I'm Thinking About Getting A PPK

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Wyatt Burp

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Not a S&W but an Interarms .380 for sale locally. I don't like stainless much but this is an exception. It's pretty new in a case with 2 mags. I shot a freinds .22 and fell in love. I was given two lifetimes worth of brass, bullets, primers, and there's a set of dies, too. I've never owned a .380 before of any make. Anyone out there own a Walther variation? And how's $500 sound for this gun here in Cubafornia?
 
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Here's my 1972 PPK/S ULM proofed Interarms .380. I bought it right @ 15 years ago. This is one sweet gun that will be one of the last to go. So well machined and accurate, heavy makes it a pleasure to shoot. If you like it
go for it, the current S&W clones can't even come close in quality from my experience.
With all the extra's you're getting I'd say it's worth it.

PPKS1972002.jpg
 
I had a Walther PPKS years ago it is one of the few automatics I regret selling. Well made, easy to drop in a coat or pants pocket for a quick run to the local shop and rob. The 380 may be a little underpowered but if it is it's not by much. For $500.00 if you can swing it go for it.
 
My wife's Interarms .380 PPK has been flawless. She doesn't carry it anymore (arthritis) but it's now a valued safe queen with a set of Cocobolo grips. I'll have to post a picture some day.

BTW hers was about $350 used, with a box and 2 mags, in Michigan about 7 years ago.
 
around 1985 or so Interarms imported some Manurhin made ppk/s's in 22 long rifle and 380 for $265. I still have the 22 and should have kept the 380 as well. I think the European made ones are pretty good. I think for $500 may be a little high for what you got but not much. enjoy it
 
steveno said:
around 1985 or so Interarms imported some Manurhin made ppk/s's in 22 long rifle and 380 for $265. I still have the 22 and should have kept the 380 as well. I think the European made ones are pretty good. I think for $500 may be a little high for what you got but not much. enjoy it
Click to expand...
I bought a "St. Etienne" marked PPK/S around '83 or '84. It was a good and reliable, although relatively hard kicking gun. I sold it to a friend to finance a Glock 22 or something before there was legal CCW in Ohio. I wouldn't mind having it back, although I'm pretty skeptical of .380acp as a self-defense round.
 
Massad Ayoob (I think) tried the .380 vs. snub .38's on pigs in slaughterhouses. The .380 often failed on head shots, but the lead SWCHP .38 bullet killed the pigs. That's a Plus P load, of course.

He may see this and comment. But I'd carry a .380 only if I couldn't carry a snub .38 that day. Some .380's are easier to conceal in summer clothes.

A German writer in Guns & Ammo some years ago noted that, on average, the .32 Walther jammed once in about 50 shots in German police service. I think that, plus the need for more power, was what prompted the German pistol trials of about 1975. We got some good guns out of those tests. The best was probably the SIG P-220 series.



T-Star
 
rimfired said:
Here's my 1972 PPK/S ULM proofed Interarms .380. I bought it right @ 15 years ago. This is one sweet gun that will be one of the last to go. So well machined and accurate, heavy makes it a pleasure to shoot. If you like it
go for it, the current S&W clones can't even come close in quality from my experience.
With all the extra's you're getting I'd say it's worth it.

PPKS1972002.jpg
Click to expand...


Who was that flick knife made for? Paul Bunyan? :eek:

T-Star
 
I have the Manurhin PPK/s and love the 380 round.

Great combo there, and $500 with all that stuff is a might fine deal in my neck of the woods.

380 is one of those rounds, that the more of it you shoot, the more you wonder why all the bad rap against it.

32 acp was a standard Euro police round for many decades. The 380 was and remains superior in all new style ammo loads to the 32. Think of it as a "9mm short"....which it is.

Compare the terminal ballistics in any recent study you can find.

Heavy-ish pistol with excellent performance in all realms, IMHO.

There never really is a 'perfect' round/pistol either.

Having a 380 Walter may lead you to another delight, the 380 Colt Government or the 380 Mustang, recently departed. Even better single action pistols.

Come to the 380 for an unexpected delight.
 
The Beretta .380's are probably the most reliable, but Star had some models that I'd like to try. One was hardly bigger than a .25, and GCA '68 stopped its importation here.

I had a war surplus Beretta M-34. It kicked harder than expected, but was dead reliable. It grouped into a man's hand at 25 yards. But the hard trigger pull was a lot of that, and .380's are really meant for closer range.



T-Star
 
I have a Interarms PPK/S that I've carried as a BUG or concealed off duty for over 10 years. I qualify with it twice a year and it's very accurate and 100% reliable, even with JHP's. I like the ergonomics of the PPK/S and find it is easy to carry concealed.

I like mine a lot, but there is a down side to them. Due to the blowback operation, the .380 ACP round in the PPK is not a 'fun' gun to shoot. Would I depend on mine, yes, I do often. Do I like to carry it to the range and target shoot or plink with it, no. I wear a shooting glove any time I'm shooting more than a couple of magazines through it because I find the recoil to be pretty snappy, but not really any more than a Airweight J-frame. The slide can also be hard to pull back, my wife can't chamber a round in mine. Lastly, the double action trigger pull is stout, though I like the single action trigger.

With all that said, I love mine and would recommend it to others.

305543281.jpg
 
Looks like I'm not going to get a Walther. I just bought this nice little Beretta .380 and this percussion gun was tossed into the deal, too. $275.

DSCN0274.jpg
 
In my opinion the Walther PP series pistols are overrated and over priced. Do a search under my name to find photos of my PP comparing it to other handguns for size and width. You did good on the Beretta.
 
Though the OP's question is now moot, there's a few things worth clearing up for anyone that finds this via google or what not.

A stainless Interarms PPK was most likely made in the United States. The PPKs (plural, not PPK/s) had to be made in the States for general sale post GCA 68. They lacked enough "points" to come in for import otherwise, though sticking a PPK slide on a PP frame did qualify and begat the PPK/s.

American made guns sold by Interarms could be had in blued or stainless. I had one of the blued guns, bought it new circa 1996 or so. I didn't see many of the blued ones around and it looked like James Bonds pistol (though he had a .32).

The blued ones seems a little better turned out, but that could have just been those I'd seen.

I paid 399 dollars for mine NIB back then with two mags (made by Mecgar), the test target, manual, etc.

The manual said the gun would work best with standard FMJ ammo. It told the truth. My particular gun would tend to jam if used with Winchester silvertips - the only JHP ammo that I could obtain reliably in that caliber at the time. With FMJs it worked fine.

I currently have a German made .32 PP that I traded my Krag sporter for.

Where the PP/PPK can be a problem is that they are made to closer tolerances than modern pocket pistol designs. They're nicely made and fairly accurate, but crud will make one malfunction much more easily than something like a pocket Glock. If the German PD were having trouble, it was most likely because of German cops not cleaning or taking care of the guns - remember the stories of why the hooked hammer was on the P6s? Keep it clean and a Walther will work fine, they were used quite a bit in WW2 and didn't seem to have a reputation for being a problem.

I've never had one of the SW made ones. Mine also didn't trouble me with hammer bite - different people have different hands. A PPK weighs in about the same as a steel Model 36.

Use FMJs and keep it clean and it's a quicker reloading option to the J frames, but... the hey day of this as an option would have been the 60s, 70s, maybe up til mid 80s. There are better choices today.

I keep my .32 around because I think it ought be potent medicine for squirrels and such.
 
Gator, the gun I was scheming on was a PPK/S. That's a big difference that I failed to differentiate, or how ever you spell that word. I'd still like to have one.
 
I got a S&W .380 PPK/S a couple of years ago, just in time for the recall. Sent it off, got it back eventually with the part-swap/repair notice. Fired it a few times at the range without a problem. It's one of my loaded household guns.

I'm willing to believe that the current Walther models may not be manufactured to the standards of the older guns, but I haven't studied the inner workings to see what may have been changed in the last half century as design evolved. I don't doubt for a moment that some have had problems with their modern units, but it still seems to me that the problem rate is quite low -- nothing in the M&P 15-22 class, for example. I don't think I'd buy one of those.

I trust my .380. Maybe someday it will stovepipe or do something else ugly on me -- but so far, so good.
 
I owned three 380 PPKs over the years and a German blued 1972 PP 380. The first PPK was a late 70s German blued gun and worked great with all ammo I fed it. I built a house and sold it off for a down payment. I still wish I had it. My second PPK was a US made first year Interarms stainless gun. It was covered in sharp edges and would only feed hardball. I sold it off and didn't miss it. A few years later I tried out a later version of the Interarms stainless PPK and found the edges were nicely rounded and the finish work on the gun seemed much nicer than the earlier stainless gun. I bought it and packed it as a backup gun for several years. It is utterly reliable with all ammo I've fed it including Silvertips, Speer HP, and Federal HP. My old PP eats everything without problem as well.

The Walthers seem to vary depending on where and when they were made.
 
I've had 3 Interarms PPK's. They all jammed and had so many sharp edges that you were bound to get cut shooting them. All were in .380. I got rid of them and got 2 Walther PP's in .32 made by Manurhin. They are a dream to shoot with no sharp edges and extremely accurate!
Steve
 
The interarms walter .380 PPK is a great little gun. I have had one, in stainless, for well over 10 years. That is my second gun to carry when the Springfield XD.40 is too big. It is very accurate and, with practice, can master the recoil. However, if you do not grip the gun high under the tang, it will bite you and take some of your skin. If you practice using the right grip, that would not be a problem. The $500.00 is slightly high but it is subjective. S&W took over manufacturing the Walters, but it can not compare with interarms or the originals. Interamrs went out of business some time ago.

Nick
 
Some of the older ammo may not have been too potent, but the new Hornady Critical Defense .380 does not take a back seat to any 38 ammo when you look at what it does to a block of ballistic jell. I do not feel under-gunned when carrying either of my .380's.
 
I bought a stainless Interarms PPk's assembled in the USA from German parts yesterday at the gunshow and took it shooting today. It gobbled all my ball, hollow point and lead cast bullet ammo without one single glitch. Palm sized groups standing at 15 yards. I'm just an average sized guy, 5'11" and 190lbs and had no problem with recoil or slide bite. I think that is superb performance from the little gun. It's going to be my my (very) hot weather carry gun. It's earned my trust and I know I can shoot it fast and accurately.

Charlie
 
Try a Bersa

If you want a .380 with a much better trigger than a PPK for a lot less money try the Bersa Thunder. It comes in several variations, I have the CC model with an 8 round magazine. Out to 15 yards it is very accurate shooting to point of aim and feeling very comfortable/natural doing so. It is ideal for CC, lots of ways and places to hide it. Not much recoil but ammo is pricey when you can find it. I load Winchester 95 grain SilverTip HP's and have every confidence that (like ABC Sports), they will get the job done "up close and personal".
 
Have a German made PPK/S which is 30yrs old & works perfect. Fantastic gun, but needs a higher front sight - shoots a little high. May change the front sight someday to F/Optic. Feels good with Pachmayr grips, full wrap around, excellent control. Recoil is mild. Accuracy is excellent out to 25yrds. Highly recommended - wish I had another one in .22 cal.
 
I bought a 1988 Interarms PPK .380 when I became a police officer. I carried it for 20 years without fail. It never jammed. Not once. I took very good care of it and I shot it very well. For some reason, it is just very ergonomic in my hands.

I also have a pre-WWII Zella-Mehlis .32 PPK, a 1966 .380 PPK, and a PP Sport .22 with the 6" barrel. All are outstanding guns that work very well for me.

I retired my stainless PPK when I bought a Ruger LCP. The LCP is much smaller, thinner, lighter and still holds the same number of rounds (6 + 1) and I equipped mine with a Crimson Trace Laser. The LCP is a true pocket gun while the PPK was always carried by me on my hip.

I treated my PPK to 75% coverage American Scroll by Michael Gouse and it now resides in my safe (but I have shot it since having it engraved). I love the PPK and believe the Interarms guns from their first few years are very well made.

WaltherCamilllus003.jpg


WaltherPPK32003.jpg


WaltherPPK004.jpg


Walther008.jpg
 
Wyatt Burp said:
Not a S&W but an Interarms .380 for sale locally. I don't like stainless much but this is an exception. It's pretty new in a case with 2 mags. I shot a freinds .22 and fell in love. I was given two lifetimes worth of brass, bullets, primers, and there's a set of dies, too. I've never owned a .380 before of any make. Anyone out there own a Walther variation? And how's $500 sound for this gun here in Cubafornia?
Click to expand...

My PPK is a pre-'68 GCA .380, made in Germany. I'll let my heirs dispose of it!
 
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