Walther Interarms PPK/S 32acp questions

T

TennJed

New member
Picked up my first PPK/S. A stainless Interarms in 32 acp. It was a safe queen with box and 1 mag. I have a few questions

Were many of these made? I know interarms is more sought after than S&W ones. What is the value of this gun? How many mags did these originally come with? Are any aftermarket mags any good? Will PP mags work? Also do they still make crimson trace grips for these? I cant find them in stock anywhere
 
I'll tackle a couple of these...
TennJed said:
I know interarms is more sought after than S&W ones.
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This is not necessarily true. The American-made stainless PP-series Interarms pistols have a mixed reputation; they're good when they work, but some are jam-o-matics that defy attempts to make them run right. Collector interest is not that strong, and diehard Walther fans often seem to regard them as the lesser of two evils. :rolleyes: Then again, IIRC most 'Murrican Interarms pistols were made in .380 ACP / 9mm Kurz.
TennJed said:
What is the value of this gun?
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Hard to say, and varies greatly depending on whether the gun is German or American production. If it's the former, is also depends on when the gun was imported and how it's marked. Pictures would help.
TennJed said:
How many mags did these originally come with? Are any aftermarket mags any good? Will PP mags work?
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  1. IIRC generally only one, but YMMV.
  2. None except Mec-Gar, and availability is spotty in .32/7.65. That said, IMHO S&W mags are fine too (see below).
  3. Yes, and vice versa (i.e. PPK/S mags in a PP); however, be aware that .32 ACP and the much more commonplace .380 ACP mags do NOT interchange. Fortunately, they're not easily confused; .32/7.65mm mags have a smooth LH side with large round witness (cartridge counter) holes, whereas .380/9mm are crimped on the LH side, and if they have witness holes, they're on the right. Also, the .32 mags take 8rds (and have 7 holes), whereas the .380's take only 7 (and have 6 holes).
As a footnote, my WWII Zella-Mehlis 7.65mm PP runs flawlessly on stainless S&W PPK/S mags.
 
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I want a walther for my collection, but with the varied history it took a lot of digging into between importers, manufacturers, ppk and ppk/s, and .32 or .380, and where exactly a particular gun was produced. It was complicated to remember, so I copied the quote to my gun list, trusting my future self to follow the instructions of my past self when it came time to buy one.

German made 1978 or sooner- Quote - At that time all parts were made in France, and assembled and finished in Germany. They are still referred to as "made in Germany", Interarms was the importer, Only in 1979 did Interarms start assembling them in the US. Hope that helps
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This was for a blued Walther PPK/S in .380, and I sought one with the /S frame but not assembled in US. If I remember correctly, the ones made before 1978 will have significantly more value then ones produced after, being "made" in Germany. Your gun's value should depend on these factors, so try to find the date of manufacture. This may help someone else figure out how many mags it should have come with, and how many were made. Production records for Walther get hard to pinpoint the farther back you go, but the .32 slowly came out of style with .380 gaining more prominence. The stainless versions were not rare, so it would have equal or lesser value than a blued model. As for aftermarket mags, I couldn't say. I only buy factory mags for guns. Hope this helps
 
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IMHO, all of the Walther .380's are less reliable than the .32's. The original PP and PPK were designed around the .32 ACP (7.65 Browning) and most of those through WWII were made in that caliber, mainly because the .380 (9mm Kurz) was not in the German military/police supply system. GCA '68 effectively banned the .32 from import and when Interarms decided to have them made here, emphasis was given to the .380.

Most folks will contend that the .380 is more effective as a defense caliber and will accept some loss of reliability in exchange for greater power; it is a personal decision.

Jim
 
Some years ago I had a stainless Interarms in 32 acp. I had bought it as a carry gun for personal protection. To make a long story short, it was a piece of crap. It was always jamming and I was never able to get it fixed. I sold it, took a loss, and switched to a .38 special snobby revolver.
 
One of the Neat Old Guns I passed up was a Swedish Surplus .32 PP.
I don't know what I would have done with it, but it was Neat.
As are my Colt .32 and CZ .25 which did not have common sense overrule Neat Factor.
 
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