Has anyone seen (in person) the new Walther PK380?

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Handled one (maybe that one). Yes, felt slightly heavier than P22, slightly larger (in a good way) and didn't feel like it was made out of pot metal.
 
PK380: I had it in my hand. The slide is steel, with Browning-style tilting barrel.


However. this gun is where I can't find reason to make. Thicker than a 9 mm Luger Walther PPS, and the ammo is only cca. 60% as powerful.

And the worst part: there is NO DECOCKER!!! A Walther!!! From the company, who started it all in 1929!:what:
 
Thicker than a 9 mm Luger Walther PPS, and the ammo is only cca. 60% as powerful.
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I noticed that as well. The pk380 is expected to be cheaper than a PPS, but you would end up losing money in the long run with the higher price for .380 compared to 9mm.
I don't see why Walther is shoving two guns into the same marketing niche when one is so obviously superior.
 
Looking for a good carry gun for my wife. I taught her initially on the P22 and she just loves the ergonomics and feel of it. Hopefully the PK380 will fit the bill.
 
I'm also waiting for this to come out. My wife shoots the P22 all the time and has gotten fairly good with it. This gun would be a perfect upgrade for her.
 
clemsonu0219 and WoofersInc the P22 is a scaled-down trainer for the P99, have you looked into the P99 or P99c (Or the PPS, even?)
They have similar controls, are chambered in easier to find and more powerful cartridges, and actually exist right now!
 
However. this gun is where I can't find reason to make. Thicker than a 9 mm Luger Walther PPS, and the ammo is only cca. 60% as powerful.
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That is exactly how I see it. I think Walther made it because they could, or they wanted to jump on the recent .380 bandwagon. But, in their PPS they already have a superior gun that fits the bill that fires a superior round at or near the same size and capacity. I'm consfused as to why anyone would want to fire a .380 rather than a 9mm out of comparable platforms.

And, if you read the review in G&A Handguns, there were some troubling aspects of the gun including a major malfunction due to a recoil spring problem. The reviewer tried to play it in a sort of postive light, but having a gun that needs a key to field strip is troubling to me. It seems their lock mechanism precludes field stripping the gun unless it is engaged, and that requires a tool. This gun tempted me only as someone who owns and shoots several Walthers, but I think that one disqualifies the gun from ownership for me. Add to that the hokey screw holding on the safety and I'll probably be passing on this one.

The one and only single advantage that I can see for this gun is that it is traditional hammer fored DA/SA, but as noted by the reviewer a decocker safety would have been far more desirable.
 
I guess I must be really missing something here. If the gun was for me, by all means, I would want it in a 9mm more than likely. However, the gun will be a carry gun for my wife. Now, I realize that there isn't a significant difference in recoil or weight b/w 9mm and .380; however, there is a difference.

But the biggest difference I have seen so far b/w the PK380 and... say the PPS is about $300. B/w the PK380 and the P99... more than that. The PPK another $200.

I realize that .380 is difficult to find and almost unattainable, but I do have some on hand. I will not be pushing 1,000's of rounds through the gun... I will simply let my wife get used to it and run about 100 through to make sure there aren't any malfunctions.

And, if you read the review in G&A Handguns, there were some troubling aspects of the gun including a major malfunction due to a recoil spring problem. The reviewer tried to play it in a sort of postive light, but having a gun that needs a key to field strip is troubling to me. It seems their lock mechanism precludes field stripping the gun unless it is engaged, and that requires a tool. This gun tempted me only as someone who owns and shoots several Walthers, but I think that one disqualifies the gun from ownership for me. Add to that the hokey screw holding on the safety and I'll probably be passing on this one.
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Now this ^ is a real concern for me. But overall, there is a huge price difference in the PK380 and other similar weapons from Walther... or, again, am I missing something?
 
I have never understood why folks chose the .380 round for women. I have always found the .380 to be rather snappy and at times downright unpleasant. It depends on the pistol, and I have not fired the PK380, but I find it hard to beat the PPS in 9mm. And, in the end, we'll have to see what the price difference really is between a PK380 and the PPS, especially a used PPS, which is how I bought my 9mm. And then, as has been pointed out, you take the price difference for ammo, and availablity (which admittedly should only be temporary) and the PPS is the more economical choice. .380 has never been cheap.

Again, in the long run, the PPS is a superior choice and the PK380 only fills a need that has already been filled, and filled by a better choice.
 
Storm... I see where you are coming from.

I'm sure it depends on the gun as far as .380 goes. My Sig P232 fires almost perfect each and every time. I have owned some in the past that are 'snappy' but I've also had some 9mm that have done it.
 
I will simply let my wife get used to it and run about 100 through to make sure there aren't any malfunctions.
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I would strongly consider passing far more rounds through the gun than that before depending on it. I would recommend that with any gun, but especially with a brand new design that has just hit the market. The gun will have zero track record with no prior history on which to depend on in making an assessment as to whether the gun will be reliable. Heck, in the one review that I read the reviewer had to suspend his test shoot because of the recoil spring problem. More and more we are seeing guns hit the market that need de-bugging, so now, more than ever, with new designs I would argue that passing as many rounds as possible becomes absolutely necessary.
 
I like the P22 for what it is, a small calibre pocket sized plinker that can be used as a trainer for larger pistols or pressed into self defense when nothing better's available. I love the ergonomics of it. I'm not sure where the PK380 fits in the scheme of things, but I like the looks of it. I'll be interested in handling one. From the G&A report there are some aspects of the gun that give me pause, however.
 
Storm... I see where you are coming from.

I'm sure it depends on the gun as far as .380 goes. My Sig P232 fires almost perfect each and every time. I have owned some in the past that are 'snappy' but I've also had some 9mm that have done it.
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I agree. I found the Kel Tec PF-9 to be much more of a handful than the PPS, but still not too bad, and in any event I find the PPS to be smoother than my PPK. My SIG P232 fires perfectly as well, but the 232/230 has been around for decades and is very well proven with an outstanding reputation that precedes it. The PK380 is nothing but a big question mark. And, given the choice, I'd err on the side of the larger caliber 9mm.

As to the PK380, I'd really like to find the need for this pistol other than the enjoyment of owning it as I do find it to be desirable as a Walther shooter/collector. Is there something I'm missing here? (heck, I might get one anyway :))

At the outdoor range that I shoot at the range officer and I were commenting on some rather remarkable groups with the PPS at 31 yards. He commented that they were pretty typical, and that lots of LEOs that shot there were buying their wives the PPS and were then also buying them for themselves. That says a lot to me.

I'd also add, and this is not aimed at anyone in particualar as I know nothing of their wive's or sig other's shooting experience, but, I know from experience that racking a slide can be an issue for some women shooters, and I would look at this aspect as well if appropriate.
 
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racking a slide can be an issue for some women shooters, and I would look at this aspect as well if appropriate
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This is very true. Its very difficult for my wife to rack many of my 1911's. Obviously, the P22 is easy for her (its a .22 :) ). Just getting the gun, putting it in her hand, and all that good stuff will have a lot to do with the purchase. I do not like the bad things I'm hearing about the PK380....If Guns & Ammo found that many issues with it, I think I'm going to have to see what happens down the road.

Honestly I'm considering looking into getting her a Glock 26 or something along those lines. Will be slightly thicker than most .380's, but everyone is right I think 9mm is a better round. FWIW I would definitely get the Glock 26 (9mm) over the 28 (.380).
 
Seems like a lot of speculation and bother here until we are able to actually get our hands on one and take it to the range and give it a try and pump some rounds through it for ourselves.

No question the .380 ACP round is not ideal. No question that the overall availability of .380 ammo right now is a huge issue for anyone contemplating the purchase of this gun. No question the PPS is a difficult concealed carry to beat, its price notwithstanding. No question that Umarex/Walther's spotty track record with the P22 brings some troubling issues to mind. No question that the exterior screw holding on the safety raises a few eyebrows, mine included. But until we actually get our hands on one and then shoot the thing, we can speculate all we want and won't prove or disprove a thing, try as we might.

Of course, it is fun to speculate a bit, I guess.

By the way, Walther initially announced that the PK380 would be available in March. They've pushed the release back to "sometime in July." If you judge them from the record they provided in releasing the PPS a couple of years back, we might not see this one until a couple of months after July, and then in maddeningly short supplies at that.
 
While I agree that there ia a good amount of speculation here, what isn't speculative are the issues of caliber, sized and capacity, and those to me are the most questionable aspects of the pistol. Those issues stand whether the gun is in hand or whether the gun is months off.

I had similar reservations early on as to the PPS but today consider it to be one of the finest pistols ever produced. I hope that is the case with the 380.
 
I certainly agree on the worth of the PPS, Storm. It's a fine concealed carry pistol, indeed: dependable, accurate, and with some punch in the rounds it accepts. And like you, I guess, I'm skeptical about the overall value of the PK380, other than as a potential training gun for the P99, which is silly on the face of it. Why, after all, shoot .380 rounds (if and when you can find them) when you can shoot the real deal (9mm) in a real gun (P99) for a whole lot less money?

I think the PK380 will be a curiosity point for Walther fans: Get one or your collection isn't complete. Beyond that, I doubt that it will see much carry time, unless you want to trade up from your P22 (and if you are carrying a P22, you should trade up to ... something). I also doubt that it will see much range time, either.

Then again, who can say for sure until we get our hands on one and make a determination based on what the gun actually offers and not what we think the gun actually offers?
 
Hey Searcher, I completely agree and can't wait to paw one. There are already some things that I'm liking about it. The G&A reviewer said that the recoil was very light, and that sounds good to me. And, from the photos it looks like it is a more solid gun than the P22 and looks less toy-like. Hopefully they will do something about the safety screws. They are quaint on 2nd Gen Smiths but are way out of place on the PK.

I agree that the gun will be attractive to Walther collectors. I guess I had better start budgeting one.

Also, if that's true about the recoil they may be a viable choice for some women shooters, as has been discussed.

I never thought that the PPS would have a place with the P99C already there, but I'm ready to be wrong again. I'm having similar difficulties with the SIG 238 and 232.
 
Still no word on when it will be available? Does any one know if it has a slide stop? It does not look like it does, how ever it may be internal. The only thing I currently do not like about it is the need to use the lock key for field stripping.
 
This is the pistol we are talking about for those who have not seen it.
WAP40001_large.jpg

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...ategory_rn=43326&top_category=43326&training=
 
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My wife and I each have a later-production P22 and they seem to work quite well. They've each fired hundreds of rounds without problem (other than some cheap ammo). Considering that Walther apparently corrected some of the issues encountered on early-production P22s, I would imagine they're looking at the problems found by the G&A reviewer. Perhaps that's the reason for the delay in shipping the PK380.

I am interested in the PK380 because I would like to get a self-defense pistol for my wife. Because she has small hands, she has trouble with larger pistols like my FNP-9, but she loves her P22. If the PK380 does come out with a MSRP of $362.00 as announced, it seems like it would be an economical .380 for my wife to carry. It's a lot less than the $660.00 for the basic blued SIG P232 or $605.00 for the PPK/S and it's cheaper than a Ruger SP101, J-frame S&W 60-15, Charter Arms or Taurus .38.

Of course, if the guns that are shipped still have significant problems, I have no problem with the SIG or the PPK/S (she's worth the extra cost).
 
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