Interarms walther ppk:your experiances?

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megatronrules

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I'll be picking up my walther ppk this coming week and it turns out it is a change over model made by S&W from interarms parts in 2000,with the gun and parts comeing from interarms in blackcreek,AL. According to S&W. Now I've heard that these guns' frame and slide are cast and not milled or forged is this true? i've also heard that the castings are done by ruger which I don't see how this can be a bad thing if its true anyone know if it is?

So I would like to get your experiances on the interatms made guns? I've read some bad but also alot of good about these guns here and elsewhere our own ala dan has nothing but praise for his interarms ppk. I know any gunmaker can make a lemon but I can't help but think that the ppk has ben the victim of a few bad owner experiances that have been told and then retold word of mouth is a powerful thing,kinda like when I was shopping for my first 1911. I heard "don't buy one the a jamomatic p.o.s." but here I am on 1911 number four and nothing but reliability with all four.

Its known fact that alot of handgun malfunctions are/can be shooter induced limp wristing is one example. Also being the ppk is small and blowback design it may be even more prone to these kinds of things,also ammo can be a factor also maybe these ppk's like hotter ammo maybe? I know my dad's interarms ppk needed a break in before it was 100% and its been fine ever since though I don't know how many rounds I lost count by now. All I'am trying to do is gauge owner's experiances with these guns and why you like/don't like them thanks.
 
No problem over the years....

I've owned a wide variety of PP/PPK/PPKs flavorings and can't remember any centerfire model that gave any particular sort of problem.

I do have a PP .22LR that will only feed non-HP rounds but except for that it's been 100% reliable with anything else. A couple pistolsmiths have said they can recontour the feedramp but I haven't taken the time or money to have it done. Actually it seems that a different follower in the mags would solve the problem.

Being a blowback design some folks find the .380 version a bit snappy. The best balance for recoil and fast second shots is one in .32ACP but a lot of people find the round too small for SD.

Traditionally these pistols have been made for FMJ only but I haven't found that to be the case. Some SP-HP design might be out there that won't run in the design but I've yet to encounter such a beast.

Good, used PP's in .32 can be had from www.centerfiresystems.com starting @ $215. They're excellent, accurate shooters for the money and run on any type ammo although the sights seem to be regulated with standard 71grn. FMJ.
 
My Interarms Walther PPK is an excellent little gun. After buying it—the only gun I've ever bought because it was irresistably cute—I discovered lots of other owners had all manner of problems with theirs. It's surprisingly accurate. It's been entirely reliable. I carry it when I'm facing extended periods of time in my dentist's chair.
 
My recent experience was it was a jam o matic. If perfectly clean, I would get two magazines to shot and after that about 3 or 4 jams per mag. I shot Winchester, UMC and Federal 95 grain fmj. A gun this expensive should work. I traded it. Byron
 
I don't have a PPK but do have an Interarms PPK/s. It was a jammamatic. Bit me badly a number of times. I modified my grip and patiently continued to feed it ball ammo. Finally, during the last range trip, somewhere between 500 and 600 rounds, it started to run smoothly. Went through the last 50 of the range session with no malfunctions. These are are very accurate. Sights, of course, are horrible, however you can have Novaks fitted to them (Cylinder & Slide does the work). Haven't had the courage to try HPs in it yet, but I'm in no hurry it's not my carry gun.
 
I have a 1971 PPK/S and it has been great. No problems. I can't comment on the reliability of the new ones, but they are nice looking guns.
 
Mine (stainless PPK/S, late 90's vintage) was a POS, couldn't get thru a whole mag w/o a jam. JHP, ball, didn't matter, wouldn't feed anything reliably. Took it back to them 3 times, never ran right. Nasty gun to shoot, slide bites, and trigger guard beats on you. Traded it off for a Beretta 85, very happy with trade. Good luck.
 
Mine is a Interarms PPK/S stainless and is my CCW pistol It eats CorBon HP and Rem GS 102 faster than I can eat M&Ms(I can eat very fast) Ive never had a problem and trust 100%. I have never been bit,almost feel left out.
 
Own a few of them,old ones before WW-2 end great pistols,same ,same for the French and Turk models, early Interarms very nice, after that some quality problems,, all tend to hang up for the first 500 rounds or so,not realy designed with hollow point ammo inmind,

Was a great pistol in its time but has been surpassed by betters, if your looking for a sudo pocket /belt carry pistol look at the small KHAR's in 9mm, much better weapon plus a better round to boot
 
PPK

My PPK is one of the few pistols that has never, never malfunctioned. Ball, + P cor-bon, Glasers, etc., all work just dandy. Its a good thing too as the pistola doesn't have a slide lock. If I were to have a double feed, an extra hand and an empty magazine would be needed to clear a malfunction.

It was modified with bigger front and sights several years ago when my eyesight started going downhill. Some metal was added to the rear to keep from getting the 'slide tracks' that are/were common.


I understand that paticular mod is now being done at the S&W factory now.

salty.
 
I had one for a little while. In fact, it was my second handgun ever after many years of just owning a Beretta 92F. Mine was an Interarms PPK/S bought around 98-99. Considering that I bought the Beretta coincidentally after I saw Lethal Weapon, it wouldn't surprise me if I coincidentally bought the PPK/S after seeing a James Bond film. Not that I'm influenced by these things ;)

I liked the feel of the pistol in my hands ... right up until I shot it. It was just uncomfortable to shoot. Never "bit" me, but the recoil was so snappy that after a mag or two I just didn't want to shoot it anymore. I recently bought a double-stack Russian Makarov that feels the same way.

Also, I got a lot of FTF jams (like one or two per magazine). Several friends that tried shooting it had the same problem. Talked to a few range gunsmiths that said these pistols just needed around 1000 rounds to break in. Figuring how much I disliked shooting it to begin with, I figured it would take a couple years to break it in. I eventually traded it towards a Beretta 84FS which although much bulkier, it was nicer to shoot and didn't have any feeding problems.

It looks like you've already done some good research on these. I would say that if you like shooting it, but have some feeding issues, you might just need to give it a good break-in.

LL
 
I had a Beretta 84FS. Exceptional handgun. I don't think it ever jammed. Far superior to Walther PPK/s that I bought from my father a few years after I foolishly sold my 84 to a friend. I've longed for another 84, but these things are as expensive as most 9mms.
 
Mine has always worked fine

I have a blue Interarms PPK .380 that I bought used about 4 years ago. I have put maybe 300-400 rounds of assorted FMJ and HP ammo through it, and it has never jammed. The gun has a small grip and small sights, so it isn't the easiest thing to shoot, but it is the thinnest gun I have, and can be concealed very easily IWB.
 
I bought my Interarms PPK .380 used at a gunshow, so I don't know its history. I bought it because it had a very good trigger for a PPK. It proved to be very accurate, totally reliable and a fun gun to shoot. Sure it bites my hand a bit, but that's the nature of the beast. I have since had it tweaked a bit by a good gunsmith and it is even better! If I can't carry my Walther P5 or Yost Officer's ACP, the PPK rides in my right front pocket loaded with .380 Gold Dots. Hey, it's not a .45, but it beats a sharp stick or a rock!
 
The frames and other small parts on the Interarms-made PPK/S pistols are investment cast, and it's easy to see so if one removes the grip panels from the frame. The slide may be too, but I cannot confirm that. I also cannot confirm that S&W uses the same methods, but I would bet that they do.

Reliability issues not withstanding for some owners, the PPK/S as delivered from Interarms (and probably S&W) is a well built pistol that should last thousands of rounds. As to why some are such lemons, I cannot say, as mine has always been a perfect performer (bought in about 1990).
 
NEW PPK IS TERRIBLE!

I bought the PPK new on 12.22.06, gave it a light cleaning, took it to the range and then it all went downhill. After 10 rounds it stove piped, after 30 rounds it stove piped again and then at around 50 the gun broke! The hammer was stuck in the cocked position. I tried to field strip the gun, but holy crap that was difficult and I couldn't see anything wrong with it beyond the fact that the the hammer was stuck in the cocked position. I brought it back to the dealer who tried his best to solve the problem but ultimately he came to the same conclusion saying "this sucks". I was able to exchange the PPK for something else so I made out ok. I started researching the PPK a little more after I had these problems and found many people complaining about jamming and the difficulty field stripping it. I could go on, but I am just saying my experience was less than quality.
 
ppk

I've owned a blued interarms ppk/s in the past (1988-1993) with hundreds of rounds through it...no problems.

Recently purchased another (used interarms stainless ppk). Hundreds of rounds... no issues.

I love mine.
 
I had a SS .32 in the late 70's, it was an odd gun, would shoot say about 150 rounds, then jam repeatedly for a while, then be ok again. It just seemed to be extremely picky on ammo, as two gunsmiths found no problems. The first one couldn't get it to do anything wrong, but the second one shook his head and gave up after spending a lot of time trying to find a probem. I traded it for a NIB Browning BDA 380. I loved that gun, it was perfect!
 
Feeding issues were normal with mine.

The day after it fed a round and got it turned backwards in the chamber is the day I got rid of it.

Bob
 
I've had my PPK/S for at least a decade, never had a problem. I've got one original mag and two more Mec-Gar mags, no problems with any of them. Based on my experience with my PPK/S I've been looking for the right P5 and I would buy a P99 if it came in .45 in an instant. I know the licensed S&W version does, but I'm not interested. S&W changed just enough to screw it up IMHO.
 
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