?s about Walther PPK/S

R

Rangerrich99

New member
Here's the deal: I know next to nothing about Walther PPKs. I found a Walther PPK/S in pretty good condition (95%?), complete with original box for under $600. On the box it says that the gun was made in the U.S.A., by Interarms.

Now, I don't have any intentions at this point to use this gun as a carry piece; I have plenty of CCW sidearms already. So I don't need to hear about the gun's potential in this regard.

I just always liked James Bond's blue PPK, and thought it would be fun to finally get his gun. So I guess this would be my first 'range toy.'

I just want to hear what people's first-hand knowledge/experience is about the general quality of the gun and is the price a decent one or should I keep looking?

Thanks in advance for your replies.
 
U.S.-made Interarms PP-series pistols are notorious for being a mixed bag in terms of function. That said, if you want it as a range toy, understand that your chances of getting it serviced by the factory are probably nil; Interarms went out of business almost 20 years ago, and I seriously doubt that the present-day Walther America company is willing to touch a pistol they had nothing to do with, other than lending their name to it under license. :rolleyes:

Now to address value...

Is the pistol blued or stainless? You don't explicitly say which.

.380 ACP, .32 ACP, or .22LR? Listed in ascending order of value. :)
 
I agree with the assessment of Interarms spotty quality. Their guns have no collectors value. Look for a post war German made PPK NOT PPKs or a pre ban PPK. 32s are generally more reliable than 380s.
 
If you can tolerate the notion, the Smith Walther isn't _bad_, it is almost like having a real Walther.

Yes, the classic Bond Walther is the 7,62 with its impact like "a brick through a window" which has made me wonder about Maj. Boothroyd since. But I have become rather agnostic in thinking any PPK/s is a good PPK.
 
I found and looked at a couple examples of the S&W version, but didn't find one that was blued, and I really want a blued example (Sean Connery's PPK/"Dr. No"). Since this gun is going to be for fun, I've decided that I'm not going to budge on getting a blued one, or the caliber.
 
The PPK/S is not the James Bond Walther PPK. The PPK/S is a PPK slide mated to a PP frame in order to be able to be imported under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (I think it was G.C. '68). The larger frame begets one more shot than the PPK.
 
The PPK/S is not the James Bond Walther PPK. The PPK/S is a PPK slide mated to a PP frame in order to be able to be imported under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (I think it was G.C. '68). The larger frame begets one more shot than the PPK.
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Oh, I know. I discovered that fact during my research phase. But after getting my hands on a PPK and a PPK/S I decided the 'S' fit my hand just a little bit better, so I'm okay with blurring the line between an exact replica and what will probably handle a little better for me.
 
If you get tired of waiting...

I had an FEG that was a pretty close copy and cost about $200. It was a nice little 32acp. My FiL still has it. I think there are a few other pistols that are near copies. You could pick one up cheap, enjoy it until a real PPK shows up, then sell it and get your money back.

Just a thought.
 
If you forego the 'K', you can find some decent deals on 7.65 PPs. Great shooters. If you want James Bond's gun, like Harry Callahan's, you're going to pay a premium.
 
Rangerrich99 said:
The pistol is blued, and the caliber is .380 (9mm Kurz).
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Blued U.S. production guns are rare; the lion's share were stainless. However, seeing as how this is a PPK/S rather than a PPK, and .380 rather than .32, IMHO $600 is a stretch even if the gun is LNIB.
Groundhog34 said:
I agree with the assessment of Interarms spotty quality. Their guns have no collectors value.
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Not true. Collector interest in the Interarms pistols has picked up, although they're nowhere near the German or French guns in terms of value.
Groundhog34 said:
Look for a post war German made PPK NOT PPKs or a pre ban PPK.
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IMHO the French-made Manurhins from the 1980s "Walther Wars" are a very good value and are likely to outpace the Interarms guns in terms of collector value.

OTOH if you want an inexpensive shooter, I agree that the best value is either an FÈG, or a German or French PP (not PPK/S or PPK), particularly in .32/7.65. These are the least desirable from a standpoint of collector value or CCW use, but they're better to shoot because of the longer sight radius and full-size grip, so you get the best of both worlds for range-toy use.

FWIW the only PP-series pistol I own is a WWII 7.65 Zella-Mehlis PP with poor finish that I picked up at a pawn shop for $280, and that price turned out to be a better deal than expected—I asked the clerk for a paper bag because I didn't want to walk 2 blocks on a downtown street carrying a pistol, but they didn't have any bags, so he opens a drawer and hands me a random gun rug. It was black leather with gold leaf Browning script and red velvet lining. It turns out that these gun rugs are collector's items in their own right, and I later sold it on Fleabay for $65. :D
 
I just always liked James Bond's blue PPK,
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So did I!!


I jumped all over a LNIB Walther PPK/s in stainless steel for $400 plus tax one day. The gun was unfired.

I took it to the range and put 25 rounds through it.
It was - - - horrible - - - the recoil, because of the thin hard backstrap, was all out of proportion to the .380 acp round.
It hurt worse than my 4" barreled S&W .44 magnum.

To add to the discomfort, the slide plowed two nasty bleeding furrows in the back of my hand.

A couple weeks later, I retired the PPK/s - - - with the exact same results.

A week after that, I took it to a gun show and dumped it on another sucker that "Had to have a James Bond gun". :D.

The good news is,,,he jumped all over the $400 asking price without even trying to get me to come down on the price.

My impression - -which is shared by quite a few people I found out later on - is that the PPK-PPk/s is a real neat gun, but, it can really hurt you bad if you aren't lucky enough to be one of those people that can shoot it w/out it biting your hand.

I got rid of mine because I really didn't want to tie up that much gun money in a gun I couldn't shoot.

Shop wisely for one. You can usually find one that another "Bond junky" just had to have & now regrets buying..;) for a decent price that, if it bites you, you can recoup your money on.
 
Hal said:
To add to the discomfort, the slide plowed two nasty bleeding furrows in the back of my hand... My impression - -which is shared by quite a few people I found out later on - is that the PPK-PPk/s is a real neat gun, but, it can really hurt you bad if you aren't lucky enough to be one of those people that can shoot it w/out it biting your hand.
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I recommend using a thumbs-down grip like many people use when shooting a DA/SA revolver. This usually averts the infamous Walther "slide bite."
Hal said:
...the recoil, because of the thin hard backstrap, was all out of proportion to the .380 acp round.
It hurt worse than my 4" barreled S&W .44 magnum.
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The recoil impulse of lightweight-slide blowback pistols can take a little getting used to. I like to characterize it as a "WHACK!" rather than the "ker-CHUNK" you get with a typical full-size 9mm or .45. :)

Other foibles of these pistols...
  • The DA trigger is stiff and tends to be a bit gritty, and AFAIK there's not a whole lot you can do about this. The SA trigger on my PP is great, though. :D
  • If you choose to carry the pistol, be aware that the firing pin is only positively locked when the pistol is on-safe. (And it is LOCKED; the decocker/safety "barrel" has a slot that grabs a groove in the firing pin, so it's ain't going anywhere.) OTOH the pistol relies on a fairly small hammer-block tab and an inertial firing pin when off-safe. They don't seem to have a particular reputation for going off when dropped, but the design is not as fail-safe as newer DA/SA designs for DA/off-safe carry, as there's no positive trigger-actuated firing-pin block. Just FYI.
I really like them, however, and still consider them to be one of those pistols that every enthusiast should own at some point. :)
 
My first shooting of the S&W PPKs made the red railroad tracks in the web of my hand too. I took the slide off and smoothed and rounded the rear lower slide area, with a gray wheel, it can't be seen without a loupe but helped a lot.
The S&W Walthers have a bad rep too but the only part I personally dislike is the use of MIM, one of the MIM parts broke after a couple hundred rounds.

OTH the S&W models have a slightly longer tang which helps keep the blood letting to a minimum, and yet before smoothing the slide rails at the rear it bit me anyway.
The best objection to the PP series pistols is the controls, both position and type. But some folks like decockers. The safety especially seems to be really in a bad place in the view of many 1911 shooters who shoots one.
For me as a collector and occasional shooter that doesn't bother me much, many of my more esoteric handguns are far weirder than the PPKs.
 
I really like them, however, and still consider them to be one of those pistols that every enthusiast should own at some point.
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Don't get me wrong...I feel the same way.

Everyone - especially a Bond fan - just simply needs to have a PPK or PPK/s.

Whether or not they choose to hang onto it is another matter ;).

They are iconic pistols - to be sure.
 
I've owned two of the US made Interarms PPK/S models - one blued and later traded it for a stainless. My experiences is totally opposite of what most have posted. I did not find them unpleasant at all to shoot although I used a Pachmayr grips that gave me a more secure grip. I found them to actually be quite accurate and reliable with both FMJ and PMC hollow points.

About 25 years ago I traded my stainless version for a 44 mag later - have always regretted doing so. The going rate on gunbroker these days for even a US Interarms is usually a lot more than $600 on many I have looked at. A German version would be substantially higher. I never see any of the Interarms PPK , PPK/S turn up in the shops around here.
 
I really like the PPK platform overall. The fixed barrel and steel frame make it really easy to shoot accurately and keep on target. It's a really fun little pistol. Plus for a long time it really was the best platform around if you needed something that small.
 
I took it to the range and put 25 rounds through it.
It was - - - horrible - - - the recoil, because of the thin hard backstrap, was all out of proportion to the .380 acp round.
It hurt worse than my 4" barreled S&W .44 magnum.
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This is a characteristic of all (fixed barrel) blow back 380's. Its not a big deal. But; yes it can be a surprise. The locked barrel (like 1911) designs are all milder. James Bond was a not a girl.

I have one of these (interarms ppk/s) and carried it for a few years. It is and was a superb firearm. James Bond was not a consideration. I did not even know. This gun has alwasy been 100% reliable (ball and HP) in a slim easy carry package. Not an LCP, but; in the day it was, IMHO, the best in class. Due to lack of internet, I was blissfully unaware of any complaints.

I assume you know, every gun ever introduced has had start up issues. Look at SIG in New Hampshire. Another top in class gun. But, they had problems too.

You can buy an vintage gun. A very old gun even. If that satisfies a Bond fantasy go for it.

The PPK/S is a great gun and a classic in its own right. I see PPK/S coming into the gun shops as the old generation die off continues. There seem to be a lot of minty examples.
 
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