New Stainless Walther PPK (NOT PPK/S)?

[Deanimator]

Years ago, I sold a St. Etienne marked Walther PPK/S to a friend to finance another purchase. This was something like twenty years before there was shall issue concealed carry in Ohio.

Now I'd like to have a second pocket carry gun, in addition to my S&W Model 36. My friend won't sell the gun back, even though he's too paranoid to get a CHL, doesn't shoot it, and probably hasn't even seen it in more than a year. Since I'm leaning towards a Walther, that means I'll have to buy new.

I don't like stainless steel. I've only got one other stainless handgun, a S&W 3" Model 65, which I only have because I literally haven't seen a 3" Model 13 in 10+ years here, in a store or at a show. Unfortunately, the new PPKs and PPK/Ses appear to all be stainless. Since they appear to now make PPKs as well as PPK/Ses, I might as well get the slightly more concealable gun.

Does anyone have anything to say, good or bad, about the new stainless PPKs? I've heard both good and bad regarding reliability. If I get one, I'll be carrying .380 JHPs of a brand and type as yet unspecified. I used Winchester Silvertips in the old gun and it seemed to work well with them.

I'm not in a rush, and would like to get some solid information before I drop $500+ on a gun made of a material I'm not that thrilled with.

 

[TT]

Doesn't S&W also offer the PPK in carbon steel?

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, either the PPK or PPK/s are available in either stainless or blue.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=43802&isFirearm=Y

rc

 

[meatballs]

I have a stainless S&W Walther PPK that I carry, and I really like it a lot. It has been very reliable, and it's an accurate little shooter. They are also available in blue as well. I chose the PPK just because it is a little more concealable, and I find it easy to shoot. Check em out, and good luck!

 

[dprice3844444]

stainless is great cause your not chasing rust

 

[Claude Clay]

before i spent money on a Walther/S&W id buy a used Sid P230/232 stainless lower at 20 oz. save about $150 , its lighter and most defiantly more reliable. even a bersa thunder ( my daughter took mine and so i got a P230) is great value for the money. buy 2 for the cost of one walther...and they will work.

 

[rcmodel]

I sold my PPK/s and bought a SIG P232 SL.

It is lighter, far more accurate, and far easier on the hand then the all steel PPK/s I had..

rc

 

[Deanimator]

Yes, either the PPK or PPK/s are available in either stainless or blue.

Thanks for the information about the blued guns.

Do you know of any distributors (like Bud's) who carries the blued guns? Our club has an FFL I can order through.

Thanks.

 

[Deanimator]

before i spent money on a Walther/S&W id buy a used Sid P230/232 stainless lower at 20 oz. save about $150 , its lighter and most defiantly more reliable. even a bersa thunder ( my daughter took mine and so i got a P230) is great value for the money. buy 2 for the cost of one walther...and they will work.

Shape (and probably size) wise, the Bersa doesn't meet my needs. Neither does the SIG. If I wanted to carry IWB, I'd just carry my Glock 19 or buy a Walther PPS.

 

[Gary A]

I once had an Interarms PPK which I liked but eventually traded away. Having more recently become re-interested in the .380 and, in particular, blowback .380s, I recently purchased an S&W version of the PPK/S. Formerly, I dismissed the PPK/S as a kind of bastard hybrid, neither fish nor fowl but have changed my mind. Now, I like the slightly longer grip because I can (barely) get a third finger on the grip with the flat-bottomed magazine without resorting to the finger extension. (There's nothing wrong with the extra round, either). Also, the PPK/S is smaller (but heavier) than my Bersa Thunder 380 and even a smidge smaller than my Bersa CC model ( but considerably heavier). Lastly, with S&W's addition of a longer beavertail, I think the PPK/S-1 is better proportioned than the PPK, whereas I previously felt the earlier models were exactly opposite. My PPK/S is stainless.

The Sig P232 is a wonderful pistol, though a bit broad in the butt for a single stack 380, in my opinion.

All that said, I wouldn't mind a blued PPK at all...

 

[bluethunder1962]

I have two ppks. One I paid 550 for and love it. I had to have another one? so I bought one on auction. It already had wood grips. I am having all kinds of proplems with it. It is at my gunsmith now. But even If I spend 50 on him working on it it is a newer gun it was a great buy. It is newer than my old one. Both are stainless and that is what most alll my guns are. I love them and you can get rubber grips that wrap around the gun. My first one had them. I took them off and put fancy wood grips on it. my second is a newer gun and looks like it was made better. From what I have been told all ppks are made by S&W now in usa. Mine were.

 

[Deanimator]

From what I have been told all ppks are made by S&W now in usa. Mine were.

If they're actual PPKs, they'd HAVE to be. A PPK doesn't have enough points under GCA '68 to be imported. That's how the PPK/S came about. Lengthening the grip gives it just enough points to be import legal.

Given the wild popularity of concealed carry today, perhaps that's one avenue of attack against the GCA '68.

 

[Deanimator]

As I said, I don't like stainless.

I'm still looking for a blued PPK, but the few online distributors I've seen either don't have them at all or are out of stock.

I'll get a stainless one if I have to, but I'd definitely prefer not to.

 

[Gary A]

Deanimator - I hear ya. Try to get what you want. As I remember, when I was looking, blued ones were not available either but both the PPK and PPK/S were available in stainless. I imagine they manufacture fewer of the blued guns. I'd keep looking and hold out as long as I could. Good luck.

 

[Prince Yamato]

The PPK/S and PPK are available in blued in .380 but not in .32.

 

[Deanimator]

The PPK/S and PPK are available in blued in .380 but not in .32.

That's not a problem, since I wouldn't carry a .32 anyway.

I'm still looking for somebody who actually has the blued guns in stock. No luck so far. No hurry either.

 

[fasttheo]

I've owned two of the S&W Walthers--a PPK/S (two tone) in .380 and a PPK (stainless) in .32. The .32 is my carry gun.

Despite the many reviews that say otherwise, I found both guns to be very reliable. The only jams, FTF's, etc. that I encountered were with ammo that had an anemic load. The 32, for example, definitely works best with the hotter European ammo. Since you are looking at .380, I would also mention that I never had any failures with Remington Golden Saber, Hornady XTP and Critical Defense, or Federal HydraShok (assuming you will be carrying JHP's).

 

[Deanimator]

Since you are looking at .380, I would also mention that I never had any failures with Remington Golden Saber, Hornady XTP and Critical Defense, or Federal HydraShok (assuming you will be carrying JHP's).

The French PPK/S I previously owned worked well with Silvertips. I don't recall the specific load. This was in 1984.

 

[Prince Yamato]

I'm pretty sure your LGS can just order you a blued PPK from their distributor.

 

[Deanimator]

I'm pretty sure your LGS can just order you a blued PPK from their distributor.

I might ask Fin, Feather and Fur in Middleburg Heights. Anybody else here is going to be ridiculous.

I'm more inclined to order through a friend at our club, since somebody on another forum pointed me in the direction of a distributor who has them last night.