PPK/S dated to '80: possibly former police gun?

[Ignition Override]

"Made In West Germany" is inscribed/roll-stamped.
With the very tiny IA inscription just below the slide, that date is indicated when checked against number codes at "Walther Forums".
The condition is so good that it appears to have had limited use, and I can't imagine that it mostly was stored in this country for so many years.

Were the vast majority of these exported to various countries for civilian purchase?
This gun in .380 Auto seems to have gradually overtaken .32 Auto in certain countries' police forces.

 

[PSP]

Is this an Interarms pistol? The "S" model was a response to changes in import laws for guns coming to America. It's possible it was used by a police force but probably not. The PPK, PPK/S, Beretta 84 and Sphinx AT-380 were all .380s issued by a few LE agencies but in really small numbers compared to the commercial market.

 

[kcub]

I knew a federal game warden back in the early 1980's that carried one as backup to his Sig P220 .45.

He tried to use it to put a whitetail doe out of its misery that was hit by a car. The .380 Silvertips would not penetrate the skull. He had to use his .45. So much for the .380.

 

[Ignition Override]

kcub: Thanks for the news about the deer skull. That's interesting, and a concern.

PSP: Sorry, I forgot to clarify "....W. Germany".
The post-war PPK was mostly a joint French/German venture until '86, when Ranger Mfg. received the contract, although Interarms was stamped on the slide.

One confusing fact about it was that most/all PPK imports into the US were Also stamped with "Interarms".

 

[michael t]

He tried to use it to put a whitetail doe out of its misery that was hit by a car. The .380 Silvertips would not penetrate the skull. He had to use his .45. So much for the .380.

That was in the 1980's and 380 has come a long way since then I bet my Corbon or Buffalo Bore DPX or JHP will go threw a deer skull. Using my PPK/S Wasn't the gun was the choice of ammo.

 

[James K]

Prior to 1968, most PP/PPK pistols imported were .32 ACP, the round the gun was designed for. But the GCA '68 not only ended the import of the PPK but effectively banned importation of pistols in .32 ACP. The PPK/S was designed to meet the import criteria, but it could do so only if chambered for .380 ACP, and the imported PPK/S guns were in that caliber.

When Interarms had the Walthers made in the U.S., the import criteria did not apply, but they decided to continue production of the PPK/S in .380 ACP. Later, Walther USA, partnered with S&W, made a slightly modified PPK in .32 as well as .380 and .22.

Jim

 

[PSP]

...S&W, made a slightly modified PPK in .32 as well as .380 and .22.

S&W made a .22lr?? You sure about that?

 

[carguychris]

S&W made a .22lr?? You sure about that?

+1; the recently introduced .22LR PPK/S is made in Germany by Umarex, not in Maine by S&W.

Additionally, it's my understanding that when Walther pistols were being produced in Alabama under the Interarms banner, they did not make the PPK or PPK/S in .22LR. Rather, IIRC the .22LR PP and PP Sport continued to be available from Germany or France*, as these models are longer and heavier than the PPK or PPK/S and were thus lawful for import under the GCA.

*Footnote: Again IIRC... for historically obscure reasons, the .22LR PP and PP Sport reportedly continued to be made entirely by Manurhin in France for a number of years after German assembly and finishing of the centerfire models had begun. The most prevalent explanation for this is that the French had stockpiled a large number of nearly-complete pistols and they sold much slower than expected.

 

[publius]

JamesK, could you please explain how GCA '68 effectively banned the .32? Maybe start a thread if we need to keep this one on topic. Thank you.

 

[KyJim]

The Kentucky State Police issued the PPK/S .380 as a backup in the 80s but they were all marked with the KSP logo. I don't think a lot of agencies issued them, however.

 

[RJay]

The 1968 GCA didn't ban the .32ACP cartridge. { the caliber was a factor points wise } The Walther PPK's short grip cost it " points " and it became ineligible for import. By mating the longer PP grip and frame to the PPK slide, chambering it in a larger caliber, it now had enough points to be legal. Hence the origin of the PPK/S. People liked the PP frame and the PPK slide combo and so it is still being made.

 

[carguychris]

The 1968 GCA didn't ban the .32ACP cartridge. { the caliber was a factor points wise } The Walther PPK's short grip cost it " points " and it became ineligible for import. By mating the longer PP grip and frame to the PPK slide, chambering it in a larger caliber, it now had enough points to be legal.

Correct, although I think a little more detail is helpful.

The 68 GCA "import points" system - formally called "Factoring Criteria For Weapons" per ATF Form F-5330-5 - takes chambering into account as the points are counted. For those without access to the form, here's the points given per chambering:

.22 Short and .25 ACP: 0
.22 LR and 7.65MM [.32 ACP] to .380 Auto: 3
9mm Parabellum and Over: 10

.32 ACP and .380 Auto pistols both earn the same number of points as one another, but they both figuratively lose 7 points relative to 9mm Luger (Parabellum).

The main issue was that most European .22, .25, .32 and .380 autos were small and relatively simple, and were thus unable to earn enough points elsewhere in the criteria to be imported lawfully.

An interesting footnote is that Interarms was involved in the negotiations that took place to establish the points system. Although the exact discussions are unknown, it's believed the PPK's failure by a single point was not mere happenstance; Interarms likely sacrificed this model, figuratively speaking, in return for adding criteria that heavily favored Walther and Mauser products that they imported (e.g. double action, firing pin block, manual safety, external hammer, loaded chamber indicator, forged frame). Competing models from Beretta, Bernardelli, Tanfoglio, and FN Browning, to name a few, lacked one or more of these features and had to be withdrawn from the market to Interarms' advantage.