PPK Country of manufacture.

[JohnKSa]

Another post got me to thinking about this. Below is my stab at it--there are obviously some holes to be filled in, and I'm not sure of all the information.

PPK, NOT PPK/S

Manufacturer
1931-1945 Ulm, Germany

1940-1945 Other manufacturers during the war?

1953-1986 Ulm, W. Germany & Mulhouse, France (Manurhin)
Manurhin initially started producing the PPK pistols for Walther in 1953 with Walther beginning production some time later. As late as 1986, Manurhin was still making parts with Walther, Germany doing final fitting & finishing.

1986-Present Ulm, Germany

1986-???? Alabama U.S. for Interarms under Walther License

????-Present U.S. (S&W)

U.S. Importer
1953-1955 Thalson
1955-1968 Interarms

 

[Onmilo]

1929-1945 Zella-Mehlis Germany.

Walther set up shop in Ulm post war.

Ulm is 60 Kilometers from the Manhurin plant and Zella-Mehlis became part of East Germany after the war.

The old Simpson Suhl plant was renovated by the East German government and they used machinery from the old Walther plant to produce several thousand Model PP pistols for police use. There were no PPKs produced by the East Germans.

 

[Jim K]

As of a couple of years ago, all PP and PPK production has been shifted to the U.S. (S&W). There are none of those guns made in Germany or France or anywhere else at this time.

For some time, the Walther factory at Ulm "made" the PP and PPK, but the parts were actually made by Manurhin. The German fit and finish were superior, so the "German" guns were preferred.

A licensed copy was also made by the Kirikkale army arsenal in Turkey in the post-war period, and some of those guns were carried by Turkish officers in the Korean war. Later a civilian version was made and some were imported into the U.S. The guns, in general, are serviceable but not as well made or as good quality as the French or German made guns.

There was also a (licensed?) PPK copy, called the Indian, made in Detroit around 1970. It was a well made little gun, but failed.

If you are excluding the PPK/S, the Alabama plant made nothing else. Demand should have favored the PPK, which could not be imported. But Walther did not want cheaper U.S. products competing with German products on the world market, so they licensed only that pistol, which was not well received elsewhere, to Interarms.

Jim

 

[jc2]

If you are excluding the PPK/S, the Alabama plant made nothing else.

Are you sure? I had stainless steel .32 calibre PPK (not PPK/S) that I would have sworn was made in the US. I sold it because it was totally unreliable--along with being stainless another hallmark US manufactured Interarms Walthers.

 

[JohnKSa]

Jim,

I've heard that before but it's not true--jc2 is right. I have a stainless .380 PPK made in the U.S. that I bought new back in the early 1990s--long before S&W got mixed up with Walther.

Besides, it doesn't even make sense (as you pointed out). The PPK/S was importable after the '68 GCA--in fact, it was MADE to beat the import regs. There was a spell where new PPK pistols were unavailable in the U.S. Between 1968 and the point where they started being made here (1986?).

Here's a pic to verify that it is, in fact a PPK--note the absence of exposed backstrap. Mags hold only 6 rounds.

 

[JohnKSa]

And here's a close-up of the slide with the "incriminating" markings.

Unlike jc2, I was lucky--my PPK has been totally reliable.

 

[Onmilo]

Ranger Manufacturing of Gadsden Alabama produced the stainless PPK along with other non-importable Walther products from 1987 to 1997.
They built the guns for Interarms who ceased operations in 1997.
If you are into collecting extremely rare Walthers then try finding a Ranger made blued steel TPH in .25acp.
Less than 1000 of these were ever produced.
Anyway, I hope this information clarifies this discussion.

 

[JohnKSa]

Update

Thanks for all the information--still some holes, but it's nearly the whole story now.

1931-1945 Mehlis, Germany Walther

????-???? (Postwar) Kirrikale Army Arsenal (licensed copy)

1953-1986 Ulm, W. Germany & Mulhouse, France (Manurhin)
Manurhin initially started producing the PPK pistols for Walther in 1953 with Walther beginning production some time later. However, as late as 1986, Manurhin was still making parts with Walther, Germany doing final fitting & finishing for some of the production.

1986-Present Ulm, Germany

1987-1997 Gadsden, Alabama U.S. (Ranger Manufacturing) for Interarms under Walther License

????-Present U.S. (S&W)

U.S. Importer
1953-1955 Thalson
1955-1968 Interarms (Stopped by 1968 GCA)