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

[JayFramer]

Compared to a SIG P365 or Springfield Hellcat, yes, they are obsolete.

But that doesn't mean they aren't still good guns. They are high quality and should handle most situations just fine. Today, I would never recommend a Walther PP to a first time gun owner looking for a carry gun, but for someone like yourself who already has one on hand and enjoys it, by all means use it.

 

[rkittine]

My first Walther was also a PPK/s because of the 68 restrictions. Bought it new in 1971 for $71.25 wholesale, when I owned my gun shop. Carried it for years, but after about 3 years I had a lot of holster wear and had it nickeled. Recently I bought a new Walther USA PPK/s. Still like the DA/SA option and with hand loads in .380 it is not so bad of a defense cartridge. Like the weight, the S/S finish and the fact that it is a Walther again, though only part of it is made in Germany and the rest in Arkansas.
In the 50 years that I have been carrying, I have yet to have to "Clear Leather" and not expecting to any time soon, so the .380 is OK for me.

Bob

 

[Bladeswitcher]

Obsolete is a loaded term. It implies that the old thing no longer has value. That's not true. A PPK will always be a classic firearm that can provide its owner great joy and satisfaction.

I look at this question differently. My thought is why subject a classic and much-loved firearms to the wear and tear and abuse of daily carry? Why not select a newer, lighter, more compact, more capable, modern firearm and devote it to that role? Let the modern/disposable plastic wonder gun take the abuse. Save your classic for special occasions and range days.

In other words, give it a place of honor. Let an easily replaced gun fill the functionary role.

Does a 2020 Toyota Camry have the same heart and soul of a 1967 Mustang? No it doesn't. But it is a "better" car in so many respects. So, what's a fella to do. He drives the Camry every day. He parks it in the driveway. He piles on the miles and doesn't get too upset when some idiot bangs into it with his shopping cart. That old Mustang that hold so many memories, remains parked safe in the garage and comes out on sunny days when the car shine and be appreciated.

 

[rkittine]

Sure get that. My Jeep had 268,000 miles on it when I retired it, my Prius is still going strong with 189,000, but my 67 Matching Number 427/435 Corvette Roadster has all of 24,000.

Bob

 

[malph]

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.

I'm amazed by this as well. No gun seems to bring that out more than the PPK.

Personally, I carry a 5 or 6 shot .38 snub revolver because that is what Manix and Cannon carried.

 

[max503]

For a rhetorical question this has been a good one. I like the pics, too!

 

[malph]

Of course a PPK/S is not obsolete, and with the right ammo will do the job most of the time within its limitations.

But if you make it your carry gun, you should ask yourself whether you do so for the right reason.

1. Did you look at your defensive needs and decide that this is the best gun for the job?

OR

2. Are you in love with the gun, or your self-image as a traditionalist, and are now rationalizing why this is the best gun for you?

All too many people fall under #2, starting with a lot of 1911 aficionados.

There is a lot of wisdom in this post. It's probably not what people want to hear but it is the truth.

A lot of these decisions are based on emotional considerations; attachments to an object for reasons other than the utility of the object.

PPKs, 1911s and revolvers tend to bring that out. I'm guilty of it myself with revolvers. I love the dang things, but that's my heart talking, not my head.

The one possible exception being the J frame versus the little pocket autos. Or maybe also the K,L, and N frames.

 

[KSDeputy]

I collect new Walthers. All are stainless models. I love the feel and shape of them. I agree with you. Keep what you enjoy, no matter how many changes or new models come out. I carry a stainless .45, I have carried it for over 20 years. It is a gen. 3 S&W and I love it.

 

[whataboutbob]

you forgot #3.Is it somewhere in-between? I can't keep up with the latest thing to come along.I carry a kahr k9.part old school(steel,heavy) part new school (small size 9mm). It just works for me

 

[malph]

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

Best for what though? Best for collecting, looking at and fondling perhaps. Maybe even for recreational shooting.

But to defend yourself? That's where I think this gun gets much harder to justify.

Certainly if the shooter's gun is reliable and the shooter can place shots where needed at speed it can get the job done. But it's hard to say it's a top choice by modern standards.

The lack of a slide stop alone is an issue. Clearing a malfunction without one is not the easiest thing.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Ever smaller and ever lighter may be new, but I remain convinced that it's not improved. I cannot see smaller and lighter as positive attributes, but rather for what they are, stunted and cramped and made of cheap-o materials. I don't buy them, don't pay any attention to them.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I know for many there's the burning desire to get the latest/greatest gun each year. Lighter, smaller, color coordinated, works as a remote for your TV, gets 4G LTE coverage, etc.

But seriously, until and unless this is the new thing on the market

then anything that shoots a centerfire round reliably isn't "obsolete".

You want a glue gun?

 

[Echo40]

Since this thread has been bumped, I might as well update my opinions on the subject.

While I still feel that the Walther PPK(/S) is a perfectly adequate choice for Self-Defense, as of last year (May 2019) I have effectively replaced my S&W PPK/S with a Ruger LCP 10th Anniversary Edition.
The choice had more to do with the fact that I love my PPK/S so much that I would hate to lose it should I ever have to use it than anything else, but the fact that it's smaller, lighter, and far easier to carry certainly helped me to warm up to it. I don't shoot it nearly as well as my PPK/S because it obviously doesn't fit my hand as well, and it's inherently less accurate due to the shorter slight radius as well as the fact that it doesn't have a fixed barrel like the PPK/S.

Over all, as someone who has gone from carrying the PPK/S to the more modern LCP, I can safely say that it's not a straight upgrade, it's a trade-off in which I sacrificed a bit of accuracy/shootability in exchange for a ease of carry, which in many ways could easily be considered a downgrade. So yeah, in spite of what self-proclaimed "experts" may assert, newer isn't always better, and while smaller, lighter firearms may be easier to carry, they're more difficult to shoot well.

In closing, I still love the PPK/S more than the LCP that has effectively replaced it as my EDC firearm, and if only Walther would come out with an aluminum or polymer-framed variant which shaved off a few ounces of weight to get it below 20oz, then I could easily see myself going right back to carrying a PPK for the superior shootability, but as it stands, I love the LCP as a 24/7 carry gun, and even if such a PPK/L M2 were to ever surface, I would still carry the LCP as a BUG.

 

[malph]

Ever smaller and ever lighter may be new, but I remain convinced that it's not improved. I cannot see smaller and lighter as positive attributes, but rather for what they are, stunted and cramped and made of cheap-o materials. I don't buy them, don't pay any attention to them.

Its not so much the smaller and lighter thing. Its the so so reliability thing, especially if wanting to use anything other than ball. It's the minuscule sights. It's the lack of a slide stop. It's the, at least in many examples, the very heavy DA pull. The very epitome of the crunch and ticker Col. Cooper spoke about. It's the need to grip the thing differently than any other pistol you own to avoid slide bite. It's that the blowback operation of this pistols seems a little less reliable than alternatives when fired with a less than perfect grip on the pistol.

It's still a beautiful and historical gun. Yes, it can be made to work, but would you really recommend it as a CCW for a newer shooter?

 

[rockquarry]

I no longer have any .380s, but have had several PPK/Ss over many years. I'm speaking of older guns as I know nothing about the later versions that have been built in the last twenty-five years or so.

Fine, accurate, reliable, and safe pistols. Some shooters nowadays don't seem to realize that new technology doesn't necessarily equate to better technology.

The PPK/Ss I've had experience with even shoot cast bullets reliably and accurately at 25 yards. Perhaps some of the newer .380 guns by other manufacturers have similar attributes. I'll likely never find out as I'd have to get past the looks first. Cosmetic appeal is worth something, too.

 

[malph]

Cosmetic appeal is worth something, too.

Not in a self sefense scenario.

 

[sigp220.45]

In the interim since this thread started, I have added a very nice Walther PP .380 to my cool gun carry stable. It is a delight to shoot and carry.

Here it is with another nice carrying .380 - my Beretta Model 85. The Beretta is larger but lighter. It does look like it's made of Leggos compared to the smooth lines of the Walther. I carry them with whatever FMJ I have handy.

I spent over 3 decades carrying what my employer said I had to carry. Now I carry what I like.

 

[NY-1]

Speaking of the Walther PPK and PPK/s, I presently have an Interarms PPK/s and have been trying to find a way to make it more comfortable to shoot. After three magazines of .380ACP my hand and the webbing between my thumb and index finger ache significantly, and it makes the gun not particularly enjoyable to take out for a range day. I'm not getting any slide bite; I think it's the snappiness of the .380 coupled with the un-beveled backstrap and thin grips.

The S&W models seem to have plenty of aftermarket grip options, but does anyone know of any rubber or otherwise thicker grips for the Interarms models?

 

[Gene L]

I think the rubber grips would fit just fine for a /S since they're panels, unlike a PPK.

PP pistols are not a range gun. I don't shoot mine a lot; can't afford to. I see the potential for sore hands, though.

Is the PP-series obsolete? Nope. The 98 Mauser action isn't obsolete, and it's been around longer. The search for the optimal pistol/caliber is an Unicorn hunt I refuse to go on. It's good enough. Militaries and police forces used the rounds and the platform for decades.

Me being involved in a gunfight are extremely remote, so I carry my PPK because I like to carry it. Nostalgia figures into it; I always wanted one when I was a young man, and I can't say Bond, James Bond didn't figure into it.

The PP-guns have soldiered on. I can't think of another small pistol still in production since the 1930s.

 

[David LaPell]

I have the Walther's Russian designed cousin. The Makarov PM, I would hardly call it obsolete.