Thinking about a PPK for new CCW

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Eb1

Eb1

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I have always liked the PPK's looks. I would rather have something in a 9mm or larger, but I am carrying a 32 H&R Magnum revolver now so there isn't much of a change going to 380 Auto.

Give me your opinions on the PPK for CCW. I know I am opening myself up for some flaming, but we are all gun people here. Let's pro and con it legitimately.

Pro for me:

Looks
All Steel
Accurate


Cons:

380 Auto (may not be a con)
I don't know the cost of a PPK. Can someone help me out on that?
It is a German design (could be an over thought out pistol)
 
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Have you ever shot one?

This will be one of those "they are not for everyone" threads.

I like mine (S&W Version)
However, the DA pull is quite stiff they claim 13.5#'s or somewhere in there, but truth be told it feels like a brick wall. Course its a clean pull with no stacking or travel. SA mode is very nice though.

Older ones will bite you. Even the S&W is not immune from eating your webbing with the extended tang.

Weight and size when you compare to other small 380's.. Thats really a preference though.

The real negative in my mind is the lack of a slide stop/release. If you get a double feed, you are up the the proverbial creek without a paddle.. You have constant pressure from the mag and the recoil spring and not much room in the action. Resulting in one heck of a jam which will not release the mag. End result is often reverting to other tools to clear. (Done it with snap caps, never again will a snap cap enter that gun)
 
I have held them, and I am not immune to hammer bite. Shot my dad's 1911 A1 since I was 10 years old.
I live in Arkansas, and Walther is opening a plant in Fort Smith. So I was thinking of waiting until that happens to get one. I like to own a gun made in Arkansas, but I cannot afford a Wilson Combat. HA.
The Walther will have to be the one if I get an Arkansas auto pistol.

I am really ready to put the 32 H&R Mag up for a while, and get something I can shoot more. I should probably go with 9mm Luger since I am setup to reload that caliber. Honestly though the PPK is just a sexy gun. It felt good in my hands when I held one. I think it is like the 1911. All steel pistol that would be good to carry IWB. Plus small and thin enough to carry OWB with a nice vest.

Do you have a similar pistol that is all steel that would compare? I think you know what I am looking to buy.
An all steel .35 caliber or larger that can be carried easily. As I stated, I am a revolver guy for CCW due to the point and shoot, but am looking to make a change. I don't want a "compact" pistol. I'd like a true deep conceal pistol that is heavy to absorb recoil for quick follow up shots.
I have a 3" 44 SPC that I can carry pretty easily with a good belt. I am wanting something different.
 
I don't advise buying a CCW, using the criteria one might use to buy a car or a purse, good looks, place of origin, etc.

IMHO, the walther PPS is a vastly better CCW gun (as are the many guns similar to it, I name it only because it to is a walther). The PPK is stylish indeed and lets you feel like James Bond. It however, is not a great CCW gun and is out shined in all kinds of ways by more modern 9x19 guns that are roughly the same size.

I like the PPK as a gun for the collection. I've always liked them. I just don't see the sense in one as a CCW. There are smaller .380s, some of which like the Mustang and the P238 are very good shooters. There are a number of 9x19 guns that are about the size as the PPK that I would prefer. Many of them are not as stylish a gun as the PPK, but that really takes a back seat in gun fight. You'll note soldiers wear frumpy plate carriers and boots over tailored suits and Italian loafers.

picture-3.png


Cons:

380 Auto (may not be a con)
I don't know the cost of a PPK. Can someone help me out on that?
It is a German design (could be an over thought out pistol)
Click to expand...

You could always look at the Bersa copy if the price of a PPK is too much.
 
To reflect on your new car theory. Yes, it catches my eye. Therefore the interest. I don't know that I have ever wanted to be a British Spy, and he carried a .32 version IIRC.

Nevertheless, I don't want to carry plastic on my person. If need be I have a DA only 44 SPC sitting here on the night stand that carries fine, and I'd say it'd rival any 9mm on the market today for penetration and outright stopping power. Let's not forget that Gold Dot makes a fine 44 SPC bullet as well as Hornady, but I'd carry Wad Cutters if I were to carry the 44 SPC on a regular basis.

The PPS is a fine looking gun for Han Solo. LOL

I did ask for 9mm comparison so in all fairness that last comment was all in good fun.

I seriously looked at a S&W Bodyguard today for about 45 minutes. I saw one for $400. I didn't like the laser activation buttons location on the Bodyguard, and it was just to small for me to feel comfortable with it in a nervous situation. I felt like I'd drop it because I wouldn't have enough to grab onto. Hence the revert back to the infatuation of the PPK. Infatuation is used very loosely here. I just remembered that I like the feel fo the gun, and it is an all steel gun that felt good. Like a real gun. Like my wheel guns feel.
 
The Walther PPK is one of those guns that's fantastic for no clearly articulable reason. It's heavier than more powerful guns, bulkier than the same, but it just feels right. Like a .38 snub nose with full, proper grips, what it sacrifices in practicality it gains in instant, confident shootability, IMHO, YMMV, of course.
 
I'd like to add if I were to go plastic at this point in time.
I would buy the Springfield XDS in .45 ACP.
 
It felt good in my hands when I held one. I think it is like the 1911. All steel pistol that would be good to carry IWB. Plus small and thin enough to carry OWB with a nice vest.
Click to expand...


I think it fits that bill.. Its just you really need to fire it (dry or real) as nothing can be done about the trigger pull. The only reason I haven't carried mine is because Ive yet to order a holster for it.


To answer your original post. I think I paid around 550.00 for mine (on sale). I routinely see them in the LGS in my neck of the words for 599.00
 
If it fits your hand, and shoots where you point it, they are great. If your hand and the gun are a bad fit, they are awful. Plus, quality of manufacture may vary (the gun has been around in the PP since 1929 and PPK since 1931). And makes of ammo will vary in function too. Lotsa variables.

The PP is just a half-inch longer in the barrel and grip, and IIRC the Bond movies with the "PPK" actually used the PP model (and a M1910 Browning for scenes with a silencer).
 
My 9x17 PPK was my carry piece for 2 decades ... in a Roy's Leather Goods pancake holster that I bought in ~1978 (for my original PPK/s).

For the past 5½ years I have been carrying a 9x19 Kel-Tec PF-9 for 2 primary reasons; reduced weight and more powerful round.
 
You could always look at the Bersa copy if the price of a PPK is too much.
Click to expand...

Like you I like the style, hence I got the Bersa. I usually carry in a pocket as a BUG to a larger CZ75 compact but I would not feel undergunned if it was primary, shot placement is king.
Get what you like, life is too short not to indulge yourself.
 
The single most important factor in choosing a carry gun is that it must be a gun you will want to carry and therefore will carry.

A frumpy, black plastic 9mm that's light and small and in the safe because you just don't like it is infinitely inferior to a stylish, less powerful gun that you like to carry and therefore will carry.
 
I have had a couple of PP models and a PPKs and while all of them were well made and decent enough guns there were several things about them that I didn't care for. Heavy DA trigger pull, slide mounted safety, the occasional hammer bite, and a lack of a slide release lever all contributed to a less than a satisfactory experience for me in the CCW format. I much prefer my Colt Mustang and SIG P-238 in that role.
 
I think that the PPK is still a good carry gun. I have an Interarms PPK stainless that I bought many years ago new, which shoots fine, and is easily concealable. It has never "bitten" me.

What I do like about it is that it is stainless and has a good safety, so I never hesitate to carry it with 6 + 1 in the chamber, and it just feels good to handle.

Does it have a heavy double action? Yes. But this design was the first true double action pistol 70-80 years ago.

I agree with those who say that you should try one. Also, the blued versions are lighter.

But ultimately, it is a piece of history that you can carry in a pocket and is a credible defense at the same time.
 
I carried a PPK/S as a cop for about a year (the last year I was on the job) as an OD/BU gun. I really liked it, and could shoot it quite well. But, it wasn't the most comfortable piece to shoot, as its grip was a little thin for my long fingers to wrap around. Never got slide-bitten by it, but it comes pretty close. I sold it after leaving the force for financial reasons. Wish I had not.

Years later, I got back into firearms, but could not make myself pay the price for another one. Went with the Bersa Thunder in .380 instead. I was amazed at this weapon. Durable, easier to handle than I remember the Walther being, and can not get it to malfunction. Carried it for two years as an EDC, and still own it. I only stopped carrying it because I found a PF-9 (Kel-Tec) for a great price while shopping for ammo one day. The PF-9 is easier to carry, and a lot less pleasant to shoot.

As far as the caliber goes, I have no qualms with the .380 in a capable platform like either the PPK or the Bersa. I'm no longer obligated to stick around and keep engaging a bad guy who flees when I pull my gun (and fire it if needed.) Bag guys are more likely to flee an armed citizen who responds with the threat of deadly force than they are to flee from law enforcement officers because they know the armed citizen is less likely to keep chasing them, trying to put them in jail.
If one doesn't flee, it will likely be because he has been neutralized by being shot, or because he has surrendered.

And, there's still the option of me fleeing.
 
Why do people obsess with a safety on a DA/SA gun that they do not carry in SA? Does anyone carry a Walther PPK with the safety on? DA/SA guns were made to be carried ready to shoot, safety OFF. For the others that hate slide mounted safeties, I can see the aversion to the Beretta 92 series, as it is bulky, and can interfere with slide racking, etc, but the Walther's is small, and doesn't get in the way. Many Walther PPK's could use a trigger job.
 
I carried a Walther PP in .32 Auto for almost 20 years. It was a German made version, actually built in the Neu Ulm plant. Never had it bite me,..never had any of the nightmare issues others profess. It was a tad heavy on the DA trigger pull,..but not intolerable. All in all,.it was a sweet carry gun,..and a great shooter for the purposes intended. Sold it in a moment of stupidity to a friend. He has long since gone on to Valhalla. Family lost track of the gun. That's one I wish I could find again.
 
I like my p-64 which has similar lines. It's perfect for slipping in my pocket when taking the dog out. It's cheap, reliable and more than adequate for dealing with a stray pit-bull. If for some reason I have to go to a not so nice part of town, I'll carry a g19.
 
I know it was mentioned earlier but I feel like I have to bring up the DA pull again. A friend of mine just bought a used PPK and the DA is incredible(not in a good way). It has to be 20 pounds or something crazy. It's a shame because the SA is really nice.
 
Have carried a PPK/s off and on for several years . I went to a lighter hammer spring and this made DA trigger little better . I think their a good carry pistol a little heavy in todays world of plastic. Mine has been relieable and I carry with Corbon DPX ammo.

If you want one then get one
 
I have a PPK and I find it is a bit heavy for carry compared to the bullet size and capacity. I'd rather carry something a little heavier with a larger round and capacity.
 
CZ82 or 83. All steel, proven design, excellent trigger. I've found mine to be fun to shoot, accurate (test from a rest) and reliable. Most 82 's are surplus, and 9mm Mak, inexpensive but may be cosmetically challenged (mine's been durocoated). The new 83's are mostly .380. Both pistols get the same great CS from CZUSA. Both pistols use the same parts except for barrel and link.

I had mine worked over by CZUSA, it has been 100% reliable since.
 
They are too big to pocket carry, but with a big enough t-shirt (usually one size larger than normal), a good belt, and a high ride pancake holster, you would be surprised what you can easily conceal. If you are attracted visually to something you are more likely to practice with it and ultimately master it. If you like the Walther PPK or PPK/s, I say buy it.
 
Furncliff said:
CZ82 or 83. All steel, proven design, excellent trigger. I've found mine to be fun to shoot, accurate (test from a rest) and reliable. Most 82 's are surplus, and 9mm Mak, inexpensive but may be cosmetically challenged (mine's been durocoated). The new 83's are mostly .380. Both pistols get the same great CS from CZUSA. Both pistols use the same parts except for barrel and link.

I had mine worked over by CZUSA, it has been 100% reliable since.
Click to expand...

The chipped up polycoat is how you tell an 82 from an 83 ;)
 
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