Walther PP Vs Manurhin PP

Mine is an Austrian Police trade-in.



And I can't find anything to disparage when compared to my Walther built pistols.

Manuhrin made all the Walther PP/PPK's from post WWII due to restrictions on German firearm capabilities, until about 1985 when a dispute between Manuhrin being able to make the handguns under theri own name caused Walther to end the arrangement. Laws differ on the Continent from US regulations regarding marking where guns are made, which is why the Manuhrin made guns could be marked and sold as Walther and Made in Germany.

I deliberately sought out a Manurhin-produced PP in 2022 because I wanted a good shooting example of this gun in .32 at a lower price than Ulm or Zella-Mehlis marked examples currently sell for. The French-made guns command lower prices because Americans associate Walther with Germany and somehow think Manurhin guns are just ersatz knockoffs rather than licensed production. After 1956, Manurhin guns were marked with the Walther banner.

The pre-war and wartime examples may have history on their side, but for me the significant difference between postwar Haut-Rhin and Ulm produced guns are just the markings.

Personally, when I think of Manurhin I see the MR-73 in my mind's eye, arguably the finest and most durable revolver in the world. I want one of those!

whatnickname said:

I never knew that. Kind of similar to the Browning Hi-Powers that were made in Belgium, assembled in Portugal but never marked as such. Years later the Hi-Powers that were marked “Assembled in Portugal” hurt the value of the Hi-Power. I would lIke to know more about the reasons for these changes.

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It wasn't just regulatory- much of Walther's production tooling ended up on the Soviet side of the Wall.

Manurhin would do the forging and base machining in France, then the German branded guns would get shipped across the border for heat-treating, finishing, and assembly- thus allowing them to be marked "Made in Germany." The postwar P1/P38s were also done this way.

I've had both and the quality of the Manurhin finished guns was every bit as good as the Walther-branded examples.

Dave DeLaurant said:

I deliberately sought out a Manurhin-produced PP in 2022 because I wanted a good shooting example of this gun in .32 at a lower price than Ulm or Zella-Mehlis marked examples currently sell for. The French-made guns command lower prices because Americans associate Walther with Germany and somehow think Manurhin guns are just ersatz knockoffs rather than licensed production. After 1956, Manurhin guns were marked with the Walther banner.

The pre-war and wartime have history on their side, but for me the significant difference between postwar Haut-Rhin and Ulm produced guns are just the markings.

Personally, when I think of Manurhin I see the MR-73 in my mind's eye, arguably the finest and most durable revolver in the world. I want one of those!

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When I tried to sell my Manurhin-marked PP, I had a hard time even getting vendors at the show to look at it- no James Bond sex appeal.

A dedicated Walther collector finally took it off my hands for slightly less than I paid for it. He said the same thing- no resale value.

Ironically, it was a more genuine PP than my Interarms/ Ranger gun that got snapped up in a heartbeat....

Honestly, despite their build quality and history, Im not a fan. Mine were snappy, unreliable little beasties. Pretty, but not for me.

I have always wanted a Walther PP. They were always been above my price range. When these 32 FEGs were imported a couple years ago, I picked one up. I put in a wolff spring kit and a used set of Marschal grips and haven't been looking for a real PP in a while. This thread unfortunately my rekindle my searching.

I owned a ppk 380 in the 90s... nasty little thing that recoiled more than it needed to and was only reliable with fmj.

I now own a pp 32. It was a German police trade in, built in the late 60s. Nice gun but of course the sights aren't worth a flip.

I was amazed that the Polizei carried 32 autos until the 1980s. Even the Military Police carried P 1s back then. I have a Manchurian in 22 which shoots pretty well but is still way too heavy to carry. It’s got all that weight to appease the 1968 Leftist law I’ ll stick with my LCP 380 …….

Like new in the box!
I had a Walther stainless and a SW version. This is as good or better than those.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Honestly, despite their build quality and history, Im not a fan. Mine were snappy, unreliable little beasties. Pretty, but not for me.

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Of the three new German 7.65 pre-WWII pistol designs I have always found the Walther PP series the very bottom of the pack and the JP Sauer & Sohns 38h by far the best. The third of the designs was the Mauser HSc and honestly I prefer the Mauser 1919 design.

Had the HsC in .380 (dreadful garbage), and a Walther Model 4 in .32 (crude and delicate), as well as the Colt 1903 and 1908 (jam-o-matics).
The best of that bunch Ive tried are the Remington M51 and my Dad's.32 Ruby.

Would like to shoot a 38H someday though.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Had the HsC in .380 (dreadful garbage), and a Walther Model 4 in .32 (crude and delicate), as well as the Colt 1903 and 1908 (jam-o-matics).
The best of that bunch Ive tried are the Remington M51 and my Dad's.32 Ruby.

Would like to shoot a 38H someday though.

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I really like my Model 4 and haven't found it delicate. The bayonet slide extension is kinda strange but works and sure was cheaper and more efficient than milling a another slide. Actually it's one that does get to go WalkAbout more than its fair share.

jar said:

I really like my Model 4 and haven't found it delicate. The bayonet slide extension is kinda strange but works and sure was cheaper and more efficient than milling a another slide. Actually it's one that does get to go WalkAbout more than its fair share.

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On mine, the trigger bar/ disconnector spring broke and the barrel pin started wobbling around in its hole, causing a loose barrel. I had to make a new spring from piano wire and drill the frame/barrel for a larger roll-pin. Worked fine, but I kinda lost faith in the gun after all that.

To be fair, Bubba had used it as a tack-hammer some time in the distant past and it was still a reliable feeder despite the issues.

I've a PP police trade in,feeds hollow points no problem.
Bought it in the eary/mid 80s paid $ 200 for it and I'm still kicking myself for not buying 2,came in factory box,manual,holster and 2 magazines.

Bullet Bob said:

Manuhrin made all the Walther PP/PPK's from post WWII due to restrictions on German firearm capabilities

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Not quite all of them.



On the other side of the Iron Curtain, after the Americans pulled out of the area to turn contol over to the Soviets, the East Germans made some for VoPo use.
I imagine the non-standard com-bloc caliber led them to start making Makarovs instead.

JT