. I accepted, and sold it without ever having fired it, since my local gun shop advised me that all of the newer PPKs that they had sold had been returned for problems of one sort or another.

I sure wish I had kept that TPH unfired. It appears that they're quite valuable now...though I suspect not as shooters!

The older German and French manufactured PPKs were quite nice pistols...though I imagine some of them may have been a bit picky about feeding HP ammo, since that wasn't really what they were designed to be used with. FWIW, I own several Walther P-5s, P-88s & (older) PPs, and they're all extremely high quality! They are magnificent pistols!

Tim

 

[bad_man_ one]

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.
Just my $.02

All mine are Stainless and are all from Interarms of Alexandria VA, PPK-.380, PPK/S-.380 and TPH-.22LR and work flawlessly.

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:
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

 

[Bullzaye]

You may be correct about that. It's been awhile, and I didn't own it for very long. I thought it was manufactured by S&W, or somehow involved them, but I could be wrong. I do know that S&W was covering the warranty repairs, and that it was them that made the ridiculous offer of $100 for a BNIB defective TPH.

Tim

 

[18DAI]

I would stay away from the S&W PPK. Nothing but headaches. One of the guys on my squad sent his back to S&W three times and it still doesn't feed properly.

If you must have one, find a REAL Walther PPK. Regards 18DAI.

 

[joseph whitney]

Walther PPK/s

For whatever it is worth , here goes. I have had over the years, several PP,PPk and PPk/s. I also owned a couple of TPH .22's. First the PP model made in Germany is a very fine weapon and I have never had a minute's trouble with any of the three I owned. Same goes for the PPk/s and the PPK models made by/imported from Interarms. Sad to say my experience with the Smith& \Wesson models has been anything but positive. I agree with the opinions that have been offered regarding the negative points of the Smith Walthers. I recently posed the same question to the forum for their opinions on these and got the same answers. My last experience was with a S&W model Walther that a very stupid person jammed a Makarov 9mm in the slide area of the pistol. I finally got it out and sold the piece to another fan? I also, instructed him that he should send it back to Smith &Wesson to have it gone through before attempting to shoot it as I wasn't sure what the damage might be and made him sign a paper that I would not be liable for any problems he might have if he failed to do so.
Again, I will state that I have the greatest respect for the German made Walthers as well as those by Interarms. Finally, I am sure that the TPH Walthers in stainless steel were imported only by Interarms, at least I have never seen one with any other marking on them. I will also say that in spite of their very good looks they were worthless as a shooter for the two I had constantly jammed on any ammo they were fed. They were even worse than the Jennings I had at the time and that is saying something. I hope this doesn't hurt anyone's feelings but that has been my experience with a pistol I really love (not the S&W by the way)

 

[MattB]

I have owned a good many Walther handguns over the years and am totally unimpressed with them. I do currently own a German made NDS marked PP in .32 a.c.p., imported by Interarms. One of two Walthers that worked out of the ones I have owned. Walther's tend to bite the hand, jam, and are known to not like hollow points. For what Walther's cost, I would look for something else.

My P99 has not bitten me, has not jammed, and likes hollowpoints.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I have never owned a P99. PP, PPk, PPK/s, TPH, P38, P22's and a little pistol that looked alot like a Browning 1910.

Look at the sights that were installed on my TPH. This gun shot well enough if you did not mind getting cut up. It liked Blazer ammo best but that was not 100% reliable. It wasn't even a good toy, and it certainly was not cheap.

It was not that much smaller than my S&W #317.

 

[remat457]

I have a S&W/Walther PPK and it has been flawless (well, except for the send it in for the recall). Previously, I had an Interarms/Walther PPKS and the DA trigger was horrendous. My new one is much better.

 

[RussellD]

The PPK is a dated design popular only because of the James Bond image. It has lots of sharp edges, it does not feed hollow points well and the trigger pull in a word is horrible. For a pistol of the intended use/design there are much lighter and more powerful choices available. I type all of this as a former PPK/S owner.

However if you find the item attractive and there is a place in your collection, safe and budget that needs to be filled-by all means get one

 

[Jimmymac46]

I have owned a good many Walther handguns over the years and am totally unimpressed with them. I do currently own a German made NDS marked PP in .32 a.c.p., imported by Interarms. One of two Walthers that worked out of the ones I have owned. Walther's tend to bite the hand, jam, and are known to not like hollow points. For what Walther's cost, I would look for something else.

As stated above, Walther's do in fact bite the hand that shoots them. I had an early SS PPK that would consistently jam after clipping the web of my hand between the thumb and point finger. I sold it shortly after.....if it won't function reliably, meaning EVERY time, it is worthless to me. I believe it is a design flaw, the hand positions high on the gun with the slide close to the centerline.

I do have relatively large hands but not huge, so this problem is undoubtedly not exclusive to me. Something to think about if you plan to use it as a primary. Good luck.

 

[Bullzaye]

As stated above, Walther's do in fact bite the hand that shoots them. I had an early SS PPK that would consistently jam after clipping the web of my hand between the thumb and point finger. I sold it shortly after.....if it won't function reliably, meaning EVERY time, it is worthless to me.

Just to clarify...this is not the case with all Walthers. Yes, the Walther TPH, PP, PPK, & PPK/S models may bite the web of the hand if the shooter is not careful, and/or if the shooter has particularly large or fleshy hands. However, other Walther models do not necessarily have this tendency.

Owners should be aware of the size of their own hands when purchasing pistols. A 105 lb. petite woman (or man) can hardly blame IMI for poor design just because she can't reach the thumb safety, manipulate the slide, or thumb down the slide release on her Desert Eagle. She has simply picked a pistol that is not the proper size for her. The same goes for a 300 lb bruiser of a man (or woman) with very fleshy hands who tries to shoot a Browning Baby or a Walther TPH. This is yet another reason why there is a such a wide selection of firearms out there...one size does NOT fit all!

Tim

 

[BobRasch]

Got my S&W PPK/S .380 new from Shooters last month. Five "hard jams" later, it's back at the factory. Sure hope they can fix the problem. Thought I was getting the perfect CCW. Guess I should have read more reviews before spending over $500.