Walther PPK/s 22LR Finish?

[NY-1]

I've had the urge to purchase a nice 22LR plinker lately, and with the holiday season upon us I figure it might soon be time to take the plunge. I already own a gorgeous Ruger Mark IV Target model in stainless steel, but it's on the large side and is fairly heavy (43oz) for use in extended range sessions or to train friends that haven't shot before with.

I previously owned an Interarms Walther PPK/s in 380ACP. I loved the size and ergonomics of the gun, as well as how pretty it was and how nicely it fit my hand. It was miserable to shoot more than two or three magazines out of, however. The web and palm of my hand would ache after having it out at the range, and I found myself continuing to shoot it just to finish my box of .380 as opposed to shooting for actual enjoyment. While I didn't experience any slide bite, it just wasn't fun to take to the range. I ended up selling it to a friend, and while I don't regret that one bit, I certainly do miss a few things about it.

I've seen that Walther/Umarex now offers a new production model in 22LR. I know they can be ammo sensitive and that they're made of an alloy as opposed to plain steel. I'm not particularly bothered by that. I am concerned about the finish though. None of my local gun shops have one in stock, and I haven't actually been able to eyeball one in person. I'm most interested in the black model, but I'd love to know if it's lustrous at all in person or if it looks just as flat, rattle-can black as online stock photos make it out to be. If the latter is the case I may just order the nickel-plated model. (I do wish Walther would've made a pricier SKU of the gun that was closer to the 380 models. I don't mind paying a premium for a nicer product, especially in terms of fit and finish.)

If anyone has some large or HD photos of one I'd be appreciative as well. It seems like all Google can pull up are stock photos that don't really lend me any insight.

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And just for the sake of it, here's a photo of the aforementioned Interarms model. It was certainly a looker!

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Here’s mine.
Cut out of a group pic, piece of a Beretta shown.

 

[H Richard]

I would call the finish a slight matte or a semi-gloss. I hope they are good guns, as I just purchased one at an on-line auction (NIB) and am awaiting getting it. I plan to take it our with several types of ammo to see what it likes. 22's are usually ammo sensitive.

 

[Grayfox]

I have one and do like it.
The finish is matte black. I don't know just what it is, but it does look pretty good and has held up very well.
These guns are a bit ammo sensitive. They prefer high velocity ammo. Mine just absolutely loves cheap old Remington Thunderbolts. Very accurate with them too.
The big complaint about them is the DA trigger pull. It is quite heavy and a little rough. I have been told it smooths out with use. But I haven't gotten there with mine just yet. However the SA trigger is quite nice.
If you don't already know, the barrel is threaded. With a $20 adapter, your favorite .22 suppressor will screw right on.

 

[robvious]

I would call it a semi-gloss coating... shinier than a Sig nitron but not glossy

 

[Aggie1906]

I have the black one. Nothing pretty, but it shoots. A friend has the nickel one. Feeling picky, get that one just for it's looks. Still not spectacular, but nice. I have the German ones too in real blue, and there is no comparison.

 

[NY-1]

I have one and do like it.
The finish is matte black. I don't know just what it is, but it does look pretty good and has held up very well.
These guns are a bit ammo sensitive. They prefer high velocity ammo. Mine just absolutely loves cheap old Remington Thunderbolts. Very accurate with them too.
The big complaint about them is the DA trigger pull. It is quite heavy and a little rough. I have been told it smooths out with use. But I haven't gotten there with mine just yet. However the SA trigger is quite nice.
If you don't already know, the barrel is threaded. With a $20 adapter, your favorite .22 suppressor will screw right on.

I appreciate the input and info! The DA trigger on my aforementioned Interarms PPK/s was absolutely horrendous as well. It became kind of a party trick to hand somebody the gun and have them try to pull the trigger, just to watch their baffled reactions.

I would call it a semi-gloss coating... shinier than a Sig nitron but not glossy

Thanks. As long as it shows somewhat of a reflection/shine in direct light I think I'll be alright with it.

I have the black one. Nothing pretty, but it shoots. A friend has the nickel one. Feeling picky, get that one just for it's looks. Still not spectacular, but nice. I have the German ones too in real blue, and there is no comparison.

Those older, blued models truly are works of art. Again, I really do wish that Walther would put out a pricey limited edition 22LR built to the same standard as the 380 models. I'd snap one up in a heartbeat.

The Beretta Bobcat in Inox or Blue is also an option.

The Bobcat has been on my radar for a little while, and I do find it fairly captivating. The tip up barrel and sheer smallness of it are unique novelties. I'll have to see if I can handle one in an LGS and make a comparison sometime.

 

[Pisgah]

I don't know exactly what finish they use, but i do know the slides of the PPK .22 are not "alloy as opposed to plain steel". It is a cast zinc slide, not steel at all.

 

[Grayfox]

I was wondering when that would come up.
The gun is made of a zinc based alloy called Zamak. No it is not pot metal. It also has some aluminum, magnesium and copper in it. Its proven to be good stuff and more than adequate for a .22.
When these guns first came out the purist were screaming "Its pot metal junk!" Not true at all. Zamak has proven to be a good, light weight alloy for many uses. I know of no problems at all with the PPK/S .22 related to its material.

 

[SuperMan]

I believe the guns are made out of Zamak alloy which has been a round for a long time...96% zinc and 4% aluminum...

For the same size gun you may want to look at the Bersa... I have several friends with them and all have been pleased. Much better DA pull than the Walther and the slide is steel and the frame aluminum alloy...

Bob

 

[HardToHandle]

I have the black one. Nothing pretty, but it shoots. A friend has the nickel one. Feeling picky, get that one just for it's looks. Still not spectacular, but nice. I have the German ones too in real blue, and there is no comparison.

I have the nickel .22. The finish looks fine to me but assume it is only so durable finish. Mine has had a few hundred rounds. That double action trigger is... Brutal. Single action is passable.

I also thought the “blued” .22s looked okay too when seen in person, especially at the price point. I went with the nickel one for the flash.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

As I have posted several times, Heavy Double Action Trigger is my only Negative Feedback against the Arkansas PPKs.
‘Tell Your, Ma, Tell Your Pa, I’m sending You Back to Arkansas.’
Not me! I’m keeping mine.

 

[Grayfox]

The PPK/S .22 is made in Germany by Umarex which is one of the Worlds largest air gun makers and the parent company of Walther having acquired them in 1993.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe they also make the .22LR 1911 pistols offered by Colt and various .22s sold by several other gun manufacturers.
This is a big outfit that has been in business for a very long time. They know how to make quality guns.

 

[Echo40]

I've owned one in black since October 2015 and while I'm not entirely sure what the finish is, (it's the only thing more mysterious than the proprietary alloy it's made of) it has held up extremely well and has only worn off where the safety lever contacts the slide.

So yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. The finish seems plenty durable, the slide and frame are made of an alloy so you don't have to worry about rust if it wears off, and you could always replace it with Duracoat or something if it does end up wearing off.

EDIT: In fact, here, I've been meaning to do this anyway, so I snapped a quick pic of it beside it's bigger brother in .380 ACP by Smith & Wesson. The finish wear is just barely visible because it's just a little smile-like curve under the safety lever.

 

[colt_saa]

Several years ago I was going to send one of my older German Walther PPK/s 22 LR pistols to be ghost threaded for use with a suppressor.

Well to do it the way I wanted, the fee was roughly $400.

These newer generation of Walthers had recently come on the market

So I bought one in nickel (because I had not anodized my can). Plus I picked up three extra magazines and I still had money left over for ammunition

Mine has had several thousand rounds through it by now, both suppressed and not.

I am very pleased with the quality of the firearm. I have even been considering buying a second one in the blue finish

 

[Mblhopo]

colt...saa, That's the same set up James Bond used, maybe his was blued though.................................M*

 

[Echo40]

I noticed that some little dustbunnies in the slide markings and serrations might be mistaken for finish wear, so I cleaned it up a bit and took some more pictures.

I really had to struggle to get the lighting to play nice for this picture. It's snowing outside so the light shining through the window is extremely bright and was causing a lot of glare/shadows. Fortunately, by disabling HDR and taking it at an angle it turned out nice and clear. One thing to note here though is that the lighting made the finish look dull gray as if it were Parkerized, but it's actually black.

One of the reasons why I've never kept any photographs of my PPK/S-22 until now is because the finish just isn't very photogenic and is very difficult to get a decent-looking picture of.

However, it is a good finish. One thing I forgot to mention is that it has actually taken a couple tumbles to the floor in the time that I've owned it because the holster I was using at the time didn't hold it snuggly/securely, so it has fallen from about four feet from a shoulder holster directly onto a tile floor, yet the finish survived at the point of impact without leaving a scratch. So I would say that it is pretty durable.

I don't know exactly what finish they use, but i do know the slides of the PPK .22 are not "alloy as opposed to plain steel". It is a cast zinc slide, not steel at all.

Ugh, I'm so tired of having to correct this bit of misinformation, but here we go again...

It's not actually a zinc alloy, that was merely an error made by Walther USA which has long since been corrected, but persists to this very day. The P22 has a zinc slide, all of Walther's other .22LR Rimfire Replicas are made of a proprietary alloy which exact composition is a trade secret. However, Walther has on occasion referred to it as an aluminum alloy when speaking of the PPQ22 and 1911-22.

Furthermore, another misconception that I'll take a moment to clear up right here and now is that the Walther PPK/S-22, PPQ22, and 1911-22, as well as other Rimfire Pistols are in fact produced by Walther, not Umarex. Long story short, Walther has been a subsidiary of Umarex since 1993, and currently the Umarex facility in Arnesburg Germany is shared with Walther to produce their line of Rimfire Replicas because the Walther HQ plant in Ulm is dedicated to the production of centerfire pistols for Military/Police/SD. Walther has their own subsector of the Umarex facility in Arnesburg to themselves where pistols such as the PPK/S-22 are produced, hence the Cologne proof marks on rimfire pistols, but people love drama so they make conspiracy theories of it and accuse the company of false advertisement.

Umarex does produce rimfire pistols of their own like the Umarex Baretta M9-22/92FS-22 pistols which are not marked Walther, so despite what the rabid haters on the internet like to say, it's not that the Walther PPK/S-22 is "a cheap piece of junk made by an airsoft company" but rather that its made in an Umarex plant by Walther employees because the parent company shares its facility with Walther who isn't currently set up to produce rimfire pistols nor work with alloys to do so.

 

[NY-1]

So I bought one in nickel (because I had not anodized my can). Plus I picked up three extra magazines and I still had money left over for ammunition

​

Mine has had several thousand rounds through it by now, both suppressed and not.

I am very pleased with the quality of the firearm. I have even been considering buying a second one in the blue finish

That nickel certainly looks sharp. I tend to be a bigger fan of more matte stainless/silver finishes in general, but a glossy nickel/high-polish stainless is assuredly gorgeous when done right. Glad to hear the quality of the gun has been stellar!

For the same size gun you may want to look at the Bersa... I have several friends with them and all have been pleased. Much better DA pull than the Walther and the slide is steel and the frame aluminum alloy...

Bob

I've heard mixed things about Bersa build quality, but I suppose they're at least worth giving a look. Thanks for the recommendation.

I noticed that some little dustbunnies in the slide markings and serrations might be mistaken for finish wear, so I cleaned it up a bit and took some more pictures.

I really had to struggle to get the lighting to play nice for this picture. It's snowing outside so the light shining through the window is extremely bright and was causing a lot of glare/shadows. Fortunately, by disabling HDR and taking it at an angle it turned out nice and clear. One thing to note here though is that the lighting made the finish look dull gray as if it were Parkerized, but it's actually black.

One of the reasons why I've never kept any photographs of my PPK/S-22 until now is because the finish just isn't very photogenic and is very difficult to get a decent-looking picture of.

However, it is a good finish. One thing I forgot to mention is that it has actually taken a couple tumbles to the floor in the time that I've owned it because the holster I was using at the time didn't hold it snuggly/securely, so it has fallen from about four feet from a shoulder holster directly onto a tile floor, yet the finish survived at the point of impact without leaving a scratch. So I would say that it is pretty durable.

--

Ugh, I'm so tired of having to correct this bit of misinformation, but here we go again...

It's not actually a zinc alloy, that was merely an error made by Walther USA which has long since been corrected, but persists to this very day. The P22 has a zinc slide, all of Walther's other .22LR Rimfire Replicas are made of a proprietary alloy which exact composition is a trade secret. However, Walther has on occasion referred to it as an aluminum alloy when speaking of the PPQ22 and 1911-22.

Furthermore, another misconception that I'll take a moment to clear up right here and now is that the Walther PPK/S-22, PPQ22, and 1911-22, as well as other Rimfire Pistols are in fact produced by Walther, not Umarex. Long story short, Walther has been a subsidiary of Umarex since 1993, and currently the Umarex facility in Arnesburg Germany is shared with Walther to produce their line of Rimfire Replicas because the Walther HQ plant in Ulm is dedicated to the production of centerfire pistols for Military/Police/SD. Walther has their own subsector of the Umarex facility in Arnesburg to themselves where pistols such as the PPK/S-22 are produced, hence the Cologne proof marks on rimfire pistols, but people love drama so they make conspiracy theories of it and accuse the company of false advertisement.

Umarex does produce rimfire pistols of their own like the Umarex Baretta M9-22/92FS-22 pistols which are not marked Walther, so despite what the rabid haters on the internet like to say, it's not that the Walther PPK/S-22 is "a cheap piece of junk made by an airsoft company" but rather that its made in an Umarex plant by Walther employees because the parent company shares its facility with Walther who isn't currently set up to produce rimfire pistols nor work with alloys to do so.

Thanks very much for going to the trouble of taking those photos. They depict the exact lighting conditions and angles that I was hoping to come across, and offer a good comparison between the 22 and 380 models to boot. The finish looks perfectly acceptable, especially with the addition of some wood grips. Looks like I'll be ordering one soon - I just hope spare magazine availability (and 22LR availability while we're at it) increases down the line.

The info on material and manufacturing is great as well. I've seen so many pieces of contradictory information posted in older threads across a few different forums while searching for info on the PPK/s 22. I appreciate you clearing up the inaccuracies formed from incorrect initial reports/misinformation.

 

[SVT28]

I was contemplating getting one of these a few years back but ended up stumbling upon a nice late 60s vintage German PPKS in 22lr priced at what a new one cost at the time ($280) and couldn't pass it up.

It's my understanding they are kind of pricey and I've never encountered or seen a spare mag that fits and functions, lucky it came with two I guess. I love the blueing and shoot it from time to time with CCI mini mags with no issues. I'd still like to get a stainless version some time if the opportunity arises to purchase.

SVT28

PS: RIP Sean Connery

Sent from my LM-V450 using Tapatalk

 

[Echo40]

Glad I could help. The Walther PP Series is my absolute favorite line of pistols, with the PPK/S being my absolute favorite, so I've done extensive research on the subject. I myself was exposed to a lot of this misinformation, but began to notice discrepancies between product information listed on the North American and Germany websites, so I contacted Walther Germany via e-mail, had a few back-and-forth exchanges with them, and that's how I learned all of this, right from Walther Germany themselves. Also, it's worth noting that shortly after my correspondence with Walther Germany, all of the North American website was redesigned and the misinformation had been cleared up.

Walther USA used to have a downloadable chart on their website listing all of their pistols with various information including what they were made of, and on said chart, the P22, PPK/S-22, PPQ22, and 1911-22 were described as being made of "zinc diecast" yet on the German website only the P22 was listed as "zinc alloy" whereas the PPQ22 and 1911-22 materials were listed as "aluminum alloy" while the PPK/S-22 was simply "alloy" with no further elaboration of its composition. So I e-mailed them back-and-forth about it, and although it was a little bit difficult because English clearly wasn't their first language, but they told me, and I quote; "The PPK/S .22LR is made from a proprietary alloy which is a trade secret, but I can tell you that the alloy is extremely strong, much stronger than ZAMAK."

I surmise that the PPK/S-22 is constructed of the same aluminum alloy as the the PPQ22 and 1911-22, on account of the weight/construction of the PPK/S-22. You see, zinc alloy such as ZAMAK is significantly heavier than aluminum, and while the PPK/S-22 weighs in at about 20oz, this is said to have been done deliberately in order to more closely replicate the weight/feel of the all steel .380 ACP counterpart which weighs in at a good 23-½oz, but unlike the PPK/S in .380 ACP which has an all-steel grip frame, the PPK/S-22's grip is practically one thick slab of metal with a magwell milled into it. If it were made of ZAMAK, then it wouldn't and couldn't have been made that way and been so light.

PPK/S-22 sans grips, notice the grip is a solid piece rather than the skeletonized frame on a steel .380 ACP model.

For the sake of comparison, the Phoenix Arms CP-22 is made of ZAMAK and weighs as much as the PPK/S-22 at 20oz, yet is a significantly smaller pistol, roughly the size of a Ruger LCP, ergo it is physically impossible for the PPK/S-22 to be constructed of a similar zinc-based alloy yet be both significantly larger and thicker than the Phoenix Arms CP-22.

Phoenix Arms CP-22 with a dollar bill for scale.

CP-22 beside a Kel-Tec P32.

Walther PPK/S beside a Ruger LCP.

Sorry to bombard you with all of this info, but you'd be surprised at how many folks have lined up to baselessly disagree with me in the past, so nowadays I feel the need to preemptively lay it all out on the table right out the gate just so that I won't have to do it later should anyone pop up to dispute me.

Besides, I figure that maybe, hopefully, if I post this enough times then the it will become common knowledge and the misinformation will become less prevalent.

If not, then oh well, at least everyone who sees it will know that I'm not just blowing smoke or making things up.