[SBS]

Hello,

I recently purchased a nice 32 ACP Walther PP that appeared to be a typical police trade in gun. It has a lanyard loop and a CAI import stamp on the frame.

However, the slide doesn't have a loaded chamber indicator and was never machined to accept one. Serial number is in the 409,000 range. The slide is marked with the typical Ulm/Do Made in West Germany markings. The slide does not have a stamped serial number. It is etched inside the slide and matches the frame. Proof mark on the chamber hood indicates 1971.

According to Marschall's book the only slides made this way were for the Danish police. He states that 1,500 were made without a loaded chamber indicator. The gun does not have Danish Police markings. It has a round firing pin.

Is this a rarity, oddity or nothing special?
Thanks.
Scott

[Jim K]

It certainly is an oddity, though I have no idea what that translates to in dollars. The CAI mark shows it was not a standard commercial import, but was very likely police surplus. It could well have been made for the Danish (or some other) police and later sold off by them. Not all guns bought by police forces would necessarily be marked; it could have been missed or that batch might never have been issued and so were not marked.

As to why no loaded indicator, I can only guess that the customer wanted to save money and eliminating the extra parts and machining did that.

Jim

[Old Fuff]

.22 Long Rifle model PP's didn't have the loaded chamber indicator, so they were already more-or-less tooled to make some .32 slides the same way. I suspect they made up some extra slides while they were at it, and then used them later on another order. This sort of thing is not unusual among gunmakers, but I think what you have is indeed a rare bird.