Interarms/Walther Question?

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Gwinnydapooh

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My fiancee and I were just looking at handguns to fit her small hands and she really liked an Interarms .380 that looks to me like a Walther PPK. I figured Interarms made a knockoff or licensed copy of the Walther, but I just visited their website which lists the gun as a Walther PPK. So is Interarms just an importer/middleman for Walther and Rossi and the rest? What kind of quality am I getting? I understand the gun is inexpensive and all, I don't expect to use it for self-defense but I'd like her to have a gun she can have fun with since we're still learning and nothing I like fits her hands (and vice versa.) Thanks.

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Don

"Its not criminals that go into schools and shoot children"
--Ann Pearston, British Gun Control apologist and moron
 
If I understand it correctly, Interarms is no longer licensed to call it a PPK but they still make essentially the same gun.

I have been tremendously disappointed in the two Interarms PPK pistols I've owned. I thought maybe the first one was just a lemon so I bought a second one because I also loved the feel of the gun. The second one was even worse. Neither pistol could get through a mag without a jam. Numerous trips to the gunsmith failed to correct the problem. Finally, the trigger guard cracked in half!!! It's been at Interarms/S&W getting repaired for three months now :(.

You also mentioned that you want a gun that would be fun for her to shoot. The PPK kicks like a bear for such a weak caliber. It also has a wicked hammer bite if you're not careful. I'd recommend that you keep looking. Good luck.
 
Gwinny,

I had one for almost a year - stainless PPK - it was VERY well made and VERY accurate and dependable. The only reason I don't have it today is the size. It's one of those "in-betweens" for me - too small for regular carry and too big for a pocket piece. It would make a darn good purse gun!

It was a pleasure to shoot.

Mikey

[This message has been edited by Mikey (edited October 08, 1999).]
 
Michelle's PPK/s from Interarms was flakey with all ammo except Fiocchi ball till it got throated/polished. Now it works very well, though with certain ammo (FN wadcutters) loading five rather than eight helps. It is a pretty and easy to shoot gun.

She has it in .32, as the .380 recoiled viciously and neither of us cared to shoot more than a mag from it (I would rather fire .357 in 2" snubbies!). It is small but very heavy and hot really a carry gun, IMO. More like shootable jewelry.
 
Greetings To All, I have owned a SS American
made Walther PPK since January of 95. This
has been one of the finest guns in my collection. It has not broken any parts,
had any FTF, and no jams. Actually, the
SS American made Walther's are not made
by Interarms; they are made by Ranger
Firearms, under license of Carl Walther
Waffenbrik of Germany. By the way, Ranger
Firearms is located in Gadsden, Alabama.
How did a trigger guard on a SS Walther
break?

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Ala Dan
 
Interarms no longer has the rights to Walther. That has all be taken over by S&W. As far as I know Interarms is no more. My PPK and second TPH have had no problems with reliability, though the TPH is ammo sensitive.
 
Check some of the prior threads on he ppk/s I had a ss ppk/s that I purchased this spring. First weekend out it broke the ejector. I thought is was a fluke so I traded for my second ppk/s ss, next day, broke the ejector in the same spot and place. So back in june I sent it off to interarms with a letter asking whats up? They sent it on to S&W and S&W said "off the record" that the recent interarms are "poorly made castings and parts nightmares". I just got it back (thursday) from s&w throated and with a new ejector (also cast as before) but I had to leave town for work and will not have an oportunity to test (or break) it in till november. (By the way all of the ammo was factory winchester)

So, my opinion of my new interarms ss ppk/s is that in the last 6 months I have had it in my possession only 6 days now and the rest of the time it has been in the shop.

In earlier threads I found this to be a common problem with interarms ppk/s ss models.

I now use a stock government model colt 380. It has over 1000 rnds through it and is exceptionally reliable.

I can only say that if you buy an interarms ppk/s ss model, you may be wasting your money, but I do not want any lawyors after me.

pete
 
I have a stainless American PPK/S which I carry in plainsclothes. The first thing I did was buy several boxes of different types of ammo (Speer TMJ, Federal, Glaser, Winchester) and tested them all. I found that mine likes the Federal Hydrashock and Glaser and shoots both quite accuately at 15 yards. Having found two brands of ammunition, I'll carry either with it.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Interarms (then Interarmco) was an early importer of Walther pistols. When the PPK could no longer be imported, Interarms tried to have an importable version made, but Walther balked, so Interarms arranged for manufacture in this country of the PPK/S, which is basically the PPK slide on the PP frame.

To suit the American market, the guns were made in .380, a caliber not well suited to the PP/PPK design, even though German guns were made in that caliber (9mm Kurz). Further, to reduce costs, parts that were designed to be made from forgings were made from castings.

There have been many problems and spotty quality control. It is my understanding that the agreements between Walther and Interarms have been cancelled and Walther has established an association with S&W to handle their products, including service. Apparently Interarms has continued to have the PPK/S made without the Walther name or licensing marks. I suspect we may see lawyers emerge from the woodwork.

FWIW, I have had success in curing feeding malfunctions in a PPK/S by reducing recoil spring tension. This was done by "rolling" the spring on a belt sander. I do not, of course, offer this as the cure to all PPK/S problems, but several hundred rounds have gone through the gun since with no problems.

Jim
 
I've got an American S/S PPK .380 made in 1994. It's a very handsome firearm, but I wouldn't trust it to fulfill a self defense role adequately. It seems to have a very tight chamber that is sensitive to fouling. I can fire 40-60 rounds through a clean gun with no problems, after which chambering becomes difficult and the slide will fail to go into battery. I definitely do not think that the recoil is excessive at all, and I am recoil-sensitive. To me, it kicks like a steel J framed S&W .38 spl. It has proven to be accurate (at least as accurate as the aforementioned .38) and shoots to point of aim with most brands of ammo I've tried. It's a cool, cute little gun in search of a purpose, IMO.

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semper ubi sub ubi
 
Greetings, I own a SIG Sauer P 230SL
This is a slightly larger version of the Walther at about the same price, All stainless forged German steel. Bought mine used for $325 with two mags and a case.
Previous owner had only fired maybe a couple of times (no break in marks. I have put 800 rounds through it and find it to be reliable and extremely accurate. It is a precision gun and there is little clearance room so you need to keep it clean, but mine will fire 100 rounds in a range session reliably with out cleaning.

i would highly recommend it and its new cousin the P232.

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Master Blaster
 
I used to own a stainless PPK/S until I got sick of sending it back to Interarms for rework (3 times) - with no resolution.

The American made PPK's and PPK/S/s, IMO are of poor quality.

Recently I have pruchased a German made PPK/S and it has been flawless.

In short, stick with the German Walther or the Sig 230/232. BOth are fine weapons.

CMOS
 
I've had a Stainless Interarms/Walther PPK/s around for a few months now in .32 acp. I just got it past the 500 round mark without a single hitch. I've hardly ever heard a good thing about the American made Walthers, but you can't prove it by mine.
This has been my first Walther, and since the German & French Manufactured ones are supposed to be so much better, I'm really looking forward to buying one of those next. I'll be interested in what S&W does with them as well.

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TJS
 
Jim. I beg to differ with you on where the original PPK/s was made. I had one of the first ones imported, and it was made in Germany. It was chambered for the .32 ACP. I have another German made PPK/s at this time, in .380 ACP.
The PPK/s was designed to get past that idiotic point system that was part of the 1968 Gun Control Act, signed into law by Lame Brain Johnson which banned importation of the PPK.
When the Dollar was being beaten to death by the Deutchmark, Interarms made a deal with Walther to manufacture the PPK and PPK/s here. The guns were supposed to be inspected and to be of the same quality as the German made pistols.
Paul B.
 
I own a 6 year old American made PPK/s . I bought it used . I have put about 500 rounds through it with 1 malfunction . It is , IMO, perhaps the prettiest .380 out there . In terms of concealabity is a thin gun that will carry quite flat . It is about as accurate as these types of pistols get .

On the other hand it is realtively heavy (21 oz unloaded) for a "pocket" pistol and is best carried in a holster or fanny pak . I also agree that the recoil, while certainly not a big deal , is definitely sharp for the given caliber . My Colt Mustang Pocketlite weighs 12.5 oz unloaded and the felt recoil is considerably less .

In short, the PPKS is a classic design . It is , however, a little outdated compared to some other CC choices now available .
 
I've owned a American made PPK (Interarms) for a year and love it. So far I've put around 1800 rounds thru it and had no malfunctions except for its total inability to feed Hydrashocks. I love it.
 
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