I knew I should of stayed away but I needed a fix, I was just going to stop in real quick and see what overpriced stuff they had and leave.....Ya that's all but then I saw something tucked behind another gun. It was stainless and looked familiar, I asked to see it and was surprised to find it was a stainless Interarms American made Walter PPK 380. I looked it over and reached down to see the price tag and was surprised, it was listed at $400 and had just been put out. I looked over to one of the supervisors that I have dealt with before and asked her to take something off of it for me and I will put it on lay-a-way. She laughed and said $390 and I said ok. Now it is sitting on lay-a-way and I have been doing some internet searching and looks like a good deal. I will have to replace the black grips due to a crack & chunck missing at the bottom but other than that it looks good and comes with one Walter mag. I believe I have read that these were made by Ranger for Interarms and the frames were made by pine casting (Ruger). So what say ye about my latest find? Any information you care to share would be great. Thanks
Interarms Walter PPK
- Thread starter smee78
- Start date
halfcocked
New member
I wish you the best with it. I had experience with a few of them, back when they were new in the late 80s and they seemed to jam a lot.
cc-hangfire
New member
I have one, sounds like it's just like it. Mine runs fine, but chews my fat hand up a little with minor slide bite.
At that price, I'd say you got a deal. As above, post pics when you get it.
At that price, I'd say you got a deal. As above, post pics when you get it.
arquebus357
New member
Is your new +++WALTHER+++ .22-.32 or .380 ? Classic little semi auto. Glad to see I'm not the only one that sometimes needs to use a lay-away plan for emergency firearm purchases.
Good job
Good job
The Interarms Walther seemed to work or they did not, I owned pistols from both categories. The .380, being a blow back is a bit nippy on the hand but no worse than many of my other 380’s in that class.
The PPK was designed around the 7.65 mm cartridge and my 1934 pistol is a dream to shoot, I would imagine your new acquisition is a PPK-s which will give better gripping surface than the Interarms PPK’s that I had, mine would gobble FMJ but were picky with hollow points seems to me I fed the one that was reliable Winchester Silvertip HP ammo.
Good luck with your Walther they are truly iconic pistols.
The PPK was designed around the 7.65 mm cartridge and my 1934 pistol is a dream to shoot, I would imagine your new acquisition is a PPK-s which will give better gripping surface than the Interarms PPK’s that I had, mine would gobble FMJ but were picky with hollow points seems to me I fed the one that was reliable Winchester Silvertip HP ammo.
Good luck with your Walther they are truly iconic pistols.
Hang onto the busted grips. That way, when you resell it, you can use those to get the cost of the new grips back. Just tell the buyer if he/she wants the new grips they have to pay for them.
$400 or even $390 is a very fair price for a PPK (or PPK/s).
I really hope it works you for you & you like it.
I had a PPK/s that I really wanted to like, but, it chewed the back of my hand up something fierce. The slide dug two bleeding furrows into my hand.
I'd talked to people that had owned & then later gotten rid of a PPK or PPKs, and couldn't fathom why they would part with such a beautiful gun.
After getting bit by mine three separate times, I understood why.
Like I've said before....a PPK or PPK/s, used, is just about the best value in the gun world. If you end up not liking it, you can always sell it for what you have in it.
Everyone wants a Bond gun!
Thanks everyone for your comments, I hope it works well, I figured if I don't like it or it bites me to many times then it would be great sell or trade fodder. I admit I always wanted one due to the whole Bond gun thing and even have a Beretta 418 and now this one to add to the collection.
glockman55
New member
I've shot the PPK .380 a few times.. and the Sig P232... I bought the Sig. had a much better trigger than the Walther. .but for the money your talking it's a good buy.. and My Wife took the Sig from me anyway,,, She shoots it very well.. 
larryf1952
New member
I bought my stainless Interarms .380 PPK/s in 1989. I was curious, so I dug out the receipt for it. I paid $369 for it way back then, which I thought was kind of pricey at the time.
It's been a fun little .380. I don't shoot it a lot, but, I've never had the "biting" problem that many others apparently experience. My hands are pretty long and slender, and I don't seem to have a problem keeping my mitt away from the slide.
As far as the gun goes, I've run nothing but JHP reloads through my gun, and it's worked amazingly well. I can't remember a particular problem that I experienced with failures to feed. The bullets that I've used ranged from 88 grain Remington JHP's to Sierra 90's, Noslers and some other 90 grain JHP's that I bought from Everglades Reloading.
It's a well made little piece, and I love just looking at it. The cool factor on these little Walthers is over the top. It's a shame that modern Walthers all seem to be uglier than a mud fence after a hurricane. Congrats on finding one in good shape and bringing it home.
It's been a fun little .380. I don't shoot it a lot, but, I've never had the "biting" problem that many others apparently experience. My hands are pretty long and slender, and I don't seem to have a problem keeping my mitt away from the slide.
As far as the gun goes, I've run nothing but JHP reloads through my gun, and it's worked amazingly well. I can't remember a particular problem that I experienced with failures to feed. The bullets that I've used ranged from 88 grain Remington JHP's to Sierra 90's, Noslers and some other 90 grain JHP's that I bought from Everglades Reloading.
It's a well made little piece, and I love just looking at it. The cool factor on these little Walthers is over the top. It's a shame that modern Walthers all seem to be uglier than a mud fence after a hurricane. Congrats on finding one in good shape and bringing it home.
Dfariswheel
New member
I had perfect results with two .380 PPK/s models made in the USA.
The first was a very early blue, the second was a mid-80's stainless.
Both were 100% reliable with my lead bullet and Bullseye practice reloads and Winchester Silver Tip defense loads.
If you have reliability problems try a different brand/type of ammo, and run the gun a with a little extra lube.
I highly recommend a good grease on the slide and frame rails, the outside of the barrel, on the sear, and on the double action strut on the hammer.
I'm not sure about now, but back then the .380 Silver Tip had jackets made of almost pure aluminum. All other Silver Tip ammo has a bright plated copper jacket.
Back then the Silver Tip was the only reliable expanding .380 ammo.
If the stainless model gives you problem with hand biting, simply use a stone to lightly round off the sharp edges around the rear of the frame tang, and break the sharp inner and outer slide rails at the rear of the slide.
This eliminates the business of cutting grooves in your hand.
Truth, most people didn't have any problems with hand cutting or scratching.
Don't be tempted to install a spring kit to lighten the really heavy DA trigger pull.
This very often causes misfires and failures.
The Walther DA trigger is what it is.....HEAVY.
Thing is, once you get used to it you no longer notice the weight.
A fun thing is to hand it to someone not familiar with the PP series Walther's and have them shoot it.
They pull and pull and their hand shakes, then they ask if the safety is on.
No one ever managed to squeeze as many features in so small a package of a .380.
It can be claimed that the Walther PP series is the 1911 of .380 autos.... a true classic and it still delivers the goods on demand.
The first was a very early blue, the second was a mid-80's stainless.
Both were 100% reliable with my lead bullet and Bullseye practice reloads and Winchester Silver Tip defense loads.
If you have reliability problems try a different brand/type of ammo, and run the gun a with a little extra lube.
I highly recommend a good grease on the slide and frame rails, the outside of the barrel, on the sear, and on the double action strut on the hammer.
I'm not sure about now, but back then the .380 Silver Tip had jackets made of almost pure aluminum. All other Silver Tip ammo has a bright plated copper jacket.
Back then the Silver Tip was the only reliable expanding .380 ammo.
If the stainless model gives you problem with hand biting, simply use a stone to lightly round off the sharp edges around the rear of the frame tang, and break the sharp inner and outer slide rails at the rear of the slide.
This eliminates the business of cutting grooves in your hand.
Truth, most people didn't have any problems with hand cutting or scratching.
Don't be tempted to install a spring kit to lighten the really heavy DA trigger pull.
This very often causes misfires and failures.
The Walther DA trigger is what it is.....HEAVY.
Thing is, once you get used to it you no longer notice the weight.
A fun thing is to hand it to someone not familiar with the PP series Walther's and have them shoot it.
They pull and pull and their hand shakes, then they ask if the safety is on.
No one ever managed to squeeze as many features in so small a package of a .380.
It can be claimed that the Walther PP series is the 1911 of .380 autos.... a true classic and it still delivers the goods on demand.
The Walther PPK is my favorite.... not need ing the extra bulk and weight of the PPKs ...which is a creation to meet a US requirement that was stupid to begin with. Walther did however, create a package (same slide longer grip frame) that really appeals to a lot of shooters. My German PPK and PP pistols are fun to shoot and operate flawlessly, true machined steel at it’s finest.
The Silvertip ammo of the Eighties is aluminum coated and the best available at the time. I issued 9mm Silvertip at the p d before transition to the .40. Our local OSI office was chastised for having bought 9mm Silvertip ammo from other than the accepted bureaucratic fashion...gave me 25 ( gave the PD actually) thousand plus or minus can’t remember exactly..rounds of Silvertip and replaced it with the same ammo from the approved source. We carried .40’s at the time but there were lots of 9’s in the dept. to shoot very expensive ammo at paper, cans and rocks. I still have a couple of boxes of that AF boo boo.
The Silvertip ammo of the Eighties is aluminum coated and the best available at the time. I issued 9mm Silvertip at the p d before transition to the .40. Our local OSI office was chastised for having bought 9mm Silvertip ammo from other than the accepted bureaucratic fashion...gave me 25 ( gave the PD actually) thousand plus or minus can’t remember exactly..rounds of Silvertip and replaced it with the same ammo from the approved source. We carried .40’s at the time but there were lots of 9’s in the dept. to shoot very expensive ammo at paper, cans and rocks. I still have a couple of boxes of that AF boo boo.
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Model12Win
Moderator
Cool guns for sure. I prefer the MAKAROV as a combat sidearm.
The Walther PPK or PPK/S firearms are iconic pieces of firearm history and worth owning, esp. since they have the Bond mystique. You got a good price.
The German made guns or post-WWII Manurhin (French made on German Walther Tooling) are great reliable guns.
The Interarms Walthers have been hit or miss. Hopefully you got a good one.
Slide bite is a problem with the design, so is the heavy double action trigger pull and non captive extractor. If you blow a case, which is a rarity with today's quality ammunition, you will lose your extractor and have a single shot pistol. Just something to keep in mind, probably will never happen to you. They were also designed to feed FMJ ammunition, so some hollow points can be an issue. Just find what the gun likes and keep feeding it that brand of ammo.
The slide bite issue was corrected when S&W took them over from Interarms. You can easily have yours deburred by a competent gunsmith if you have this problem.
The PPK series are direct blow back guns with a fixed barrel, so recoil is stouter than you may expect. Nothing major, but you will notice it. They are not the most fun range guns.
If you like the PPK / PPK/S, then definitely look at the Makarov, which is very loosely based on the PPK design with some major improvements. The Mak is more consistently reliable, feeds anything, has a simpler more robust design and a captive extractor, mainly in anticipation of crappy combloc ammo. All told, the Mak is a great pistol to get if you like this format.
Enjoy your purchase and let us know how it goes...
The German made guns or post-WWII Manurhin (French made on German Walther Tooling) are great reliable guns.
The Interarms Walthers have been hit or miss. Hopefully you got a good one.
Slide bite is a problem with the design, so is the heavy double action trigger pull and non captive extractor. If you blow a case, which is a rarity with today's quality ammunition, you will lose your extractor and have a single shot pistol. Just something to keep in mind, probably will never happen to you. They were also designed to feed FMJ ammunition, so some hollow points can be an issue. Just find what the gun likes and keep feeding it that brand of ammo.
The slide bite issue was corrected when S&W took them over from Interarms. You can easily have yours deburred by a competent gunsmith if you have this problem.
The PPK series are direct blow back guns with a fixed barrel, so recoil is stouter than you may expect. Nothing major, but you will notice it. They are not the most fun range guns.
If you like the PPK / PPK/S, then definitely look at the Makarov, which is very loosely based on the PPK design with some major improvements. The Mak is more consistently reliable, feeds anything, has a simpler more robust design and a captive extractor, mainly in anticipation of crappy combloc ammo. All told, the Mak is a great pistol to get if you like this format.
Enjoy your purchase and let us know how it goes...
223 shooter
New member
I had traded my PPK/S about 27 years ago and have regretted doing so many times since then. I finally pick up a used Interarms Walther PPK/S just over a week ago - a stainless in .380. Was really pleased to finally find one for sale locally. Two times at the range so far and the PPK/S shoots pretty well. I am going to start reloading and try Hornady and Sierra JHPs.
Good luck with your Walther!
Good luck with your Walther!
The stainless Interarms version was iffy.
There was an itinerant trainer (John Farnam, if you're old enough to remember the name) who used to start his opening session with a Q&A.
He wanted to keep up on what was working & what wasn't at the various PDs he'd work with.
He'd ask the group about specific guns, and I can distinctly recall one session where he asked if anybody was using an Interarms PPK.
One guy said he was.
Followup question was "Stainless, or did you get one that works?"
I think I'd pass on a stainless Interarms PPK.
PPK/S is a different pistol.
Denis
There was an itinerant trainer (John Farnam, if you're old enough to remember the name) who used to start his opening session with a Q&A.
He wanted to keep up on what was working & what wasn't at the various PDs he'd work with.
He'd ask the group about specific guns, and I can distinctly recall one session where he asked if anybody was using an Interarms PPK.
One guy said he was.
Followup question was "Stainless, or did you get one that works?"
I think I'd pass on a stainless Interarms PPK.
PPK/S is a different pistol.
Denis