Is my Walther obsolete just becasuse there's newer, lighter, more powerful guns now?

[BAM-BAM]

Here are a few others to consider. Glock 26, Sig P250sc, Sig P232, Glock 29, Sig P239.

I've looked at or owned some of these .........

Glock 26 ...... owned 2 over the years; felt overly thick/chunky to me... width 1.25" IIRC..... never warmed to the Glock's trigger(s)

Sig 250 I think I've held one.....do own a compact Sig 245; about the same size and weight.

Sig 232.... nice gun, dates to the 1970s; same overall size but lighter w/ alloy frame but heel mag release turned me off....

Glock 29... double stack so thick like the 26 (and 27) 10mm ... I don't need another round to stock..... I'm invested in the 9mm and 45.

Sig239 about the size of my 3913/6906 and close to my Sig 245.

Of the five the Sig230/232 would be close in size and about 6oz lighter IIRC ..... almost got one in the 80s.

The others are IMO more in the same class as my 3913 and Sig 245.

Not saying they aren't good guns and if I was starting over I would consider them all.... but ''for me" none are worth the $$$$$ investment in not only the gun; but 4 extra magazines and holsters.... to replace my existing Walther autos, mags, holsters and ammo!

Maybe the comparison I'm making is; replacing an existing gun vs. buying
a new 'niche" gun too fill the role of my PPK. Replacing a gun I own and carry with something newer ..... requires more than a "marginal" increase in size weight or performance.

 

[BAM-BAM]

My favorite carry pistol of all I have owned. It was a joy to tote and shoot.

Sweet I had a 70s ( had a 1911 style safety) .380 before my PPK....... wish I'd kept it.

 

[Riverboys]

Metal guns always offer that extra last round, smack to the BG head, palmed round house.

 

[hkcavalier]

Obviously the answer is "no."

The word "obsolete" is an odd one as it means very different things depending on context.

With tools like firearms (or hammers, lathes, drills, etc), they're only obsolete to the user when they no longer can perform the task. This dynamic is what kills makers of functional products --- the old one you've already bought works just as well as the new one. Just look at Sears or firearms companies like Winchester or Marlin that stayed on the "tried and true" path. One is going away while the other two are owned by larger conglomerates/holding companies as niche fillers.

Contrast with PCs and smartphones, which are functionally obsolete very quickly and force the purchase of something new. A quick look at market value shows this is a wonderful business strategy --- while it works. Several of the top companies 10 years ago are either gone or shadows of their former selves.

So...hang on to that Walther. Until they develop the noiseless, recoilless death ray and obsolete all those noisy, hard-kicking guns.

 

[dr. K]

Not obsolete but there are a plethora of possible better firearms available in the same weight/size/power/price range so one would be wise to consider the various offerings.

I used a PP in these photos. If you compare it to a Shield and a Glock 43 you immediately see the Walther has serious competition.

"Possible better firearm's" is absolutely right... time and time again I try new pistols thinking I'll like them better than my 442 (newer gun, not a new design)... but in my hands and on my hip, the little "obsolete" (in the eyes of some) revolver is the best match for me. I think if YOU feel that Walther is the best match for you, then age, design, weight, reliability, variability, etc. are already things you're comfortable with, that's all that matters and it's not obsolete.

 

[Kurusu]

Heck no ....... there's a new James Bond movie about every two years!!!!!

I'm a strong believer that new means "new" not necessarily "better" or "improved"

My stainless .380 PPK dates to the mid-1980s and still gets carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special when I wear a suit or Tux..... or go to a J Bond movie!!!!!

My Smith 3913 and NL date to the early 90s and are my usual every day carry here in the Burbs or the Burgh.


No reason to change.

James Bond never used a PPK/S.

It's the one pistol of the PP family I really dislike.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I really liked the Walther PPS M2 LE 9mm I bought last April. It didn't offer anything significant over my Shield so I sold it rather than buy a holster for it.

I got to liking the Walther PPS .40 S&W I bought my son for Christmas. It offered nothing over the Shield either other than the ambidextrous paddle mag release. I wouldn't mind having one for myself, though I do not need it.

 

[BAM-BAM]

James Bond never used a PPK/S.

It's the one pistol of the PP family I really dislike.

So true on both counts;....................

my first Walther was a PPK/s (due to the 1968 import restrictions) but as soon as I could I swapped it for a Interarms stainless PPK....... added a second blue PPK , still new in the box, about 10 years back.

Will admit to buying another PPK/s a few years back.... .32apc with 4 mags for $380...... just to cheap to leave behind!!!!!

 

[Kurusu]

So true on both counts;....................

my first Walther was a PPK/s (due to the 1968 import restrictions) but as soon as I could I swapped it for a Interarms stainless PPK....... added a second blue PPK , still new in the box, about 10 years back.

Will admit to buying another PPK/s a few years back.... .32apc with 4 mags for $380...... just to cheap to leave behind!!!!!

Leave some room for a PP. It's the first of them, and still the best.

 

[Grayfox]

Its true that today there are smaller, lighter .380s. There are also 9mms the same size. These may be more practical for EDC.

However, pure "Class" is never obsolete.

 

[GUNMIKE]

It still continues to amaze me that everyone refers to the gun that James Bond carried/carries. Remember that we are talking fantasy. So many refer to him as a real person. I admit that I am a big Bond fan. But it is just for entertainment.

 

[American1776]

Those Walther PP series guns are generally excellent little pocket pistols. I like the steel construction.

In 100 years from now, that Walther will still be good to go. In that time period, a polymer frame may or may not be suitable for service (due to de-polymerization).

 

[Echo40]

I still carry a Smith & Wesson manufactured PPK/S.

The only folks I've ever heard argue that the PP Series is "obsolete" are complete fools who don't know the definition of the word. I actually saw a guy argue that the PPK was obsolete and that folks should carry a modern pistol like the SIG P238, seemingly ignorant of the fact that the P238 is based on the 1911, which is a much older design than the PPK.

Obsolete would be something like the Borchardt Pistol, an extremely old, extremely heavy, needlessly complex semiautomatic pistol which fires a unique cartridge which is no longer in production, and has long since been replaced/improved upon.

The only downside the Walther PP Series has is that it's rather heavy when compared to polymer framed pistols, but compare it to other steel framed pistols and it still holds up extremely well.

 

[Walter Rego]

Sheriff Burp, I am sure that there are a lot of firearms Luddites on this forum that agree with you. I think a lot of the younger generation haven't equated functionality with esthetic beauty, finely machined and finished pieces of industrial era workmanship and historical significance. Their loss unfortunately.
You are well served with a 90 year old design.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Leave some room for a PP. It's the first of them, and still the best.

I foolishly traded away a PP in .22lr back in the early 80s

 

[BAM-BAM]

It still continues to amaze me that everyone refers to the gun that James Bond carried/carries. Remember that we are talking fantasy. So many refer to him as a real person. I admit that I am a big Bond fan. But it is just for entertainment.

LOL...it's a joke.... ya he introduced me to the PPK's existence (but his was only a .32) because there was no internet and not even sure if the 'Gun Rags" had caught on...if it hadn't worked for me it would have been gone years ago.

ya and so was Dirty Harry with his .44 magnum....bunch of guys with Beretta 92s and 1911s.... and a bunch of others...... including all those guys on TV and in the movies that have carried Glocks for the past 25 years....... including Raylan Givens.

I was looking for a small flat semi-auto to carry in the early -80s...... tried the Beretta 70S then Walthers....... .....not a whole lot of choices ..heck 1911s only came in two sizes back then; full and Commander... by 1990 I moved on to the S&W 3913..... but the PPK did and still does serve as a niche gun.

 

[Ingramite]

All I have to say is a smile, nod, and a wink.

 

[hkcavalier]

LOL...it's a joke.... ya he introduced me to the PPK's existence (but his was only a .32) because there was no internet and not even sure if the 'Gun Rags" had caught on...if it hadn't worked for me it would have been gone years ago.

ya and so was Dirty Harry with his .44 magnum....bunch of guys with Beretta 92s and 1911s.... and a bunch of others...... including all those guys on TV and in the movies that have carried Glocks for the past 25 years....... including Raylan Givens.

I was looking for a small flat semi-auto to carry in the early -80s...... tried the Beretta 70S then Walthers....... .....not a whole lot of choices ..heck 1911s only came in two sizes back then; full and Commander... by 1990 I moved on to the S&W 3913..... but the PPK did and still does serve as a niche gun.

I think this stems from the notion, one that lived well into the 20th century, that the more important you were, the smaller the gun you carried. There were outliers to be sure (Gen. Patton comes to mind) but it held true in real life and in fiction like Fleming's books. Recall that Bond originally had a .25 auto until it was pointed out that no one who put himself in harm's way as often as Bond would carry such a pipsqueak weapon.

Sometime in the last three decades of the 20th century this went away. Field grade officers in Desert Storm carried the same full size M9 as the junior enlisted. I think Gen. Schwartzkopf did as well IIRC. Bond started carrying a full sized 9mm in the movies. And so on...

A neat explanation of the early Bond guns. Fun fact, a 27-2 3.5" was used for the "down the barrel" filming in the early movies.

The Guns of James Bond: Sean Connery | Range365

 

[shouldazagged]

There are those who maintain that revolvers, especially little five-shot ones, and most especially little five-shot all steel ones, are obsolete.

A good many of us would disagree, pretty vehemently.

Sure, there are more up-to-date, capacious, light and sexy handguns, in more powerful calibers, than either the Walther P series or the steel J-frame. You can get a gnatweight .357 if you like.

Enjoy your light 9's and .40's and .45's and .357's. I'm obsolete myself, so I'll stick with what I've carried for twenty years without feeling inadequately protected.

 

[STCM(SW)]

My FEG PPK 380 clone is one I CC the most....
The 9mm Shield sits in a basket and has not been shot or used in 5 or 6 year's.
If I want to CC a 9mm, it's a BHP.....
But I'm just an old foggy from the early 1960's ...
The only other one I CC is my M 640....
Again, some what an old "J" frame with only 5 rounds....