"Made in USA" Walthers

[ligonierbill]

Walther handguns (mainly thinking of the PPK) have been made in the US and France as well as Germany. Any informed opinions of the precision and general quality of the several manufacturers? My personal view is that there are capable craftsmen everywhere - if management lets them work. But I have no direct experience with Walther pistols.

 

[Webleymkv]

My experience is limited to two guns. I own a circa 1967 PP in .32 Auto which is marked "made in W. Germany" but was most likely made in Manurhin, France and assembled and proofed in Ulm, W. Germany. My gun is of good quality and reliable but can be somewhat picky about ammunition in that it doesn't seem to like U.S. manufacture FMJ ammo. With European ammo like S&B, Fiocchi, or Prvi Partizan or U.S. made JHP like Winchester Silvertips, however, it is very reliable. I suspect that these sorts of ammo are loaded a tough warmer and are closer to what the gun was designed to shoot.

The other gun with which I have experience is a PPK/s in .380 Auto which was owned by my dad which was an Interarms gun made in Alexandria, Virginia. Dad had reliability issues with it and eventually traded it off for a Ruger LCR .357 Magnum. To be fair, however, I think the reliability issues with this particular gun were not due to the quality of manufacture, but rather to the combination of .380 recoil and a grip too small to fit Dad's hands (I didn't have issues when I shot the gun, but Dad's and my own hands are shaped differently).

FWIW, I've heard and read of fewer issues with guns in .32 Auto than those in .380 Auto. While I can't say exactly why this is, I suspect that the fact that both the PP and PPK were originally designed and chambered for .32 Auto may play a role in this (.32 was the first chambering offered though .22 LR, .25 Auto, and .380 Auto followed shortly thereafter).

 

[PSP]

My PP, in .32acp, made in Germany is really nice.
My PPK/S, Interarms made in the USA, is also very well made.
My Interarm PP, in .22, made in Germany is excellent.
The two TPH models, both in .22 and .25, made in the USA are reliable and well made.
The P99c is excellent.
My PPQ is nice, high quality.
My PPS is new, not much experience, but it seems to continue the tradition.

Walther designs are solid, the guns well made and reliable. Top tier arms IMHO.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

My PPS was made in Germany and the gun is well made, reliable and very accurate. Part of the draw to the PPS was that it was made in Germany and it hasn't disappointed.

 

[gyvel]

The other gun with which I have experience is a PPK/s in .380 Auto which was owned by my dad which was an Interarms gun made in Alexandria, Virginia.

No Walther guns were "made" in Alexandria, VA, They were made in a plant in Alabama.

My American-made Interarms stainless PPK/S was a jam-o-matic, and I dumped it.

 

[brianc3]

My Interarms PPK was a fail to feed nightmare with a variety of ammo and I got rid of it in short order.

 

[geetarman]

I have had two American made PPKs. Absolutely trouble free from the get go.

 

[JohnMoses]

I bought my made in America ss ppk/s 380 from the lgs because they maked it down $50 because of a scratch on the slide. I found that the edges were not radiused causing my hand to bleed when I shot it. After the first range session, it would not field strip so back to S&W it went. Worked OK, but still drew blood so down the road it went. I have a WW2 bringback 32 PP that is a joy to hold and shoot. I had a student who asked me to field strip his S&W American PPS/k and it would not strip either.

 

[joe-lumber]

PPK/S -SW

My PPK /S is very accurate but hurts my hand between the thumb and first finger on firing it. But I love it and shoot it often. Once I put the spring in backwards and it would keep the slide open after firing. Once I turned the spring around it worked beautiful. I carry it hot in double action position and feel very confident ith it.
J

 

[DaleA]

Like so many things in life it's a numbers game.

If you could find the numbers you might find one plant has fewer problems than the other then I guess it would make sense to try to get one of those. But if a gun from one of the other plants is available and seems to function okay then go for it.

We have this debate all the time, Rugers verses Taurus, Chevy verses Ford etc., etc.

Do your research, figure the odds, but don't let it blind you to what's in front of you. That is, Fords are better than Chevys but the Ford truck I drove wouldn't shift into reverse...hmmm think I'll take the Chevy.

Maybe we should all spend more time in the Casinos doing practical statistics exercises.

 

[kcub]

The .380s jam unless you use ball.

 

[sils79]

My experience with my american made (Interarms) ppk .380 has been nothing less than flawless with either ball or Hornady critical defense.

 

[745SW]

I believe the Walther P5’s were only German made. The two I have were imported by Interarms and they both have swirl like machine marks on both sides of the aluminum receiver. One had the recessed area on the side of the slide towards the muzzle uneven with the other side of the slide. Used a Dremel and cold blue.

Both bought new somewhere around the late eighties, I think.

The good. Perhaps the only pistol/auto-loader I can manipulate the hammer with one hand comfortably. Dual action lever on the left side of the grip works as a slide release and decocker.

The bad. Heal mag release is a real pain. Mainspring/hammer spring is also the spring for the heal mag release. When hammer is cocked compressing spring, releasing mag in this state is difficult. Finish is just regular bluing and anodized, not particularly known to be durable.

 

[micromontenegro]

I've had various PPK- PPK/S over the years, but the one I kept is a stainless American by Interarms. This pistol has been flawless with all kinds of ammo- but its favorite one is Silvertips.

 

[mnoirot64]

I admit it. I have SIGness. I own many SIGs, and will inevitably buy more. Recently, I've had an itch to buy a Walther. I can't even explain why, but I do. Undecided between a PPK/s, P99 and PPQ.

 

[sgms]

I have 2 PPK's one german in .32 acp one french in .22 long rifle and 1 PPK/S in .380 acp american made, the fit and finish are all very good all handle the same the only one with any issues is the Manurhn in .22. It is ammunition sensitive, it will shoot and function with anything but will not group well with some brands.

 

[James K]

The PP and PPK were designed around the .32 ACP, the most common caliber and the only one (other than .22) in the German military and police supply systems. Few pre-WWII guns were made in .380 ACP (9mm Kurz) and they were mostly made in that caliber after 1968 in order to meet the criteria for importation (PP and PPK/S; the PPK could not be imported after 1968 except for LE use).

In a small gun, the .380 has a fair amount of recoil and in the Walthers is also very sensitive to feeding problems with any bullet other than FMJ. Problems with the .380 is not limited to Walthers, either; the Colt Model 1908 often has feeding problems with some of the bullets now being used in that caliber.

Jim

 

[Sgt127]

I own a few Walthers. All of mine are in .32 except on PPK/s in .22. All the ones in the wheel of Walthers are marked German, though a couple are from the French made era. The .32's have always been very reliable for me. The .380's, both German and interarms, not so much.

This is the one in the center