My local gun dealer has several PPKs in .32 ACP in the case and I was thinking to myself; Why would you pay that kind of money for a gun that is basically the same as a Makarov in a caliber that is significantly inferior to the 9x18 Makarov ? I understand that some Walthers have collector value. I guess some people just like the look or the mystique. But for anyone that really plans on using it, to me there is no comparison.
Walther PPK vs. Makarov
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Stephen A. Camp
Staff In Memoriam
Hello. I own Walther PPs in both .32 and .380 and they are things of beauty.......until I shoot them. I get the dreaded Walther "slide bite" badly and the .380 hits high for me. The .32's been most reliable of the two, but it has problems with certain types of ammunition.
My commercial Bulgarian Makarov is not as elegant as the Walters in my admittedly subjective view and it is large for caliber, but it works. It is accurate and it's comfortable to shoot. If forced to use one of the three mentioned pistols for defense or even just plinking for pleasure, the Makarov wins hands down. For the money, these have got to be one of the very best deals around......if not THE best.
Best to all.
My commercial Bulgarian Makarov is not as elegant as the Walters in my admittedly subjective view and it is large for caliber, but it works. It is accurate and it's comfortable to shoot. If forced to use one of the three mentioned pistols for defense or even just plinking for pleasure, the Makarov wins hands down. For the money, these have got to be one of the very best deals around......if not THE best.
Best to all.
Jody Hudson
New member
I had a crusade for about 25 five years and perhaps 300 or more Walthers; to find one that would shoot straight and reliably. My first, a .32 PPK German was the best. The Walther is a good investment IF you buy it at the bottom of one of it's cycles. Since I began collecting them in '69 they have fluctuated up and down from 200 to 900 to 400 to 800 to now about 300 to 400 in most areas for one of the PP series.
The Makarov has the largest two problems of the Walther beat. It feeds the cartridge almost straight in from the top of the magazine into the feed ramp and chamber. The Walther tries to make the cartridge jump way up at a steep angle into the chamber and somehow make it across the feed ramp. Sometimes it makes it. The Makarov also allows you to fill the magazine while the Walther is a LOT happier if you only load the magazine to two less or three less than full capacity.
For whatever reason, of course, the Makarov is far superior in accuracy also. So the main reasons to have the Makarov instead of the Walther are just these: Accuracy, reliability, capacity and power. I think that some day, when the millions of Makarovs stored in Communist arsenals are all sold, that the price will go back up and stay there. There are so many of them here in this country now that we are assured of ammo availability as long as we are allowed to have ammo.
I no longer have any Walthers; I have obtained the holy grail of my Walther Crusade and it is the Makarov -- the only Walther worth owning in PP style as far as I'm concerned. But the Walthers sure are puuuuuuuurrrrrdy!
The Makarov has the largest two problems of the Walther beat. It feeds the cartridge almost straight in from the top of the magazine into the feed ramp and chamber. The Walther tries to make the cartridge jump way up at a steep angle into the chamber and somehow make it across the feed ramp. Sometimes it makes it. The Makarov also allows you to fill the magazine while the Walther is a LOT happier if you only load the magazine to two less or three less than full capacity.
For whatever reason, of course, the Makarov is far superior in accuracy also. So the main reasons to have the Makarov instead of the Walther are just these: Accuracy, reliability, capacity and power. I think that some day, when the millions of Makarovs stored in Communist arsenals are all sold, that the price will go back up and stay there. There are so many of them here in this country now that we are assured of ammo availability as long as we are allowed to have ammo.
I no longer have any Walthers; I have obtained the holy grail of my Walther Crusade and it is the Makarov -- the only Walther worth owning in PP style as far as I'm concerned. But the Walthers sure are puuuuuuuurrrrrdy!
I have a couple of Mak's, and if I ever see a good deal on a German import PP in either .32 or .380, I'll probably buy it. I'm a closet gun collector, so I'd just like to have one of the Walther guns. If you plan on shooting it a lot, I'll have to second the recommendation for the Mak.
For effectiveness and reliability, I will go with the Makarov. The Walthers in .380 are not that reliable. The .32 (the ammo the gun was designed around) is accurate and extremely reliable, but lacking in power. In that size range, I would choose either the Makarov or the PA-63, which I have also found reliable. The 9mm Makarov is more powerful than the .380, which makes me go with that caliber for effectiveness.
Jim
Jim
Will Beararms
New member
Makarov Baby. If you want something with more refinement in the same category, go to a Sig 232 or pick an NIB 230 that has been discontinued but is still a good value.
Or, buy two Maks and be happy.
Or, buy two Maks and be happy.
Jody Hudson
New member
I... for one will take a Makarov over either of the Sigs, even at the same price... The Makarov is that much better according to my experience.
i have 2 maks one bulgaian and one east german.i have a ppk/s also . the walther is in .32 cal.it is very reliable even h.p. ammo now that is broken in.however both makarovs are buy far a better value.and the east german mak is just as tight and well made as the walther ,if not better made.also the maks safty works in the correct maner as oposed to the oposite way the walther operates.and the walther is a bitch to rack the slide for the first shot.not only is it very tight but you can only get 2 fingers on it.also the maks are much more acurate.i cant seem to shoot my walther as acuratly as my maks.and finally you can buy 2 -3 maks for the price of the walther.the only time i carry my walther is when i want to be armed and space is a factor.