Put a walther ppk on layaway today,have a few questions

[megatronrules]

Well I had to have this little gun so today I had to put her on layaway its the gun I posted about last week,its stainless finish made by walther usa. It appears to be one of the pre- smith and wesson made guns I've read alot of mixed reviews on the made in alabama interarms marked guns. my dad has one of the made in alabama ppk's and its never failed once with anything. I've always liked the ppk as its the gun I learned to shoot with with my dad,he keeps his till today and uses it for a self defense gun. All that being said are the majority of ppk's bad guns reguardless of who made them? Also is it true stainless steel guns gaull/peen if not properly lubed? I usually lube my guns very well but with the stainless ppk should I use more lube or a special lube? I use breakfree right now.

I've read bad and good about them but isn't it possible that someone just diddn't break the gun in or maybe the gun diddn't like a certain type of jhp ammo for example and it was then labeled unreliable? I also hear that 1911's are jamomatics and surprise of the seven I've owned including my current four not one has given me any problems after thair break in was over. BTW my ppk is marked "walther u.s.a." and "walther LLC springfield MA." I think I'll be happy with my soon to be purchased ppk (my OTD price was $400 the gun is like new with 2 mags,box and manual) as I have other guns to carry and shoot I figure I have nothing to lose by trying this one out,thanks for any replies guys.

 

[Serpico]

As long as it's not a carry, you have little to worry about...if it jams at the range, it just makes your ammo last longer....good luck with it...

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have a Interarms stainless PPK/S on my hip as I type. I carry it every day,it has never given me first problem.As I can shoot in my yard I fire it regular and clean and lube[breakfree] every Sunday or as soon as done shooting. One thing I have noticed and also have read elsewere is these pistols only seem to like mags, with walter banner on them .In other words factory only. I use either CorBon 90 HP +P or Rem GS 102gr. for carry. I like 380 and have several but its the PPK/S I carry most of the time.

 

[Majic]

As the pistol is an old design (from the very late 1920's) many of the older models will only feed FMJ that they were designed for. A little polishing and using JHP ammo with a rounded nose profile increases the reliability. Also older European pistols prefer hotter loadings and are springed to handle them (European ammo makers generally loaded hotter than US makers).
I once had a Manurhin PP that refused to feed from any aftermarket mag. As long as I used the 2 factory mags or a Walther mag and fed it FMJ or hot .32 JHP it was 100% reliable (it would choke on Silvertips, but ran fine with Fiocchi). It did have a temper though and would bite me anytime I didn't pay close attention and let my hand ride up while shooting it.

 

[Hal]

I think I'll be happy with my soon to be purchased ppk (my OTD price was $400 the gun is like new with 2 mags,box and manual) as I have other guns to carry and shoot I figure I have nothing to lose by trying this one out,thanks for any replies guys.

By coincidence that's what I paid for mine,,and what I sold it for a few months later. I felt exactly the same way also,,,that I thought I'd be happy with it...ended up I wasn't. Still, I have no regrets over buying it or selling it.

Again, by coincidence, mine was also a stainless USA made pre-Smith. It was 100% reliable with any ammunition I fired thru it, and was very accurate.

I got rid of mine because it chewed tracks in the back of my hand, was way too much money to have invested in a gun I found I didn't care for, was a .380 (nothing really against the .380 but I already had one,,,maybe if it was a .32 I'd have kept it) and had more felt recoil than I cared for ( my M43 Firestar in 9mm was ~ the same size and had less felt recoil as well as a more powerful chambering - @ ~ half the price) Oh yeah, I didn't like the D/A either.

Anyhow, @ that price you really have nothing to lose unless you somehow manage to really booger it up. Somewhere,, someone else wants to be Bond,,James Bond.. ( No offence intended - I have no shame admitting I always wanted PPK for the Bond factor alone,,,,,finally got one,,,didn't care for it,,sold it for what I'd paid for it and all party's were pleased as punch) Their slick looking and shooting little guns,,,I'm happy I had one/probably fall into the same trap again if one in .32acp came along @ the right price.

 

[denfoote]

Mine works great!!!

 

[JohnKSa]

Weren't those guns made in Alexandria, VA? That's what mine is marked--unless that's just the location of Interarms...

My Interarms PPK (bought new in the early 1990s) has never jammed but when the recoil spring was brand new, chambering that first round was hard.

Stainless galling issues are well understood by the gun industry and should not be something that the user will need to worry about in a quality firearm. One typical solution is to make sure that parts with sliding friction are made of different alloys.

My PPK is surprisingly accurate. The little gun points very naturally for me--an important consideration given the tiny sights.

 

[megatronrules]

Thanks guys for the replies so far also I forgot to ask in my original post do ppk's like to break thair ejectors as I've heard? FWIW my dad's ppk nver did and we shot that thing ALOT! me him and my brother did.,as was the case for a .32 caliber pp a local range had as a rental gun I used to rent that gun almost every week and it had god knows how many rounds through it. I asked the reange owner and he said all he did to it since he got it in was clean it reguarlary.

 

[Majic]

I never had an ejector problem in my PP and it was an early 1950's model.

 

[JohnKSa]

I've heard of extractor issues, but never ejector problems.