walther ppk380 or ruger lcp

[dabigguns357]

My wife wants a new handgun so we have been looking around and have it down to these to guns.I personally think she should stay with a revolver but she wants either the walther or ruger.Any pro's or cons on either one would be great,thanks.

 

[HK123]

Does it absolutely have to be .380?

No 9mm? Glock 26? M&P9c? etc

 

[dabigguns357]

she love how small they are,she can shoot bigger things like my sig 239 but thinks they feel to big for her hand.She already has a snubbie 357 that i gave her.Heck she even said the kahr 9 didn't feel right.

 

[HK123]

Have her feel the G26, XD9c, M&P9c too.

Have her SHOOT them as holding them is a useless waste of time.

 

[predecessor]

Wow - I would have her at least rent them and try them out at a range before deciding.

The Ruger is not a range gun in any sense. It's cute and small and great for pocket carry. If she wants a gun that's easy to conceal and doesn't plan on putting many rounds through it, it's a fine choice.

The PPK is going to be way more fun to shoot. Some folks don't enjoy shooting a PP style pistol but many, including myself, enjoy it very much. Pachmayr and wood grip options are available for the Walther which can make it more comfortable to shoot if that becomes an issue.

 

[predecessor]

Originally posted by HK123
Have her feel the G26, XD9c, M&P9c too.

Hey HK123, you are certainly persistent Those are all excellent firearms. I've shot all three and in that class, I actually prefer the Taurus 24/7 PROc -- But the poster was pretty specific. None of these firearms are in the same frame size or ammo platform.

 

[funon1]

Which does she like better? Is cost an issue?

Will it be shot and carried a little or vice versa?

I just picked up a new LCP as my "always gun." So far, it is flawless, accurate, reliable and very easy to carry in a pocket with a Nemesis. I do not plan on shooting it a lot, but just practice from time to time.

Know that a 10 oz. gun of this size will kick a bit with ball ammo, and with recommended Buffalo Bore +p it will kick like her .357. But, on the other hand, since she can handle it, why not.

If I were going to shoot the gun a lot, and had the money, I would go with the PPK. Either way, you will have a nice little gun that should be a hoot to shoot. Enjoy

Funon1

 

[Bill Siegle]

I have shot and owned both. Both are great guns but the Ruger is definitely not a range toy. It is meant to be carried very easily and to do that it is small. Small size and the 380 cartridge make it harder to shoot. My wife prefers the PPKS to the LCP for range use but she would prefer the LCP for a carry gun. She said to her the LCP isn't painful to shoot but it is not comfortable,accurate, or fun. Now the LCP can hit. Just not in her hand beyond 20ft. I too like the PPKS as a fun shooting gun and have no problem with it for CCW but the LCP gets more carry time for me due to it's size and weight.

 

[roman3]

What Bill Siegle said...

I have had both and neither was a great deal of fun to shoot. Neither was a gun you wanted to just go out to the range and blast away with. The PPK being a blowback gun gives a sharp push as opposed to recoil and was designed for the 32ACP round.

The LCP is still with me due to its size and weight. A near perfect pocket gun. + 1000 rounds with no issues.

The PPK I wish I still had, it was a blued W.German but in my imprudent youth I got rid of it for another item. But even if I still had it the LCP would go everywhere with me and the PPK would get admired.

 

[blume357]

Even though I'm a Ruger fan... I've never shot the LCP...

now a Walther PPK I suspect will feel and look better to her... Especially one in Stainless Steel.

 

[Night Watch]

Listen to roman3! Either of these pistols is going to be tough for a woman to hang onto; and, if experience is any guide, your wife isn't going to feel like practicing a lot with either one. If small is what it takes I'd recommend either one of the smaller 357 magnum revolvers like my own wife carries, or even a Beretta Tom Cat in 32 acp like I carry as a BUG.

Regular practice is a big part of successfully using and carrying any pistol. If it aint comfortable to put 100 rounds through on a Saturday morning then accuracy and handling skills are sure to suffer. All women seem to gravitate to small guns - Just as quickly as they gravitate away from them after trying to actually use one for awhile. ('Why does it have to weigh more than my cosmetics case?')

When I bought my wife a Ruger SP-101 I did something really smart and, also, bought her a new handbag to carry it in. Yeah, she complains about, 'the weight' all the time; but she, also, hits whatever she points that little Ruger at inside 12 yards, too.

The only way to get her to stop complaining about, 'the weight' or using that stupid excuse; 'I've got you; what do I need my own gun for?' is for me to hire the same two gangbangers who attacked her and almost stole our new car 3 years ago. She was scared silly for more than a year afterwards, and wouldn't even go to the mailbox without her Ruger; but, with the passage of time, she's now back to her old laissez faire attitude of, 'mug and get mugged' - 'It won't happen to me again!'

I'm taking her with me to the range today. In an effort to get her to start taking better care of herself, again, I'm almost ready to part with my very accurate and easy to shoot little Beretta 32.

(Besides, I like the larger Ruger SP-101: It's small enough; it's very strong; it's accurate, and a hard hitter too - All-in-all an excellent little gun that carries a reliable manstopper round. Something that few women are ever going to fully understand until AFTER it's already too late.)

Hers - (For now!)

Mine - (For, at least, a little while longer!)

 

[Tommy Vercetti]

Walthers like to be broken in and loaded hot, they don't have a reputation for reliability (they're the original jammamatic) but the vast majority of modern shooters don't break in guns before trusting them, a polish of the feedramp tends to help too

the Ruger .380 hasn't been on the market very long but Ruger has a reputation for fielding solid guns at value prices (current SR-9 recall notwithstanding)

you may even want to look at a Bersa .380, I've never heard anything bad about them

 

[Night Watch]

Walthers like to be broken in and loaded hot, they don't have a reputation for reliability (they're the original jammamatic) but the vast majority of modern shooters don't break in guns before trusting them, a polish of the feedramp tends to help too.

Now, now, that remark isn't entirely correct. The German-made pistols never jammed. (I've got one that hasn't so much as hiccuped on me in more than 35 years!) The Interarms American-made pistols were, indeed, jam-o-matics; but, this was due to a redesign of the feed ramp and the manner in which it was attached to the barrel - A method and design that didn't previously exist on any of the German pistols. The early S&W collaborations have had sporadic, but similar, problems; however, over the past 3 years S&W seems to have corrected this.

To the best of my knowledge there is nothing wrong with the current American-made Walthers. It's the used American Interarms and early S&W models that you have to watch out for. Still, Smith & Wesson is well known to stand 100% behind their products; so this isn't something I'd get all bent out of shape over.

My German-made Walther is the only pistol I own that has never jammed on me over more than 3 decades of use. (Something I can't say about either of my Colt 1911's - or my Glocks after only 5 years of daily carry!)

 

[Ivory Grips]

Definetly not the Walther, heavy trigger pull, and hammer bite. That's enough to make me choose the Ruger LCP. Lighter, smaller, and better trigger.

Ivory

 

[HK123]

Hey HK123, you are certainly persistent Those are all excellent firearms. I've shot all three and in that class, I actually prefer the Taurus 24/7 PROc -- But the poster was pretty specific. None of these firearms are in the same frame size or ammo platform.

I've never met a lady shooter who liked to shoot any of the .380acp pocket guns out there. They all prefer something more like a HK P2000sk, G26 etc. Something with more to hold, but still a light and small platform. This is my personal experience with getting my sister and my GF to shoot who actually like the G19 more than the sub-compact guns. More to hold on to and more manageable at the range.

Not to mention that the 9mm round is more potent than .380 so you do have a better chance to stop a determined attacker with that extra oomph.

It's my experience that most lady shooters who aren't gun people themselves tend to go on looks and how small it is. Then they realize it's not nice to shoot.

 

[tenusdad]

The Walther is a cool sexy pistol - I had one in stainless that was very accurate and completely reliable out of the box - now the rest of the story - the hammer bite is true - the grip hurts if you shoot it much - it is heavy for a 380 these days - I guess it's the blowback design but the percieved recoil seemed stout for the caliber - but it is a classic beautful pistol - I sold mine and wish I had it back - I have had Walthers that jammed, this one did not - I never shot the LCP but I have a couple of Kel - Tecs I've had for years - my P11 is perfectly reliable (yes I trust it) - my P32 will not tolerate limp wristing at all, even a little - I don't know about the Ruger -

I guess if she's going to carry it out much, then buy the Ruger - all my heavy guns wind up getting left behind - especially in the summer - the LCP in purse or pocket is far better than the Glock 17 in the safe - depends on your use/carry mode, etc. I suppose women with a purse have more options than men for carry or what a wonderful excuse to buy the Walther and the Ruger -

 

[alloy]

i got two american walthers, & wouldnt have bought the second if the first didnt work so nicely.
only feed issues i have experienced is fiocchi JHP ammo that was too long for the magazines, wedging in and never making it to the gun at all. no polished feed ramps, no slide bite, but maybe thats per user, i hear the same about other guns i own but they dont seem to get me either.
however i got a ironworkers vice-grip and they both kick like a mule. i cant imagine a woman enjoying them, they kick worse than a .45, even the slides are tight to rack with a small grip area. getting the first round chambered reliably for loading or after an emptied mag requires a crisp release and the death grip, guess im used to it? the round wont just slide in there like other guns with a slide release.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Between those two I would recommend the Walther. It is going to be easier to control because of less recoil and is a more accurate gun. The newer versions have no slide bight and are very reliable and well made. The LCP is going to be harder to control, not as accurate, and does not have the proven track record of the PPK. The only advantage it would have is that it is lighter, but weight is easier to overcome than harsh recoil or mechanical failure.

PS: I would recommend to make sure you get the PPK over the PPK/S. I think the wrap around grips on the PPK make it much easier to shoot if you replace the stock plastic with wood.

PPS: Go Thundering Herd!

 

[ziggy222]

i had a walther ppks in 380 with Pachmayr grips.it was very accurate and pretty.thats where it ends.it was expensive,unreliable underpowered,a big time jamomatic.peice of junk i traded in at a big loss for some reloding equipment and never looked back.the makarovs and their clones are very cheap, accurate ,and reliable though.she may look at the berettas and sigs

 

[cohoskip]

My S&W PPK/S has had zero problems. And with the extended beaver tail, the hammer bite is gone...