walther ppk/ppks

W

William V

New member
hello everyone!

i plan to get an american walther ppk/s for my next gun. any opinion about this pistol? how does it compare to the german made ppk? also, does anyone know the last year of production of the german made ppk?

your inputs will be highly appreciated
 
I bet that you get a lot of comments on this one. I have an American PPK/s and it works fine with European or hot American ammo. If you have big or fleshy hands, it will slice them up.
 
Yeah, maxwayne is correct, you will definitely get comments. A TFL search will also turn up a lot of related threads.

In the experience of many of people, including me, the American is HIGHLY inferior. Others here have had different experiences, but I wouldn't have an American made one again even if it was given to me. Never, ever. Broken extractors seem to be common, which was my experience after a few hundred rounds. It's a timeless design, and mine (my wife's actually) was accurate and fed everything, but there's no way I'd trust one for defense. I'd buy something else, maybe a Kahr if you want a slim profile. Or, do what the Kentucky State Police did because theirs were unreliable, and dump it for a baby Glock. Or, see if you can find a used German, or maybe a Manhurin. Good luck.
 
I had a stainless PPK/S a while ago, traded it on a Beretta. It was a great little gun! VERY accurate, and the trigger (in single action) was SO light and sweet. It could be picky about ammo.. it usually only liked the 95gr FMJ (it was a .380).

I plan on getting another one for CCW within the next year or so.

M@
 
I am sorry to say that I am in lockstep with everyone else. I borrowed a stainless, American, .380 PPK from a friend for a couple weeks and put it through it's paces. It was not particularly reliable, and it ate the web of my hand alive. I recently bought a German PP. The one with the lanyard ring that is being sold by surplus dealers everywhere. It is in .32 ACP. What a sweet pistol. It has jammed once in 3-4 boxes of ammo. It stovepiped, actually thoough the brass was parallel to the barrel. And the accuracy is great. It shoots about 4 inches high at 25 yards, and shoots very nice groups. The trigger is smooth as silk and actually opened my groups up a little since I had been shooting another gun with a much heavier trigger pull. I think I paid$250 for it.
 
Just cleaned it up so I took some pics...

http://www.geocities.com/hannunn/Pics/guns/ppks.jpg (gotta copy and paste because it's geosh*tties)

I like mine because IMHO it's very pretty. Very easily concealable. I like how the trigger breaks. Simple to clean.

Dislike it because it can be picky with ammo, and prefer stuff upwards of 90 gr. I've finally found that it likes S&B and no longer stovepipes every other mag. I've got slender hands for a guy, so the recoil is bearable.

I'd love to get my hands on a German one myself, mine's an Interarms.
 
My advice, find a german one and pay a little more to get a real PPK. I have been through three ppk/american licensced trash, currently have one (the third) that is O.K. so far. ( all in .380)

First one: Stanless steel...after 120 rounds slide stated to expand till it rattled badly, only jamed occasionaly.

Second one: blued, three problems... once a magazine sear/trigger problems would not fire at all, occasionaly the round indicator wopuld pop out an inch (could be pushed back) and once every two mags the slide would not hold back after emptying the mag.

Third one: a factory replacement for the second. So far O.K....now that I think bout' it I'll go out and test it more today. In 350 rounds no jams, problems etc.

Before I would buy another american "ppk" I would buy a used PP for less money and have a better wepon. (even in .32, at least it should work!)
 
my experiance is just the oposite .i have a stainless ppk/s .after several hundred rounds it became completely and totaly reliable.it will feed HP or ball WITHOUT A HITCH.MY BUDDY BOUGHT A PPK BLUED MADE IN GERMANY AND HAS HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS.IT WILL NOT FEED hp AND HE HAS HAD IT WORKED ON BY AT LEAST 2 DIFFERENT GUNSMITHS.
GET AN AMERICAN ONE IF YOU WANT A DECENT PRICED GUN THAT WORKS.
Also the .32 are by far more reliable than the .380.
somre people say that the 92fs made in italy are better that the american ones also.bull the reason they make them here now is because since thew military has a contract with beretta thy had to be made in this country,.
'
the reason walthrer makes the ppk s here now is because of production costs in germany are very high compare to the united states.otherr wise the guns are of the same quality.
btw i have a east german makarov that is of superior quality to anything walther hmakes or has ever made.
 
It sounds like you have your heart set on a ppk, but, give the makarov a look, better gun overall IMO!
 
If you have big or fleshy hands, it will slice them up.
Click to expand...

DITTO! I bought an American PPK in blue that likes to bite the fat hand that feeds it. But it has been a 100% reliable gun since the first shot and is really more accurate than it needs to be, if that's possible. Nicely finished, but it's too heavy for what it is. I wouldn't buy another one.
 
I looked at and shot a PPK (german one) but decided against it and bought a Makarov, since it was cheaper and not picky about ammo. It has a much rougher finish and doesn't have the cool factor of the PPK (James Bond and all) but it was a bargain for its price. Just my 2c
 
Manufacturing costs have nothing whatsoever to do with the PPK model being made in the US. The only reason PPK's are made in the US is because of the inability of Walther to import the German made PPK ; changes in US law in the '68 gun control act made them too small for import. That's why the PPK/s was invented - put a PPK slide on a PP frame and viola - a legal to import, but bigger, version of the PPK.

There clearly are some quality difference in German vs. US Walthers that are related to the price difference. Take them apart and compare a German with an American Walther side by side, and you'll see the differences immediately: fit, more castings, unpolished casting marks all over the US parts, other finishing, etc. Those are the kinds of things that lead, in part, to lower prices.

The US pistols were never made by Walther per se, as Walther has no manufacturing facilities of its own in the US. They were built by other companies under subcontract from Interarms, first Ranger Mfg and then Emco, (both located in AL and which may or not be related - I don't know). Hopefully, quality will be more consistent with the US Walthers with S&W making them now.
 
DO NOT buy this gun. You will be sorry. I had an American made Walther PPK/s in .380. My Seecamp LWS 32 was easier and more enjoyable to shoot. Too snappy, sharp edges on the backstrap, and prone to jamming. Miniscule sights. Check out Cylinder & Slide to see what kind of improvements they suggest, and check the price list. There's a reason why you see so many of these American Walthers in the used cases at gun shops. I've never had a German Walther, but from what I hear, they're a whole 'nother story ... and more expensive, too.
 
Man, a lot of people sure had some bad experiences with the American made PPKs... Mine was near flawless... I think out of probably 400 rounds total I put through mine, I had like ONE jam. Now, the thing would jam if you had the slide locked back, and tried to ease down while loading from a mag. If you pull it back and let it slam home, it fed fine. Mine was tight, the trigger was crisp, I got probably 4-6" groups at 25 yards, even with the dinky sights. I'd buy one again anyday!

M@
 
well, after reading your comments i guess i'll just look for a german made pp. but i have to say , the ppk/s is really a good looking pistol...too bad.

i'm sure i'm going to have a hard time looking for a german pp but i can wait. i'm also considering the kahr k9. held one about two weeks ago and it felt really good. but a walther is a walther.

thanks guys!
 
I remember when the first American Walther PPK/s's came out. In an "Oh, by the way" matter the gun magazines reported that Walther hadn't made ANY PPK's in Germany since the war. They were all made by Manurhin in France, shipped across the border to Ulm, proofed, boxed, and marked "Made In Germany".
In Europe this is normal practice in manufacuring. The country where the gun is proofed, is considered the country of manufacture.

I had two "Walther" PPK/s .380's and a Manurhin PPK/s .22. All reliable, high quality, and accurate. I had around 3000 rounds through the American stainless. Only traded it when I got a Kahr.

If it cuts your hand, do a carry bevel job, and bevel the rear slide rails.
 
Let me add one more thing. There are a number of .32 Walthers currently available and the prices are very nice. I would recommend that you take a look at one of these.
 
"well, after reading your comments i guess i'll just look for a german made pp. but i have to say , the ppk/s is really a good looking pistol...too bad. i'm sure i'm going to have a hard time looking for a german pp but i can wait"

The German PP is readily available. I look at the sale flyers that my dealer gets and they are in them all. I was just looking at a flyer from SOG (Southern Ohio Guns) yesterday, they had them. Just tell your dealer you want one. I wouldn't pay much more than $300 for one though. Maybe $350.
 
I was taught that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Oh well. American made Walther clones are hit or miss. If you have the patients and are not frustrated easily, you could give one a try.

You could always sell it or trade it later.

The workmanship is not up to Walther Germany's standards. This was a big complain from Germany directed to Interarms. One of the reasons they are not the importer or manufacturer any more.

Interarms was an embarassement and a black eye for Walther.

That is not true that Manuhurin made all of the PP series in France and shipped to Germany for F,F, roll-marking and assembly. It is true that they had manufactured parts until 1986 when their agreement ended. But Walther too was manufacturing the PP series in their own plant and marketing under the Walther banner.

Manhurin was also marketing their licensed models at the same time they were supplying Walther with parts made in France.

German Walthers are now manufactured exclusively in Germany.
 
I too had a bad experience with an Interarms-made PPK/S. I wouldn't buy another one.

My I suggest the Bersa Thunder 380. It's a clone of the PPK/S that's supposed to be pretty good, and it costs less than half of what a new PPK/S costs.

I'm thinking of buying one myself.
 
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