What can you guys tell me? I'm dead serious about being ignorant about these pistols ( the PPK/S) I know they bite, have lousy triggers, I get a 50/50 chance of getting a reliable one, and that even after expensive trigger work, they're heavy (triggers), AND there are far better choices and far better calibers. Having said all that, I'd like to hear from some fans...I've heard all the bad stuff, but it's an attractive little bugger anyway....BTW, I own a pair of Beretta 84's...a B and a BB....I'm really happy with the pair, but Man, the PPK/S is still nice looking.....Please take some time and help a guy out....Thanks very much....Zebulon
Walther PPK/S in .32...AND .380.......Questions
- Thread starter Zebulon
- Start date
Trigger Finger
New member
I own a PPK/S. I have had it for about 18 years and like it. Gun Tests gave the 32 auto a good review and the 380 a poor review so go figure. The gun is heavy for its size and the trigger pull is very hard on double action but nice on single action. It does bite your web slightly. For me it is reasonably accurate.
I think I would prefer the new little Ruger 380 auto.
I think I would prefer the new little Ruger 380 auto.
I have an Interarms PPK, not a PPK/S, in .380acp.
I've had it for 15 years, rarely shoot it any more,
but I keep it clean and carry it concealed when it's
hot and I want to dress lightly. Which in Texas can
be often.
I say I rarely shoot it, I probably put 300 rounds a year
through it, just enough to know it is still working properly.
But I never hesitate to carry it because it has given me
less "failure to..." (fill in the blank) than any other auto
loader I own.
In my mind, a small to medium caliber handgun is not
much more than a last-ditch defense, to be used at
very short range. So the poor sights on the PPK don't really
matter to me, since, if I need it, I will probably be so close
to my target I won't need sights.
Walter
I've had it for 15 years, rarely shoot it any more,
but I keep it clean and carry it concealed when it's
hot and I want to dress lightly. Which in Texas can
be often.
I say I rarely shoot it, I probably put 300 rounds a year
through it, just enough to know it is still working properly.
But I never hesitate to carry it because it has given me
less "failure to..." (fill in the blank) than any other auto
loader I own.
In my mind, a small to medium caliber handgun is not
much more than a last-ditch defense, to be used at
very short range. So the poor sights on the PPK don't really
matter to me, since, if I need it, I will probably be so close
to my target I won't need sights.
Walter
Walther22lr
New member
I have the Walther PP version in .22. Been shooting it for almost 30 years.
In double action mode, sure the trigger is heavy, but after the first shot, its has a good single action trigger pull. I have not had any trigger work done to it either.
Mine does not bite me and is quite reliable too. I don't regret buying it at all and its a favorite of mine.
In double action mode, sure the trigger is heavy, but after the first shot, its has a good single action trigger pull. I have not had any trigger work done to it either.
Mine does not bite me and is quite reliable too. I don't regret buying it at all and its a favorite of mine.
I have a Interarms PPK/S in .380 and a Walther PP in .32acp. I bought the PPK/S because I wanted a Classic in my small collection, and this one was at a good price. I didn't buy it as a potential CCW. It's is a well made gun, accurate and very slim. It isn't alot of fun to shoot. Recoil is what you'd expect and the trigger is OK. DA is heavy but that's a good thing if you carry this in a pocket. If you can accept it's couple of faults, the PPK is a thing of beauty and is a fine pistol.
The .32acp Walther PP is alot more fun to shoot. These guns are about the same size but the smaller round is more suited to the gun IMHO. My only wish is that there were better sights available.
The .32acp Walther PP is alot more fun to shoot. These guns are about the same size but the smaller round is more suited to the gun IMHO. My only wish is that there were better sights available.
Dfariswheel
New member
The question is .......WHICH PPK/s?
There are at least 4.
The first two are the European made guns.
One is marked "Walther Made In Germany" and the other is marked "Manurhin made In France" usually with "Under License".
You'll hear people saying that the French made Manurhin is OK but the Genuine German made guns are the best.
The truth is, after 1945, just about the only Walther PP series guns made in Europe were made in France by Manurhin FOR Walther of Germany.
In the 1950's the world wanted to buy Walther PP series guns, and Walther had no production plant.
So, they contracted with the French Manurhin company to make the guns under license.
After Walther built a plant, the French were doing such a good job, Walther just kept production there.
The guns were made in France, shipped across the German border to the Walther plant, proof fired, stamped "Made In Germany" and sold all over the world.
To be fair, in Europe the country where the gun is proof fired is considered to be the country of manufacture.
All this came out in America in the 1970's when Walther contracted with Interarms of America to produce the PPK/s here.
Suddenly the gun writers informed us that they'd known for years the guns were really made in France, after writing all those articles about the wonderful German craftsmanship of the Walther guns.
In the 1980's, the Walther contract with Manurhin ended, and the French decided to sell the gun under their own name in the US.
This started a magazine ad war in which Walther said that only guns with the Walther mark were the "genuine" guns, and the French saying that since they actually made all the guns since WWII, THEY were the genuine gun.
After a couple of years, they made some kind of deal, and Manurhin stopped importing PPK/s guns into the states.
These European guns, whether marked Walther or Manurhin are fine quality guns with few reported problems of any kind.
The second type is the Interarms guns, actually made in Alabama FOR Interarms.
First guns were blued, then stainless.
They eventually made blued and stainless .380 and .32 PPK/s and PPK models.
Quality was good to very good, with some history of reliability problems later in production.
Some people rant and rave about the Interarms guns, but a lot of us had 100% reliable guns.
I owned a very early blued gun and a mid-80's stainless, and both never had a jam, including with reloads.
In the late 1990's, Interarms founder died, and his daughter shut the company down.
There were apparently at least some PP series guns made in some American production plant for someone, but I don't know these details.
In the late 1990's, Walther and S&W started a relationship, and this finally included production of Walther PP series guns in a new plant in Maine under S&W control.
These S&W/Walther's are slightly different, with an extended tang on the frame to eliminate hammer or slide bite, and these guns require a slightly different grip which won't interchange with the older guns.
To sum up, a European PP series should be good but these were made only in blued with a few plated models.
The Interarms, mostly the later models had a bad rep, but you can only determine this by actually shooting a specific gun.
The S&W guns had some trouble in early production, but they seem to have gotten the problems ironed out.
These guns are all magazine sensitive, and many problems are caused by after-market magazines. Stick with genuine Walther marked mags.
These guns are often sensitive about ammo, so be prepared to experiment to find one your specific gun "likes".
These guns seem to like to be run a little wetter with lube than some other guns.
The trigger pull in double action is stiff and heavy, and this is due to the leverage inherent in the 1929 design.
There is little that can be done about this, and spring kits often cause reliability problems.
Custom work to improve the DA pull is usually a waste of money since the difference is usually too small to be detectable, and again, possibilities of reliability issues.
The best "trigger job" is to simply shoot the gun until you get used to it.
Experienced Walther shooters are often surprised when a new shooter tries one, and complains.
After a while you just don't notice anymore.
The Walther PP series was the "Gold Standard" in small defense autos from the early 1950's up until the mid 1980's.
No other small .380 managed to pack so many features and so much quality into as small a package, and it's still near the top end in .380 quality.
There are at least 4.
The first two are the European made guns.
One is marked "Walther Made In Germany" and the other is marked "Manurhin made In France" usually with "Under License".
You'll hear people saying that the French made Manurhin is OK but the Genuine German made guns are the best.
The truth is, after 1945, just about the only Walther PP series guns made in Europe were made in France by Manurhin FOR Walther of Germany.
In the 1950's the world wanted to buy Walther PP series guns, and Walther had no production plant.
So, they contracted with the French Manurhin company to make the guns under license.
After Walther built a plant, the French were doing such a good job, Walther just kept production there.
The guns were made in France, shipped across the German border to the Walther plant, proof fired, stamped "Made In Germany" and sold all over the world.
To be fair, in Europe the country where the gun is proof fired is considered to be the country of manufacture.
All this came out in America in the 1970's when Walther contracted with Interarms of America to produce the PPK/s here.
Suddenly the gun writers informed us that they'd known for years the guns were really made in France, after writing all those articles about the wonderful German craftsmanship of the Walther guns.
In the 1980's, the Walther contract with Manurhin ended, and the French decided to sell the gun under their own name in the US.
This started a magazine ad war in which Walther said that only guns with the Walther mark were the "genuine" guns, and the French saying that since they actually made all the guns since WWII, THEY were the genuine gun.
After a couple of years, they made some kind of deal, and Manurhin stopped importing PPK/s guns into the states.
These European guns, whether marked Walther or Manurhin are fine quality guns with few reported problems of any kind.
The second type is the Interarms guns, actually made in Alabama FOR Interarms.
First guns were blued, then stainless.
They eventually made blued and stainless .380 and .32 PPK/s and PPK models.
Quality was good to very good, with some history of reliability problems later in production.
Some people rant and rave about the Interarms guns, but a lot of us had 100% reliable guns.
I owned a very early blued gun and a mid-80's stainless, and both never had a jam, including with reloads.
In the late 1990's, Interarms founder died, and his daughter shut the company down.
There were apparently at least some PP series guns made in some American production plant for someone, but I don't know these details.
In the late 1990's, Walther and S&W started a relationship, and this finally included production of Walther PP series guns in a new plant in Maine under S&W control.
These S&W/Walther's are slightly different, with an extended tang on the frame to eliminate hammer or slide bite, and these guns require a slightly different grip which won't interchange with the older guns.
To sum up, a European PP series should be good but these were made only in blued with a few plated models.
The Interarms, mostly the later models had a bad rep, but you can only determine this by actually shooting a specific gun.
The S&W guns had some trouble in early production, but they seem to have gotten the problems ironed out.
These guns are all magazine sensitive, and many problems are caused by after-market magazines. Stick with genuine Walther marked mags.
These guns are often sensitive about ammo, so be prepared to experiment to find one your specific gun "likes".
These guns seem to like to be run a little wetter with lube than some other guns.
The trigger pull in double action is stiff and heavy, and this is due to the leverage inherent in the 1929 design.
There is little that can be done about this, and spring kits often cause reliability problems.
Custom work to improve the DA pull is usually a waste of money since the difference is usually too small to be detectable, and again, possibilities of reliability issues.
The best "trigger job" is to simply shoot the gun until you get used to it.
Experienced Walther shooters are often surprised when a new shooter tries one, and complains.
After a while you just don't notice anymore.
The Walther PP series was the "Gold Standard" in small defense autos from the early 1950's up until the mid 1980's.
No other small .380 managed to pack so many features and so much quality into as small a package, and it's still near the top end in .380 quality.
SouthpawShootr
New member
I wouldn't go that far. Many (most) of these pistols need break-in. My dad had an Interarms PPK/s that was unreliable. One stoppage per mag in different places. I bought it from him, then shot a bunch of ammo through it and it became completely reliable with ball and most hollowpoints. This happended sometime after 500 rounds (I know I put a little over 500 through it and he estimates less than 100 that he put through it).
I've since traded it back to him, but every now and then I get a hankering for one of these and may pick up a S&W made one or seek out another Interarms.
I have a pre-WWII PPK that's an outstanding performer. Of course, this gun's probably had untold thousands of rounds through it.
I got my wife a Smith make PPK 380, I believe a late model, got it about three years ago.
We've had zero problems with it. Its a nice little gun. She got to where she can shoot it pretty good. Of course this is the only one we've had so I can't say much about the rest of them.
We've had zero problems with it. Its a nice little gun. She got to where she can shoot it pretty good. Of course this is the only one we've had so I can't say much about the rest of them.