Walther PP/PPK design the best?

M

mcshot

New member
Got into a discussion on this 1929 design with another Walther enthusiast. He had 52 at one time and I only two but they are among my favorites.
My latest is a German PPK/S in .380 which will be my carry buddy. They shoot well, are amazingly well designed, easy to disassemble, and seem quite modern.
Also discovered this am what happens when you replace a base extension without paying attention:D
 
I am not ppk basher, but to say it the best? For me the best would be something anyone can use and use well. I love the look and feel of the ppk/ppks platform but unfortunately thats where it ends. Every time I have tried to fire one it is an exercise in futility, seeing as how it causes cursing and profuse bleeding every time. The slide strips the skin off the top of my hand with every pull of the trigger. I guess its the curse of having large hands.

While it is a good design, I would say based on my experiences, that to be the best it would have to leave some skin.
 
Personally I prefer the MK9 over the PPK. It's smaller than the PPK, but fires 9mm. Among .380s, I prefer the Colt Govt. Model over the PPK. YMMV.

M1911
 
I'd take my Colt Mustang Pocketlite in a heartbeat over the PP/PPK. Lighter, smaller, less recoil, what's not to like? :) The PP/PPK is a fine gun, but hardly the "best".
 
I love the look of the PP and PPK. In fact I love the look so much that I've bought three of them over the years. I keep hoping that they've fixed so that they don't Slice and Dice the web of my hand. but so far they haven't. The pp and ppk also account for three of the four pistols I've gotten rid of and never regretted.

On the other side, I live both my Mak and my siG 230. For some reason neither of them tear up my hand. I guess Ron Poppiel didn't work on them :)
 
I grew up shooting a PPK and a PPKS..both made me bleed. The guns just didnt like me :D The triggers were in need of help in d/a pull and the PPK wouldnt feed certain JHP's. Those guns were those guns......as far as the design being the best? I cant say. Its surely the most commonly copied gun....FEG, BERSA, Firestorm, Sig etc etc.....or more correctly 'gun that is patterened" after alot.
I would say given the other .380's I have owned and shot alot of, there are probably better designs out there......CZ 83...BDA etc.

The Makarov isnt that close to a Walthers.....different mechanically, ergonomically..........IMO the Mak is one of the guns that is a better design.

Shoot well
 
The slide and hammer takes chunks out of the web of my hand. My PPK does not feed hollowpoint ammunition. It's design is much too heavy for .380 with a low capacity magazine. However, my German PPK is well made, has deep bluing, and has a sleek design.

Ian did more to promote the sale of this pistol than anyone else. I don't recommend it to anyone other than collectors.

I think that the better design is its copy: Makarov.
 
I like my PPK/S a lot, but it's mostly for sentimental reasons; it was my first gun. I never carry it anymore...just take it to the range every once in a while.

Mine had no problems feeding hollowpoint ammo after I polished the feedramp a bit, but it still starts to stovepipe after about 40 or 50 rounds without a thorough cleaning.

I would call it a good design, but I think deciding the best design is an opinion call. A lot of people call the Glock the best design. A lot of people say the 1911 is the best design. *shrug* There are lots of different people, and everyone has their own favorite.
 
I really like the "manual of arms" for the PPK. I think it is the best M of A for CCW (despite the fact that I don't generally carry one).

Here's why.

You can apply the safety on an empty pistol. Insert loaded mag, rack the slide (pointing in a safe direction). The hammer flollows the slide down. Top off mag as needed. You now have safety on, hammer down but blocked from firing pin, and a loaded chamber and mag. A very safe condition.

To put the pistol in operation, you draw, flick off the safety as you draw, and make the first shot DA.

The advantage over DAO: you have a safety on. If the trigger accidentally snags or gets operated, the safety will (should) protect from discharge. In a DAO, if the trigger is moved, the gun will fire. That's the one concern I have over Glocks.

The advantage over SA: if the safety is acidentally swiped off, you have a hard DA trigger pull to overcome before an ND. In a SA pistol, if the safety is acidentally removed, little pressure on the trigger will cause a discharge.

Safer on both counts.

The disadvantage over DAO: you have to remove the safety before firing. Training.

The disadvantage over SA: the hard DA first shot. In a defensive situation, the difference between DA and SA shouldn't affect your POA that much. If the first shot is at 25 yards, then thumb cock.

So why don't I carry my PPK (clone)? Because my P-11 carries 3 more rounds of a bigger caliber in a shorter, lighter package. But I wish the P-11 had a safety and a M of A like the PPK.
 
Had a PPK .380 in stainless. Beautiful gun and a real sweetheart. Totally reliable as well. It never bit me, but I was always careful to keep the meat out of the slicer.

But best design? Hardly. It's got a blow back action instead of a locked breech design. That does allow it to have its beautiful lines, but that's the only plus of a blow back action.

Since it had so much eye and snob appeal, it was worth more to somebody else than to me. :) That's also why I won't hesitate for a second to get another one at the right price. :D
 
The PP/PPK has drawbacks, including the one mentioned for some folks with oversize hands, but a good one (not U.S. made) is a joy to shoot and extremely accurate for a pocket pistol.

Still, it is well to remember that it was designed around .32 ACP FMJ, with .380 added mainly for the U.S. market. In the former caliber, it is a good gun. The caliber is another story. There are now some 9x19 pistols smaller than the PP, but they are not all good, and some, though roughly the same in profile, are thicker and heavier.

The Makarov is a "copy" of the PP only in very general appearance; it is larger and has an entirely different internal design.

Jim
 
Well I guess I lucked out when I purchased my PPKS(380) in 1972. I've fired lots of rounds, solids, hollow points and what ever with out jams. Never been cut by the slide. Accuracy is dead on at 15 yards, 2 inch groups. Shoots good, looks good, comfortable to have on ones person. Has served me well for the last 30 years of legal concealed carry. But I'm just a old guy who has never held a Glock let alone shot one so what do I know.
 
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