S&W PPK(/S) in my future

[hhb]

My local dealer called last week to tell me he had a NIB Manuhrine .32acp PP. I jumped on it like a duck on a june bug. I have a French police model that's about the most reliable and accurate pistol I own.

 

[Dangerman009]

That's great! Although it doesn't really help me. No really, I'm happy for you. Is the .32 the dream to shoot that most people say it is?

 

[searcher451]

The .32 caliber PPKs are great to shoot and easy on the hand, especially when you are using a Walther, Manurhin, or Interarms model with the smaller (original) tang. The .380 slams your hand fairly hard; run a box of 50 through one and you'll feel it. The one nice thing you can say about the S&W model is that, even though it looks far less like a PPK than it should, the extended beavertail does help protect your hand from the dreaded Walther-bite. But with a .32, you don't have to worry much about it, regardless of which model you use.

 

[jimpro]

I absolutely HATED my S&W PPK/s. It was probably the worst POS I have ever bought.

- the recoil even for a blowback design was excessively painful. I am not sure if it is poor ergonomics or what. But I could barely stand to fire the darn thing and I am used to firing subcompact .45s and .380 mouse guns.

- lots of sharp edges all over the pistol. For the price I paid, you would think they could have at least dealt with that.

- worst DA trigger I have ever seen. The DA was so heavy that I had a hard time actually getting it to even fire. God forbid I have to use it to defend myself with. It was the kind of trigger that I actually do have nightmares about, the kind where it feels like you are trying to a 2 ton truck.

-ammo finicky, it was a used gun and I still had a FTF every mag.

I am sure I am going to get dogpiled for this, but I just thought it was a horribly overpriced for what I was actually getting. I felt as though I was paying $400 more then it was worth merely for it's namesake. So no thank you, I will stick with my CZ-82 which is leagues ahead of the S&W.

I understand, I bought a S&W Walther PPK stainless, it's beautiful, that's what appealed to me, all stainless, beautiful craftmanship, but it had not been deburred.... the edges were sharp as razors, and I got a FTF every mag..... So I sat down and took the thing apart, I mean apart..... every single thing down to the tiniest spring.... I took jewelers files and fine sandpaper to every edge, cleaned the hell out of it.... then put it back together, (I found some illustratrations on how to do this online... )
Have not had a problem since.... as far as the first trigger pull, "man up" or cock the damn thing..... it's a tiny gun, there is no place for leverage for the trigger also as a consequense it kicks pretty good right into the web of the hand..... I love mine.... love it.... the only thing left to do is the S&W logo etched on the side you can feel.... I need the perfect solution to sand that off without messing up the beautiful finish...
Should one have to do all of this with a $500 plus .380?...... no.... but it depends on if you love your walther and I do......

 

[searcher451]

The pity here, Jimpro, is that you had to take those extraordinary steps to get your S&W model into decent shooting condition. With the original German model, and with the French-made Manurhin models, and even with the Interarms/Ranger models, the guns actually came that way. Why S&W can't take the time to do it right these days is a mystery to me.

 

[mec]

Earlier Interarsm ppk/ppks were not throated for jhp ammunition but were very reliable with ball. The PPK american was functional with jhp. The Americans need the sharp edges on the slide and the hammer spur dehorned. The first time i ever heard of non functioning PPKs was after the Walther company associated itself with S&W. Then, I heard of two send-backs in very short order. The extended tang is a good idea but S&W quality control seems to be less than one hundred percent.

 

[bob.a]

PPK-L, Zella Mehlis, 7.65mm. You get the true Walther quality construction and bluing of the pre-WWII period, the alloy frame, and maximum collectability. Pricey, but it's the top of the heap. Only problem is it's probably too nice to carry.

Anything made after the war was made in France. US-made Walthers are like Italian-made Colts; something's wrong with the picture.

 

[searcher451]

IMO, the French-made models (carrying either the Manurhins or Walther stamp) are every bit the equal of the German guns in fit, finish, and overall quality. You also can often find them at better prices than you'd be asked to pay for the German-made guns and even, sometimes, for the Interarms models -- and there's plenty of them to be had. A Manurhin is a good way to go.