Need info on the Walther PPK/S.

[rec999allis]

I have always wanted a Walther PPK but I don't know much about them. Dose anyone have any experience with these pistols? Are they a good quality firearm? I would want one in the .380 ACP caliber. I would use as a home defence gun and for target shooting.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I've got 2. One is a Walther PPK pre-war .32 that some knucklehead had refinished (ratherly badly, I must say), thereby turning it into a shooter. The other is an early '90s production Interarms Walther PPK/s in stainless. My PPK/s finally smoothed out and started running properly just recently (to be fair, I only recently passed the requisite 500 round breakin point). This pistol bites me rather badly. I have scars on my hand from where the razorsharp back of the slide caught my hand (this problem is likely solved since S&W introduced a beavertail on the back of the frame). The gun is accurate, fully capable of producing one inch groups at 25 feet (probably longer, but what's the point?). Recoil is a bit more snappy than a comparatively sized locked breach 9mm (remember, the Walther is a straight blowback). Sights are quite adequate for defensive use, but rather poor for the range, with a rather generous rear sight cut that allows for quick acquisition but rather poor precision. I imagine these guns would be fun that would last 100, maybe 200 rounds on a given range day, but fun plinkers, they are not.

My .32 is far more pleasant to shoot than my .380 and every bit as accurate, if not more, than my PPK/s.

Quality? Yes, although workmanship is clearly superior on my nearly 70 year old example vs. my 13 year old. I'll not tell you not to get it, but there are better choices.

Frankly, home defense would be better suited by a midsized 9mm or .40 or a good medium frame .38 or .357 revolver (S&W 10,13,19,65,66, or 686 - all of which are much more pleasant to shoot, with .38s, and are a time honored choice for defensive purposes). You might also try a CZ75. Or, if you really like .380s, try a Beretta 84F or 85F. Operating system is different and felt recoil is much less. Actually pleasant to shoot. Prices on all of these generally do not exceed the cost of a Walther.

 

[STAGE 2]

Personally I don't think that I would use a ppk for home defense if I had any choice in the matter. Both .380 and .32 leave alot to be desired where defensive purposes go. However this isn't about a caliber war and it is about the question you asked so here goes.

I myself am looking to pick up a PPK in .32 as a carry gun. Its extremely concealable and perfect for the purposes I'm looking for. The new walthers are made by smith and wesson and are supposed to be very reliable as opposed to the older interarms walthers which were apparently hit or miss.

These pistols generally tend to prefer some types of ammo over others, however the new walthers are said to feed hollow points reliably. Also I have heard that these types of pistols run better with a decent slathering of oil.

As far as quality goes, I guess thats a matter of personal opinion. There are many pistols just as small as the walther that are very reliable. However most are polymer and I prefer an all steel pistol. Also there arent many mouse guns out there with a traditional DA/SA trigger pull if that is something you prefer as I do. The double action pull in most walthers is very heavy, but the single action isnt to bad.

My advise to you is to find a gunshop and handle one. Find out if it fits your hand. Try and shoot one if you can. I think that S&W has worked out most of the kinks that plagued the old walthers and as a result it seems to be a very good little pistol.

There will be plenty of people that will tell you that the walther is outdated and there are many much smaller pistols that are better. It is true that the walther is an older design, however any pistol that you shoot well isn't outdated.

Just my thoughts, and there are plenty here that have far more knowledge on the subject than I do, so ask some more.

 

[denfoote]

http://waltherforum.com/

http://www.whog.org/

http://p38forum.com/

 

[1 old 0311]

Had a Interarms. Do have a S&W. The S&W is PERFECT, and classy.

Kevin

 

[rec999allis]

I was thinking the same about the fact that a .380 cal. may not be a good choise for home defence. I just really like the PPKs. In that case what are the Walther P99's in the .40 caliber like. I also really like those as well.

 

[Rebel_James]

I had a stainless one made in the USA. Sold it to buy a Glock model 26 in 9mm. I made 50 bucks on the deal!

 

[The Hitman]

The Hitman

The Walther PPK(PolizeiPistoleKriminal) Is A Very High Quality,But This Gun Is Better For BackUp Or CQB.For Home Defense Like The Other Advise You Is Not Preferable.This Gun Has Many Clones Like The Bersa Serie 95,SigSauer P229,American Arms PX-22,Many Of These Gun Are A Little Bit More Big Or Small Than The PPK,But Very Similar To The Walther.

 

[Ala Dan]

We have a stainless Walther PPK .380 that I bought NIB for my
daughter back in 1995; and it has proven too be 100% reliable,
even with all types of JHP ammo. The much sought after German
made Walther's are hard to come by, and kind'a pricey if you can
find one in LNIB condition~!

 

[Murphster]

I have one of the new PPK's (PPK, not PPK/S). It's 100% reliable and much more accurate that it has any right to be. I carry it in my vehicle for personal defense. But. I carry it in the vehicle because the weapon is mighty darn thin and becomes pretty much invisible in a waistband. Its ability to be readily concealed is why I have it. It isn't and never would be my choice for home defense, however. Homes are ready made for larger guns with larger bullets and larger magazine capacities. James Bond slipped his PPK into his cummerbund but I suspect he had a larger hand cannon in his nightstand at home. Regarding target shooting: the new PPK's have a longer tang to prevent slide bite. Mine, as I've indicated before, had a tang with edges sharpened on a razor strop. Twenty rounds left me bleeding. I fixed it (and probably destroyed the resale value) with a Dremel but I can now shoot 50 rounds through it without leaking hemoglobin. At about the 90 round mark, I'll be cut, however. Not to tell you what to do, but based on what you say you want the gun for, you might want to look at some different options.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Had a Interarms. Do have a S&W. The S&W is PERFECT, and classy.

+1 on this. I had and sold an Interarms a while back. Then recently bought the S&W version. The new one is beautiful and doesn't bite.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have a old interarms PPK/S in stainless Its my most carried pistol Relieable.accurate and disappears in my pocket or IWB. I carry loaded with 90gr Corbon. Now I can't understand why its ok to use a PPK/S for SD on street but not at home. DO THE BG'S GET EXTRA TOUGH BREAKING IN? A 380 in doors makes sense to me less noise, muzzle flash, and at room distance the HP hasn't even started to slow up. I say buy one of the new S&W PPK/S since they have the little tang thak keeps from slide bite. I have never had that problem I almost 6'3" and 300 and have never been bit.
Keep clean oiled and use factory mags , You shouldn't have a problem.

Another good 380 PPK/S look alike is the Bersa Thunder at around $225 and word is the new long awaited Bersa Consealed Carry 380 are being shipped today from factory . But I didn't really say that.

 

[Kentak]

I had a Walther PPK/S for a number of years. I eventually sold it at a gun show in order to buy another pistol. Yes, it is a well made firearm.

This is my *opinion.* If you like the PPK/S for it's classic design, fine, then get it for that reason and enjoy shooting it. However, it would be way down on my list of choices for either a home defense or target shooting pistol. A home defense handgun does not need to be compact, and there is no reason to choose .380 when so many other calibers would be more adequate for the task.

To me, the felt recoil was very biting, especially with the stock grips, which were also difficult to get a firm grip on when sweaty. A set of Pachys helped a lot in that respect. As I recall, it was a decent shooter at personal defense range, but not what I would choose to try to shoot cloverleaves.

On my particular gun, I had problems with hollow-points. The shape of the nose of the bullet would tend to push on the mag catch during recoil and drop the mag. Not great for a defense gun. I have no idea whether this was a problems with PPK's in general, or just my gun.

K

 

[Rob1035]

My dad has a Interarms PPK/S. Accurate, but probably the worst DA pull I've ever tried, and after 100 or so rounds, it starts to FTE, solved by a quick cleaning. Still cool to have 007's pistol though

 

[denfoote]

I have my PPK/S sitting right beside me even as we speak!!
In a sense, it is my home defense pistol because it is my "slip it into the pocket of my swim trunks to go out on the balcony and smoke" gun!!

It makes it's home in the drawer of my desk!

 

[bulbboy]

Love my S & W PPK/S!! Great gun - zero regrets!!

 

[Kentak]

by the way...

Here's a pic of my PPK/S.



K

 

[Cuda]

I've got one S&W PPK/S and find it's fit and finish to be excellent. A little snappy on the recoil but very accurate (at least for me). Are there better guns, I guess that's in the hand of the shooter. It sits nicely next to the Walther P38 and is the backup HD gun when I run out of 357's in the Ruger.


C

 

[Shweboner]

I doubt anyone has purchased a PPK for target shooting... if you have, well... I dont know what to say,


I love mine. I have the newer S&W PPK/s. I think its an awesome gun. Great for defensive purposes, which is why the gun exists in the first place. And a .380 will get the job done just fine. And it hides well too.


Buy one... if you dont like it... sell it. They hold their value well.