S&W PPK/s mini-review

[EHL]

That's cool that your walther came with the crimson trace laser grips. I had to buy mine seperatley. Totally love this little S&W walther though. She's very accurate. I currently have her getting worked on by my gunsmith. He is emulating what they did to one of these S&W models over at Cylinder and Slide. They did a great package on this gun to make it (in my opinion) better. Here's the link.

http://www.cylinder-slide.com/combathandgun.shtml

I especially like the way they recontoured the grip and the way the put new sights on her! That's what I'm getting done to mine!

 

[yourang?]

i have a sw made ppk/s

it took a while to break in...and i am still in the process of
running it more

it seems to like ball more than hollowpoint and i think
it has to do with the feed ramp

it shoots great and it carries great....i can keep it in my
pocket with a nemisis holster and it does just great
barely can tell that it is there....although i put a spare
mag on top of it so it doesnt print so bad

 

[krs]

This pistol is completely reliable, fires and feeds perfectly with every ammo I've ever tried but it's .32 cal. as so many were back in the day. It's a "PP" which is the same size as the current day "PPK". It's never bit me at all, not even close. Has a great feel in the hand which is why they've maintained their popularity since originally made. Great pistols. I carry it sometimes but am not comfortable with the puny caliber and have been thinking to buy a new one in .380 but am not sure what to make of any of the imported or US made versions. Seems like everyone thinks they have to 'improve' them.


The little guy at the top right in this photo is also reliable and also .32. A few months ago it went to a reliable full auto mode and I haven't fired it since the day it emptied itself with a single pull. But it's a pre WW2 pistol so I guess it's earned a right to have a breakdown.

 

[usp9]

The little guy at the top right in this photo is also reliable and also .32. A few months ago it went to a reliable full auto mode and I haven't fired it since the day it emptied itself with a single pull. But it's a pre WW2 pistol so I guess it's earned a right to have a breakdown.

Sounds like your firing pin stuck. I'd clean the pin, spring and channel very well.

 

[krs]

usp9

Sounds like your firing pin stuck. I'd clean the pin, spring and channel very well.

Thanks but it's not the pin. I went around with the pin on the upper gun, the PP, before finally replacing it and the spring so that was the first place I looked on the PPKs. Its pin looks like new and the return spring is strong. The channel (square pin) is clean and there isn't a burr anywhere in the field strip access. I haven't gone deeper in the pistol - frankly I'm not sure of myself far enough to try it, but I'm suspecting that the sear or hammer are so worn as to release under recoil. The pistol seems to be working fine when operated dry.

Although I'm interested in it I'm not so interested as to send it away for repair. I have two of the brown handled PPKs's and this one was a cheapie because the slide was poorly redone. Whoever did it polished it so much that it doesn't have a single marking visible. I bought it as a shooter for $150. some 15 years ago, and as I said the caliber is too light to want to carry it. I'll get around to it someday probably but for now it's just a nice little feely toy.

 

[9x19sig]

Disconnecter possibly?

 

[thunder173]

Carried a Walther PP in .32 ACP for over 20 years. It did have a few hiccups,...but was one of the finest handguns I ever owned. An ex wife agrees with me on that one,...as she got custody of it during that "life changing experience',.....I ever find another on when the stars and moon are lined up right,..it'll likely follow me home. Present bride carries the SGS Firestorm version of the Bersa Thunder .380,.....same gun,...just different trigger guard. A Poor Man's Walther,...but equally effective,...just not as pretty. Talking the gun here,...not the bride

 

[krs]

Disconnecter possibly?

Well, that's what I thought and if it were a 1911 I'd be looking hard at the length of it. But these don't have one by that name. Instead they have a 'hammer block' assembly and the .32 a 'hammer arrestor' that appears to be deeper in the frame. All I've got is a very crummy blowup picture that doesn't show locations or even alignment of the small parts well at all. So I put up the pistol and play with other ones until I can get better info. I Didn't mean to bring a trouble to the OP's happy thread.

 

[hoser45]

Comparison?

Anyone have a sxs comparison photo of the difference in tang between S&W version and the older version of the PPK/S?

 

[searcher451]

The S&W Walther gets mixed reviews on most boards from knowledgable owners/carriers/users. It seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition: you either get one that works and you love it, or you get one that doesn't work and -- despite the best efforts of the folks at S&W to repair it -- end up hating it.

Truth be told, there's no comparison with the original German-made guns, or even the French-made (Manuhrin) Walthers. And yes, the Interarms models will get higher ratings as well. The S&W version has an extended beavertail that does pretty much end hand-bite, but it's not the same gun because of it. That's not to say that it doesn't work or that it isn't effective, by the way. I carry an S&W PPK/S daily and trust my life to it.

 

[fractal7]

PPK Jams

So I recently picked up a stainless S&W PPK/s the other day and took it to the range with a box of Fiocchi ammo, 95 grain FMJs, and it jammed constantly, about once a magazine. The casing would eject but the next round would seem to seat all the way. I was pretty upset after 50 rounds and a bunch of FTFs. I also had a box of 90 grain gold dots that I had picked up and it fired those without a problem (except I did have to take out the magazine once while loaded and it almost seems that when it feeds it pushes the next bullet in line forward a bit because it was hard to take out). So does anyone have any opinions on if this is an ammo problem or if this something I need to address with S&W. I wanted a nice quality pistol for carrying but right now my confidence isn't all that high.

 

[SuperNaut]

I shouldn't have gotten rid of my Interarms PPK/s, I loved that little gun. That thing never malf'd once despite my less than studious attention to its care.

I hope the guy I sold it to shoots it a lot; be a shame otherwise.

 

[Phantom Captain]

So I recently picked up a stainless S&W PPK/s the other day and took it to the range with a box of Fiocchi ammo, 95 grain FMJs, and it jammed constantly, about once a magazine. The casing would eject but the next round would seem to seat all the way. I was pretty upset after 50 rounds and a bunch of FTFs. I also had a box of 90 grain gold dots that I had picked up and it fired those without a problem (except I did have to take out the magazine once while loaded and it almost seems that when it feeds it pushes the next bullet in line forward a bit because it was hard to take out). So does anyone have any opinions on if this is an ammo problem or if this something I need to address with S&W. I wanted a nice quality pistol for carrying but right now my confidence isn't all that high.

Hi fractal7,

Don't worry and don't fret, mine HATES the Fiocchi FMJs too and did the exact same thing as yours. I don't know what it is, if it's because they are hotter or what but my SW stainless PPK/s is pretty much flawless with anything but those Fiocchis. Magtech, Independence, S&B, American Eagle even Winchester white box FMJs all get ate up no probs. For HPs I've fired Gold Dots and Remington Golden Sabers flawlessly as well. My carry round is the Golden Sabers.

Go back to the range and try a few boxes of something else and see if yours is the same. Don't know what it is but I also found it weird that my pistol worked so great with everything BUT those Fiocchis. They just do not get along.

I have every confidence in my PPK/s and carry it all the time. I think you will see yours is just as likewise reliable. You just started off with the one bullet it seems these pistols absolutely do not like. One other thing, after about 100 rounds it starts to get a little sticky too. They definitely like to be clean. Now when I practice at the range I limit it to 100 rounds and NO Fiocchis!! LOL!

Here's mine with it's pretty grips.

 

[JB Books]

I have quite a few PPK pistols, everything from pre-War RZM and War time Eagle C's and F's to German made pistols from the 1960's to American made Interarms pistols. I agree with the posters who wrote about the sharp edges of the Interarm pistols. However, that is also true of the German made pistols, especially if one has bigger hands. It is an almost 80 year old design.

As for reliability issues, I have found that the American pistols tend to do better with ball ammo. I use Fiocchi which is loaded a little hotter and tends to cycle better (this is also true of the HK P7 K3 in .380 or .32).

German pistols tend to have a better trigger pull and are a bit more accurate. Still, in any version, this is a wonderful pistol, which has been carried and used for decades. Indeed, it set the standard for many years.

I do not have a SW pistol, although I have handled one. The beaver's tail, while practical, offends the purist in me.

 

[SuperNaut]

The S&W beavertail is just begging for a smith to reshape IMO.

 

[searcher451]

Phantom Captain: Are those the coco bolo grips that are advertised by CDNN Sports for less than $27? I put the same pair on my S&W-made Walther PPK/S and love them. You can't beat the looks, the feel ... or the price. Thanks for the photo. It's a good heads-up for all Walther owners. Here's a link for those who might be interested:

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/wappchcobogr.html

 

[Phantom Captain]

Phantom Captain: Are those the coco bolo grips that are advertised by CDNN Sports for less than $27? I put the same pair on my S&W-made Walther PPK/S and love them. You can't beat the looks, the feel ... or the price. Thanks for the photo. It's a good heads-up for all Walther owners. Here's a link for those who might be interested:

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/wappchcobogr.html

Yes sir! They are indeed! Great grips, I love em too.

 

[blkbrd666]

It's a "PP" which is the same size as the current day "PPK".

The PP has a longer barrel and grip than the PPK...old or new. It has the same grip as a PPK/S, but has a longer barrel and slide.