Walther PPK/S: Top Gun or Too Tiny For CCW?

E

Elfuego Baca

Inactive
I'm considering buying a Stainless Steel Walther PPK/S in .380 caliber.

Would use it as CCW.

Anybody have any interesting input about this gun?

And is the .32 caliber version of the PPK/S too underpowered to be used for CCW? Considering getting one for my wife & figured .32 caliber may be easier to shoot for her.



Thanks,
Elfuego Baca
 
The PPK/S .380 is an outstanding pistol, beautiful, extremely well made, and highly regarded.

BUT:
The DA trigger pull is 19.5 pounds!
Racking the slide against the 20 pound recoil spring is difficult.
Cocking the hammer against the 19.5 pound trigger spring is difficult.
Unless you carry or store it cocked with one in the pipe, your first shot is probably going to be wild, which the PPK manual says in different words.
The slide can bite you if you're not careful how you hold it when firing.

Bottom line: there are better CCW choices, not to mention that the 9mm Kurz (9 x 17, or .380 ACP) is a little anemic.

I had a PPK that I replaced the hammer and recoil springs on, which reduced the DA trigger pull to 13# and the racking force to 14# (from Wolff @ gunsprings.com). Made the pistol a real sweetheart, but still beyond my wife's ability to do the drill with it.

The .32 doesn't solve the main problems, and, IMO, there's nothing wrong with a .32 or .380, but first things first. You have to be able to manipulate the pistol and place your first shot accurately.

You'll be happy to own a PPK/S, but you won't be very happy with it for the purposes you want it.

In this class of pistol, I'd suggest you look at a Kahr K9 in stainless. They're sweethearts, adequate cartridge, manageable trigger and slide, and I'm sure your wife can handle it! She may also like a Kel-Tec P32 if you want a .32 that's small and light, very light. The P32 is not available in stainless, but they're 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a PPK, new, and with a lifetime warranty.

The Kahrs and P32s are pistols that you'll want to shoot enough to get proficient with them. IMO, that won't be the case with PPKs.
 
I gotta agree on the Kahr ... an MK9 is PPK sized but the full 9mm Luger power beats the PPK hands down (with a nice trigger and managable slide to boot).

I guess I'll do it before a dozen or so other people do, but you might also look at the Makarov ... it's inexpensive and should outperform a PPK in most every way (plus it looks sort of PPKish).

Only problem with the Mak is they don't come in stainless (although I'm kicking around the idea of having mine hard chromed).
 
I have large hands and the damn slide kept catching me. It was not fun to shoot! The Kel-Tec P32 doesn't bite but it is a pain trying to get a hold of the darned thing. Every time I fire it wants to jump from my hand. Can't get a decent grip on it.
 
I have bigger hands then most average adult males gorillas, and I love my Walther PPK/S. It has never bit me and has been reliable and fun to shoot. You must have your hands on a really bad one if your DA trigger is close to 20lbs. Mine is not near that heavy and the slide racks just as easy as any handgun I have owned. Several people I talk to on a daily basis that have shot/owned almost every make and model of firearm LOVE the PPK in .32. They seem to be in agreement it is the best .32 on the market.... And this was when I was asking about a Seecamp. Yes, they agreed Seecamp was much easier to carry, but they all think the Walther is a better gun. In a good IWB holster, a Walther will serve you well as a carry gun. Are there other options out there? Of course, but you asked specifically about the Walther, so I won't throw out other makers who make a "better" gun for CCW. Good, Better, Best is all personal preference. If anything was truely the best, then buying up all these guns wouldn't be near as much fun. We have to convince ourselves to keep looking for "the best" even though it is not out there. It gives us an excuse to keep buying more guns.

JR
 
I am not sure that a Kahr is the proper weapon for the inexperienced. It has no safety. You must be aware to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.

Think about it.

PigPen
 
There are some clones of the PPK that may be more reliable and/or more accurate at a lower price. FEG SMC-380, Bersa Thunder, etc. And Makarov.

If you just want the function, take a look at them. They are good carry pieces. If you want the real thing, that's fine, too. .380 ACP is a lot closer to the power of a 9mm than the .32 is.
 
I haven't

been in contact with the Kahr. Have examined the KelTec. Personally, I'd take the Walther in .380. But then, I have a weakness for Walthers. I like the PPK/S for three reasons over other guns for this purpose:

1. It feels good in my hand. When I hold one, it fits me, not the other way around.

2. Stainless is great for carry. Low maintenance, and it is a bit more visible than the same weapon in blue steel (although aesthetically, I admit the blue is prettier). Sturdy and well constructed.

3. For it's size, it is fairly flat, and thus I can carry it in my preferred manner (Mexican), but it will also fit in my hip pocket, coat pocket, etc. Maybe someday I'll get an IWB.

In short, I (would) carry the Walther over many others simply because I like it, it's reliable, and I shoot it well enough to have confidence in me/it.

Now, being a certifiable gun-hog, I might pick up something else, given that I might like the Kahr. Did I mention I like the hammer exposed? I don't recall if the Kahr has this. That's one reason I stick to 1911's and Sigs in larger pistols, and don't own a Glock.

The Keltec was a cute little item, but appeared a bit on the cheap side. Dont get me wrong. Heck, I have a Beretta M21. An ok little piece, but honestly a bit on the tinny side. (It's the only semi-auto I've found that my bride can get the slide back on properly. She has some physical problems with this). Her strategy is to empty it while going for the 870.

Looking back over this, it occurred to me that, given where I live, I don't carry anymore, I might not carry any of these if I ever move again to a state that allows it. I have a Sig P245 now, and why in the heck would I be under-gunned? I DO need a holster.
 
Nifer,

If your PPK/S .380 doesn't have about a 19.5# DA trigger and the slide isn't hard for a 115# woman to rack, then either somebody's already replaced the factory springs or they're "worn" out. PPKs are selective about who they bite -- depends on hand confirmation rather than size.

As heavy as it was, the factory recoil spring was about 2" shorter than the replacement. Because of the blowback action, PPKs have heavier recoil springs to tame it a bit. The tradeoff in going to a lighter spring for easier racking is that recol is worse, but not much. The hammer spring was about 3/8" shorter than the lighter replacement. After testing with the new springs and measuring the resultant primer indentation, there's not one reason I can think of as to why the DA trigger was designed to be so heavy!

After tuning it up with new, lighter springs and a heap of TLC, that PPK turned out to be a really nice sweetheart but much more valuable to somebody else than to me.
 
The odds of getting a great Walther arnt as good as getting a great FEG for alot less money. Or go with the Kahr K/MK9-40.
Walther 32 is just too big of a gun for such a small caliber, get
a 380 minimum.

shoot well
 
I have not had good luck with the Walther PP series guns. Mine jammed a lot. They bit my hand too (another gorilla). The DA pull is heavy. But they ARE extremely accurate for a 380. For their weight and size I would rather have the little Kahr or a Glock 26.
 
I am not sure that a Kahr is the proper weapon for the inexperienced. It has no safety. You must be aware to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
Click to expand...

Until a person masters this basic safety precaution they should not own or even pick up any firearm! :(
 
I must agree with Dave R.

Walther clones are probably better than Walthers the way most IBM clones are better than IBMs. Give Bersa, SIG, and Makarov a thought. All of them are good guns with a solid reputation for accuracy and reliablility.

As far as the caliber, .380 is about as wimpy a round as most experts will dare suggest. Anything under that will only make the attacker madder than a hornet's nest---unless, of course, your placement is as good as 007's :D

I have a Bersa Thunder 380 (a backup for my primary CZ-75 PCR in 9mm). I keep it snuff with Federal Hydra-Shoks.
 
OK. I know that I'm i newbie to this forum but a PPK was my first gun and I would never be without it.

I like the safety idea. Guns this small tend to be put in pockets often without holsters. Nice. heavy, double action first shot makes the lawyers happy.Mine is the 6+1 version (non s) to keep the size down. Since most confrontations are ended inside of three rounds fired I feel this is adequate. Also the fixed barrel seems very accurate.

My very first shot with this gun stovepiped due to limp wristing. Once I learned how to shoot, it stopped stovepiping. I initially had problems stuffing hollow points into the chamber. This was cleared up with a little polishing of the feed ramp.

IMHO, .380 is fine for CCW. I tried to get several big bore friends to take a round for the purpose of testing. No takers to date!

If you want a classy, stainless, small and very safe CCW pistol then the PPK is it.
 
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