My comments are on the WALTHER PPK, the BERETTA/.SIG and broomhandle.
You got the wrong one!
I have an old pre-war PPK. It has a blued finish and is older than I am. On the one hand, the trigger is not good, but not bad either. Mine was a .32ACP and I think that was a smart decision on my part, as I was actually looking for a .380ACP. During one of the ammo shortages, .380ACP was almost impossible to find and way overpriced. I could still buy .32ACP ammo in WALMART then, so it was cheap.
I later bought a WALTHER PP, also in .32ACP and was surprised to find it kicked harder than the smaller PPK. The reason is the shape of the grip. It is squared off at the rear of the grip and I found it much less comfortable than the PPK, which has a rounded area at the web of the hand area. If you bought a stainless one, it may have been an INTERARMS model which were not nearly as well made or smooth in operation as the later S&W models or the original blue WALTHER models.
If you want a PPK style pistol in .380ACP, get the SIG 232. Mine is the lightweight (aluminum frame) base model and it is quite easy to shoot and has a much better shaped and more comfortable grip than my SIG 230 pistol. I recently took it to the range and shot it side by side with my S&W EZ in .380ACP, The recoil is lighter in the EZ and the slide is MUCH EASIER TO RACK, but the SIG was more accurate and not hard on my hand either..
I have carried both BERETTA 96 and SIG 226 pistols on duty. They are both very good guns. I prefer the BERETTA because I can get a better trigger on them now. The M9A3 model and the 92X have smooth, lighter triggers than used to be standard and it makes for a very nice, easy to shoot and accurate gun. You can order the 8 pound trigger spring meant for the double action only version of the BERETTA and also get that light, very smooth trigger on you your standard model BERTTA 92/96 pistols.
The only SIG pistols with as good a trigger as the BERETTA"S that I own is my SIG 229R with the DAK (KELLERMAN) trigger. It is very smooth and a pleasure to use.
If the size is a problem for carrying a 92, then I would highly recommend the 92X Compact. It is an outstanding pistol, in my experience. I prefer it to my SIG 229R, both are in 9m.m. The SIG 229R is also a very good trigger, but I prefer the trigger on the BERETTA. The overall height is about the same on these to pistols, while the BERETTA is longer, I do not find that to be a problem when carrying off duty.
Last, the, 1896 MAUSER broomhandle looks like and ergonomic disaster, but shoots much better than it looks. If I had a choice back in the 1890's, it would have been my first choice. Up until John BROWNING gave us the 1911, I think it was probably the best full size handgun out there. It had power, magazine capacity and was reliable from what I have read. If you wanted something smaller, there was always BROWNING earlier COLT made model 1903 in .32ACP, a very good gun for the time.
Jim