Walther PPK/S .22 LR
- Thread starter CZguy
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Just know what you are getting if you are considering a new one. Despite the name on the slide, it's not a Walther. It's made by Umarex and the construction is mostly of potmetal. Not to be confused with the steel Walther .22LR PPKs of yore.
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ColtPythonElite
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My buddy has two. They are not as accurate as a MK Ruger or Browning. Buckmark.
Sam1911
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Big write up on them in the current American Rifleman. Explains who Umarex is and what the guns are made of, etc.
It's probably sitting on your coffee table right now...
It's probably sitting on your coffee table right now...
doubleh
Member
My wife is a PPK fan and is thinking of getting one. I certainly wouldn't expect it to be in the same class accuracy wise as the Ruger and Buckmark. Totally different breed of cat. More like a P22 or SR22. Short sight radius, etc. Not a target gun but a fun gun.
I'm pretty sure the AR article stated the slide is aluminum. Aluminum ain't pot metal.
I'm pretty sure the AR article stated the slide is aluminum. Aluminum ain't pot metal.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Actually, sitting with the article here in my lap, all I can find is "nickle-plated die-cast metal."
The slide is zamak for sure. I think the price is kind of ridiculous when you consider the cost of the build materials.
Jennings and Raven used to make zamak guns for under $100 (still raking in hefty profits) and people called them junk guns. Today Walther makes them from the same thing and lots of people fork over $350+ for the P22 and PPK/S. It is mind boggling to me.
Jennings and Raven used to make zamak guns for under $100 (still raking in hefty profits) and people called them junk guns. Today Walther makes them from the same thing and lots of people fork over $350+ for the P22 and PPK/S. It is mind boggling to me.
weblance
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Regardless of what its made of, Mine is accurate, and reliable. The sights were perfect right out of the box. The barrel is threaded, and uses the same adapter the P22 uses. The Double Action trigger pull is horrible. Single Action is nice, and crisp. Magazines are hard to find. I have close to 2,000 rounds thru mine now, very, very few malfunctions, if any, and I see no signs of wear. Are there better pistols available for the same money? Yes. Have I enjoyed owning, and shooting my Walther/Umarex PPK/S? Yes.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Can plastic? 
All the material needs to do is stand up to the rigors of the job it is assigned to perform. One would imagine that if the die-cast metal Umarex uses in its guns was breaking down under use they would refine the material specified until they didn't have that problem. Very few companies these days can survive if they have to replace too many of their products too often.
You could make a paperclip out of titanium, with a ceramic thin film coating. It would be the best paperclip ever. But that really doesn't help accomplish the task any better and costs a lot.
Building a replica plinker in .22? Hmmmm, well, if it holds up to a decade or more of shooting, who's to complain? You could pay a whole lot more and get one made out of perfectly heat treated alloy steel and it would ... what? Be heavier?
EDIT: Ironically, anti-"pot metal" rules for guns were written as a part of old gun control laws that served mostly to keep cheap (affordable) handguns out of the hands of the lower classes. Just like the "forbidden fruit" proscribed by the NFA, and many other laws around the country, shooters came to accept those laws over time, and even to embrace them. Now a gun made out of a lesser material (low melting point???) is seen as inferior and unworthy, even if it works just fine.
As bad as we all know the Jimmenez/Bryco "ring of fire" guns are, their failures (such as they may be) don't seem to stem at all from what materials they're made of.
All the material needs to do is stand up to the rigors of the job it is assigned to perform. One would imagine that if the die-cast metal Umarex uses in its guns was breaking down under use they would refine the material specified until they didn't have that problem. Very few companies these days can survive if they have to replace too many of their products too often.
You could make a paperclip out of titanium, with a ceramic thin film coating. It would be the best paperclip ever. But that really doesn't help accomplish the task any better and costs a lot.
Building a replica plinker in .22? Hmmmm, well, if it holds up to a decade or more of shooting, who's to complain? You could pay a whole lot more and get one made out of perfectly heat treated alloy steel and it would ... what? Be heavier?
EDIT: Ironically, anti-"pot metal" rules for guns were written as a part of old gun control laws that served mostly to keep cheap (affordable) handguns out of the hands of the lower classes. Just like the "forbidden fruit" proscribed by the NFA, and many other laws around the country, shooters came to accept those laws over time, and even to embrace them. Now a gun made out of a lesser material (low melting point???) is seen as inferior and unworthy, even if it works just fine.
As bad as we all know the Jimmenez/Bryco "ring of fire" guns are, their failures (such as they may be) don't seem to stem at all from what materials they're made of.
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Walther (whose factory is in Ulm, Germany) doesn't make them.
Umarex does (in the Umarex factory in Arnsberg, Germany), and slaps on the Walther name.
The Umarex-made PPK/S is manufactured of Zamak (better known as pot metal), not aluminum. I won't debate the virtues of pot-metal versus steel or aluminum, but considering the price of the Umarex-made PPK/S, one could spend the same amount of money to buy a steel Ruger Mark III or Browning Buck Mark (pistols that will last a lifetime), or an aluminum Ruger SR22.
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I just don't see the point in paying $350 for a zamak gun when you can get one that will last generations under heavy use for the same price made from steel. I've got lots of guns made from zinc alloys but they're all sub $150.
There are lots of Walther P22s and 1911 .22s made from zamak with broken slides all over the web. How many Ruger MK series guns have you seen with catastrophic failures like that?
The point of building a zamak gun is to make cheap guns. When you slap a $400 price tag on a gun made from the same materials Jimenez Arms and Cobra Enterprises build $130 guns out of then the whole benefit is lost. The only ones getting a good deal are manufacturing companies who are selling a decent product for 3x what it is worth without "Walther" or "Sig" stamped on the side.
There are lots of Walther P22s and 1911 .22s made from zamak with broken slides all over the web. How many Ruger MK series guns have you seen with catastrophic failures like that?
The point of building a zamak gun is to make cheap guns. When you slap a $400 price tag on a gun made from the same materials Jimenez Arms and Cobra Enterprises build $130 guns out of then the whole benefit is lost. The only ones getting a good deal are manufacturing companies who are selling a decent product for 3x what it is worth without "Walther" or "Sig" stamped on the side.
sixgunner455
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Friend of mine bought one a few weeks ago. Nickle-plated. Double action trigger is ridiculous. But the single is nice, and it's a fun little .22.
He likes it so much, he turned around and bought a PPK in .380. Much better double-action trigger, and he's probably carrying it right now.
He likes it so much, he turned around and bought a PPK in .380. Much better double-action trigger, and he's probably carrying it right now.
I can take out my Buckmark and outshoot the Walther any day of the week. That doens't make the Walther a bad gun. It means the Buckmark is a good gun. I can buy a new Buckmark for the same money or less but guess what, I didn't want another Buckmark.
The Waalther is in no way a good gun to compare to the Browning or the Ruger but it shoots well, feels good in the hand, and came int he cool pink camo pattern.
The Waalther is in no way a good gun to compare to the Browning or the Ruger but it shoots well, feels good in the hand, and came int he cool pink camo pattern.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Comparing a .22 PPK/s to a Browning Buckmark, or Ruger MK??? is just not even a fair comparison.
They are not the same class of gun in size, weight, or accuracy.
And were not intended to be.
The .22 PPK/s makes a fine understudy if you carry a .380 PPK/s or PPK
If you buy a .22 PPK/s for anything other then it's small hip pocket size, or similarity to your center-fire PPK?
And/or fun plinking change of pace with what used to be cheap .22 ammo capability?
You got your wires crossed on the way to go gun shopping to buy a full size .22 target pistol.
rc
They are not the same class of gun in size, weight, or accuracy.
And were not intended to be.
The .22 PPK/s makes a fine understudy if you carry a .380 PPK/s or PPK
If you buy a .22 PPK/s for anything other then it's small hip pocket size, or similarity to your center-fire PPK?
And/or fun plinking change of pace with what used to be cheap .22 ammo capability?
You got your wires crossed on the way to go gun shopping to buy a full size .22 target pistol.
rc
krupparms
Member
!I have an older PPK/s in .22L.R. & it is very accurate & reliable! It is one of the steel guns made in France & assembled in Germany. Not sure how old it is, but maybe '60's. It is in great shape & I have been offered quite a bit of money for it. When I saw the new ones at the LGS, I could not believe the price for what was a piece of pot metal! I would not sell mine as it is as accurate as my Ruger. The D.A. trigger needs work, but S.A. is as smooth as glass & crisp! Glad I got an old one! And back in 1989,it only cost me $350. I got lucky on that deal. After looking at the new one's, I would not get it. Not at the $500 they were going for! Get a Ruger or a Bersa! Anything but that Walther!
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that was the equivalent of spending $660.14 today.
krupparms
Member
Now I understand why my ex. hit the roof! But I feel I still came out ahead on the deal as I still have the PPK/s & got rid of the wife!
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Wow! You're a living example of the old funny: "I got a gun for my wife...best trade I ever made!"
krupparms
Member
LOL! YOU HIT THAT ON THE HEAD! THANKS that made my day!
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