S&w ppk/s

[CNobbe]

Any ideas if they've improved quality on these? Have heard mixed reviews, rented one at my local range that ran perfectly through 200 rounds of .380, they thought it had over 1k rounds through it by now, but am hesitant towards getting one.

Have a used one at a local shop they supposedly test fired for a nice discount as it has some holster wear, but who knows. They'd said it'd have a one year warranty,so I guess it might be worth a shot.

Any input appreciated.

 

[JJE]

S&W manufactured these under license from Walther, but stopped a few years ago. The guns had a couple of very minor cosmetic changes from previous PPK/S guns by different manufacturers. S&W recalled a lot of the guns because of a problem with the decocker - at least one gun went BOOM when the gun was decocked - but they supposedly came up with a replacement part that wouldn't fail this way. Other than offering the decocker fix, I don't think S&W ever changed these guns while they made them. Overall, they were probably happy to drop them and sell their own 380 pistol.

I've carried the S&W PPK/S IWB and I like it for CCW, although I'm saving my nickels and dimes for a SIG P232 - very similar gun. If I had it to do over, I would have skipped the PPK/S and spent a bit more to get the SIG in the first place.

As far as the gun you are considering, I would check if the gun has been repaired under the recall (or if was made after the fix was implemented) before I bought it. If it has to be fixed, obviously better for the dealer to handle that than you.

 

[CNobbe]

As far as I know, S&W is still producing the PPK and PPK/S for Walther Arms as the brand spankin' new ones at the shop had test fire dates from October..

Lucky me, they had a used PPK/S stainless with some holster wear, felt like it had worn in a bit in the box with both magazines for a dirt cheap price..

Even better, they do a test fire of all used guns they appraise and they assured me it did get through a magazine w/o a failure so that's a plus.

Also, they'll guarantee it for a year, and if it is a jam-o-matic I can return it for a refund or have the option of them trying to fix it. Great shop, buy most of my used handguns there.

I have fired the Sig P232, and they are nice however this PPK isn't going to be my carry pistol as I already have a Shield which I prefer.

If, heaven forbid this PPK is a troublemaker, it might just force my hand to replace my old Sig P220 for a new one ahead of schedule..lol

 

[JJE]

I never had any problem with mine - mostly shooting full-power handloads. I've heard that the stock recoil spring is too heavy because it is designed for Euro-spec 380 ammo which is supposedly hotter than American stuff, so quite a few people install a lighter Wolff spring which makes the gun easier to rack and supposedly doesn't affect reliability or beat the gun up. I didn't want to alter the gun because I carried it, but if I get the SIG I may install a lighter spring in the PPK/S.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I'm in the market for a brand spanky new PPK/S in .380 (blued) myself. Basically, I'm saving enough money on another gun to apply completely towards the purchase of another.

I wouldn't mind some feedback from others who own this, specifically with respect to the variety of ammunition cycled through the gun and any problems personally encountered. And, of course, your overall opinion on the pistol.

Out of the box, what do you think I should expect? JJE mentioned a recoil spring issue, which I shouldn't think would be a problem for a pistol manufactured and sold primarily in the United States.

 

[JJE]

The recoil spring is only an issue if you find the gun hard to cycle manually - some people do because it's a small gun and the recoil spring is pretty heavy.

I just remembered that I had to put a rubber grip sleeve around the grips to fatten up the grip a bit. I have small/medium-sized hands and a 2-handed grip feels pretty cramped on this gun with just the stock grips. If your hands are on the large side, you might want to really check how a 2-handed grip feels.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Mine is a old Interarms I have always used the 20lb recoil spring with no problems . Be it Blazer or Buffalo Bore I replaced the spring once over the years. Because I bought pistol used and just decided it needed a new spring .So I replace factory with 20lb wolff .

S&W been hit and miss Buying a used on well if the will give year warranty to fix or replace Why not if price is right

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Thanks.

I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect a brand new gun to function correctly out of the box, in my opinion. That's been my experience with every new gun I've ever bought and I would think that with the reputations of S&W and Walther both behind this that I should not be disappointed.

But I'm ever open to informed critiques.

 

[herrwalther]

Avoid the S&W PPK/S. I would not call 7 years worth of production recalled a minor flaw.

 

[Schlegel]

It's pretty easy to find out if a pistol is in the recall range- and to be fair it was because S&W changed the hammer block design from the original.

Nonetheless, I'd personally go for an older one just because I don't like the look of the changed beavertail and don't suffer bad slide bite from the old design. There's a premium to buy the older blued models, though.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Well, I sent an email off to the LGS last night about buying one and a response was back when I got up this morning. Called them up and ordered it, but I'll probably be out of town this weekend when it comes in.

Turns out one of my sisters-in-law has a S&W PPK/S in .380 and absolutely loves it. Thousands of rounds through it with no problems...even earned praise from my brother about it, and he's pretty unforgiving on manufacturer problems with firearms.

 

[blakeci]

I had one that I bought used from a private seller that was 100% reliable. To be fair it appeared that he had polished the feed ramp. Fun little gun... I traded it off towards a 1911....wish I would have kept it and just saved for that 1911:banghead:

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I ordered one this morning and it'll be in my Monday at the latest. I'll be out of town until the following weekend, though.

Kind of a bummer, that.

The difficult part will be sitting on this without shooting it until my wife's birthday next month. THAT will be torture! Not nearly the torture it'll turn into, though, if she found out I bought a gun for her and then shot it before she did without her knowledge...

 

[Dogguy]

Mine was not reliable at all. Despite polishing the feed ramp and chamber and meticulously keeping it clean and well lubed, it would frequently fail to feed any brand and any type of ammo I tried. That was quite a disappointment given that the gun handled great and was easy to shoot accurately (as long as you could get the round in the chamber to begin with). I loved the balance and weight and, of course, the classic appearance. But none of that meant much when it refused to function consistently.

If you get a good one you will have one of the neatest handling pistols around. If you don't....

 

[Schlegel]

I am curious to see what happens when S&W's license runs out in 2015. Walther has set up a Walther USA corporation... it could get get interesting if they do their own manufacturing and repairs.

 

[Master Blaster]

While it has a certain Panache due to its association to James Bond; 007, Its an outdated blowback design with snappy recoil, and is awfully big and heavy for the .380 round it shoots. So it's not really good range/ target gun or a good CCW gun. There are 9mm designs with locking breeches that are smaller/ lighter and more accurate (glock 26, Kahr PM9) and guns like the LCP that are much smaller and lighter for CCW.

JMHO YMMV

 

[hardluk1]

Save some bucks and buy the bersa version. They just run well and you have the option of a double stack 15 shot 380 with the thunder plus.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

While it has a certain Panache due to its association to James Bond; 007, Its an outdated blowback design with snappy recoil, and is awfully big and heavy for the .380 round it shoots. So it's not really good range/ target gun or a good CCW gun. There are 9mm designs with locking breeches that are smaller/ lighter and more accurate (glock 26, Kahr PM9) and guns like the LCP that are much smaller and lighter for CCW.

JMHO YMMV

Yeah...but sometimes it's about STYLE, man!

And other times it's about what the wife WANTS...


As you say...YMMV.

 

[tarosean]

My S&W PPK has been flawless through 2.2k rounds...

All though, I did lock it up once with snap caps to where I almost had to have a Smith take over.

 

[fasttheo]

I owned a Smith PPK/S for about a year before I switched to a Smith PPK in .32. My only issue with the gun is that some rounds failed to completely chamber. At first I chalked this up to 'limp wristing', since this was my first handgun, but it continued to happen long after that. It was mainly with the 'bargain' .380 offerings from Remington (White Box) and Independence ammo. No issues with any of the defense rounds or, surprisingly, the bargain Winchester White Box.

I've also seen it happen with my .32. It hangs up on Remington and Federal ball, but no issues with hundreds of rounds of Sellier & Bellot and Prvi. Maybe the American ammo isn't hot enough to reliably cycle the slide? Seems odd.