Walther or Smith PPK question

[Milkmaster]

I am thinking of using a Walther PPK or S&W of the same for my CCW firearm. I am leaning to the S&W version. What I AM asking is if anyone carries the PPK and what would make them reccommend or avoid choosing that same pistol again from EXPERIENCE. I want to know if the PPK is comfortable to carry or too heavy. Do you carry it in some sort of holster or just in your coat pocket and why? I want to hear from those who have actually carried and/or owned the PPK please.

Please don't let this thread get into a debate about the caliber being to small for a carry gun. I am NOT asking if the .380 is BIG enough here.

 

[jojo]

I carry the Walther PPK whenever possible mainly because of the size and ease of carry. It is a bit heavy for it's size, but I've never had any problem with that, I actually prefer a little more weight than many polymer framed pistols.

Usually, this time of year, the weapon sits in my jacket or pants pocket. When that is not an option, to warm, I carry IWB in a cheap Don Hume rig, don't know the model off hand.

Personally I Love the Walther PPK, it's feels good, points good, is very accurate, and easily concealable.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have used a PPK/S off and on for years I wouldn't trust a S&W enough to carry To many bad reports on Walthers board I trust my Interarms PPK/S but never a S&W.
Keep seeing S&W trade in's at gunstore I hang out at . Almost never a Walthers or a Interarms

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

There are not many SW autoloaders I trust. I would go with the Walther if it were me.

 

[JWJacobVT]

I trust my Smith autoloaders every day on the job. Only problems I ever had were with Taurus revolvers, now that problem is solved.

 

[denfoote]

I carry a PPK/S from time to time.

 

[XavierBreath]

I carried a Walther PPK/S for a period of time in a IWB holster.

I eventually traded it off for several reasons. I did not like the .380 caliber. It was too costly for what you got out of it. The PPK/S was too heavy and the capacity was too limited in comparison with other choices. It did carry nicely though. If other choices were unavailable, i might still carry it.

There were a few feed problems early on, but none after I had over 500 rounds through the gun. There was the "Walther bite", still present with the extended grip tang of the S&W version. I did not like flipping a slide mounted safety up to fire. It seemed counter-intuitive to me.

 

[eazyasone23]

mine has been trust worthy and i have the S&w it is a tad heavy, but in a decent sized coat pocket it isnt bad

 

[JB Books]

Discarding Pre-War and War-time pistols (most of which are in 32 acp), there are three types of Walther PPK pistols from which you could choose:

1. A pre-1968 German made PPK. These vary in price from about $600-$1500+ depending on condition. They have a smoother trigger than their American counterparts. I have two of these in .380 which I shoot and carry regularly. I have several NIB (in the old burgandy alligator boxes). If you can afford this one, it is the best choice.

2. An Interarms PPK made in America. I have seen these at gunshows and on various sites going from $375 to $500. The trigger pull is a little heavy, but these are great little pistols. They come blued or stainless. I have a stainless one that I carry sometimes.

3. The S&W PPKs. I have no experience with them, and have heard mixed reviews.

The difference between the PPK and PPK/S is that the PPK/S has 1 extra shot (7 shots v. 6 shots) These were first designed to get around the GCA of 1968.

I carry regular ball FMJ ammo in mine. My experience has been that they do not do well with hollow points.

You won't regret a PPK. Some folks don't like them because they do not have enough plastic in them. Remember, this pistol has been around since 1930, and for many years was the standard for a small concealable double action automatic.

 

[Billy Shears]

I have had the opportunity to fire a number of PPKs over the years. With the post-1968 ones sold by Interarms and S&W, I think it's a crapshoot whether or not you'll get a good one. I have seen ones from both Interarms and S&W that wouldn't reliably feed even ball ammo, nevermind FMJ. Needless to say, these were NOT guns on which you would want to bet your life, which is precisely what you would be doing if you carried them for self defense. If you have an Interarms or S&W PPK, and it works 100% with your ammo of choice... great. Carry it with confidence and worry no more. But if I were looking for one to buy, I'd be a little antsy, knowing the odds of getting an unreliable one.

I personally would rather have one of the pre-68 Walthers. You'd possibly have to send it to a gunsmith to have it throated before it would feed hollowpoints, but I've seen some that would feed JHP reliably, and I've never seen a German made PPK that wouldn't feed ball, the way the license-built, U.S.-made ones sometimes won't do. I've also never seen a German-made one that didn't have at least a decent trigger.

Interestingly, my department recently confiscated a WWII, Nazi-marked PPK, in 7.65mm (.32ACP) from a guy arrested on drug charges. It was a rough, late war production gun, with, plain, uncheckered wooden grips, a spotty finish and visible tool marks, and yet it still had a vastly better trigger than the brand new, stainless steel, S&W-made PPK on the shelf at Bob's Gun Shop in downtown Norfolk, which I looked at the next day. It broke my heart to know that that old war trophy was headed for the chopper.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Like JoJo, mostly in some sort of pocket, but when holstered: cross-draw..
Mine is the InterArms, and is extremely accurate and reliable on the range; hence CC duty. Yes, the weight is always there; but like others have stated: I prefer it that way. I took care of the "bite" with a little emory cloth & fine file...No problem....
As far as the effectiveness of caliber as somone mentioned; that's why you practice "double taps"; not looking for a prolonged war....

 

[Phantom Captain]

Love mine. Have the S&W stainless PPK/s and carry it all the time. I am a fan too of a little more weight and love the way mine shoots, super accurate.

I carry IWB or in a coat pocket depending on what I'm wearing, usually IWB as it does conceal very easily.

I hear lots of people talking about issues with the S&W but it sure seems to me that it's more a case of a few bad lemons or ammo problems considering how many have been sold and how actual few do complain.

I've got well over 1500 through mine. FMJs feed just fine for practicing (as long as they aren't Fiocchis, mine just hates them) and I use Golden Sabers for carry. Yes, they are HP but mine shoots them without a hitch, they feed and function flawlessly.

Am completely happy with mine and absolutely trust it. I am completely comfortable carrying it all the time.

Just my two cents.

 

[Throwingdown]

I purchased a S&W version for my wife. It was very accurate, other than that, I would never own another. Had problems from day one with feeding issues, pistol was unreliable. Also, a few observations. Sights are small - and hard too see compared to other pistols. Pistol had a lot of sharp edges from manufacturing and while materials used in production were nice, pistol was overly heavy for calibur and size.
Seems to be hit or miss with reliability. Personally if I wanted a 380, I would get something smaller/lighter.
The older models have a cult-like following, my guess is due to 007.
Not trying to bash, just opinions from personal experience. I am sure there are a lot of happy PPK owners out there.

 

[searcher451]

The Walther PPK/S, S&W-made version, is my daily carry gun and has been for a couple of years now. I use the tuckable High Noon Split Decision IWB holster. The gun is 100 percent reliable, the holster is comfortable and secure, and I don't notice the weight. Best of all, perhaps, is the fact that it conceals easily.

Even though I would rather carry the German-made PPK, and I've got a few of them, they remain in the safe for, ah, safe keeping; the S&W model serves as a fine and reliable substitute.

 

[Rodentman]

I carry an S&W PPK-S occasionally. I find it reliable at the range, and a classy piece, substantial but a tad heavy. But consider that it is not polymer....

I put new silverblack grips on it and that gives it a nice look I think. I use a Galco IWB holster.

 

[jackstinson]

I have an Interarms Walther PPK/s in .380acp. Great gun. I don't care much for the new S&W shape. The full PP-size grip of a PPK/s is nice, as is the 7 round mag (carries better with a flat base plate though).
And yep, I've gone through the Kel-Tecs and many other types....we like what we like.
Jack

 

[deacon8]

I have a Walther PPK, I do like it, and I think it serves its purpose well. However, I am not a huge fan of the .380 because it's a little on the light side (i know, i know, better than nothing...blah, blah). On the upshot, I like it a lot better than most of the plastic crap out there. It seems to be incredibly strong for its size. They ARE very well built guns. And actually, I do take it with me once and a while.

As for weight, I don't care about that in the least. I am not sure why people worry about the weight of a carry pistol. If you keep it tight to your body somewhere, there won't be a bulge. And it won't slow you down (they are little haha!). In short, I like the Walther PPK.

 

[Storm]

Can't vote in this one as both my PPK and PPK/s are Interarms. I have no desire to own the Smith version, and that's coming from a guy who has thirty-five Smith and Wessons. I would, and probably will, carry both without hesitation. That said, I'll carry my PPS over them any time.

 

[EHL]

I have a S&W PPK/S and I love it! I carry it 99% of the time, since it is much smaller and thinner than my Officers 1911. It's not as small or as light as my wife's Kel Tec P3at, but I like my gun having some meat on her. I don't care too much for polymer pistols, my steel guns are a joy to shoot. My S&W Walther has had no failure to fires, misfeeds, or feeding problems. Will feed any type of HP, FMJ, and lead ammo too. Total joy!! As far as improvements that could be made on the S&W design of the Walther, there are a few. Check out the article by Cylinder and Slide about what they did to a PPK/S and you'll be wishing you had one too! I had a traditional PPK as well (no grip tang) and though I liked it, I don't like it as much as my PPK/s. The grip on the PPK/s is much more ergonomic. I gave my PPK to my father-in-law as a Christmas present, and he loves it though. My PPk/s also is fitted with the Crimson Trace Lasergrips. I'm getting mine back from the smithy this week after I poured some cash into customizing her(tritium sights, etc...). I'll post pics as soon as I get her back.

Oh yeah, I pocket carry mine. Desantis Nemesis. Also have a Galco shoulder holster for it too. I don't use the lever safety either. That double action is safety enough for me, thank you.

 

[HisSoldier]

I love my S&W PPK/S, beautiful, reliable and accurate. A book I'm reading says the safety is known to break after years of use, dropping the hammer on it. J.B. Wood, in his book Trouble shooting your handgun (1975?) said he sometimes welds, and even silver solders the safety back together. That really amazes me as I work with all kinds of joining methods and silver solder cannot be compared to solid steel, even for the short term, that safety is gonna break! And so will the welded one, a welded joint is seldom as strong as the original base material for many reasons. Also there is no room for extra material to add strength.
But the reason I'm mentioning it is that he gave some sage advice. When dropping the hammer using the safety use your left hand to engage the safety and hold your gun hand's thumb on the hammer and let it down gently.

What's the harm in babying such a nice gun?

 

[PRM]

Walther - Gets my vote

Over the years I have owned 3 Walther PP(s) and 1 PPK/S. The PPKS was a .380 German, and the 3 PP(s) have been Manurhin Walthers (French made). Two of the PP(s) have been .32 calibre. Just personal preference, but I really like the .32 better in the small gun. Easier to control and follow-up shots are quicker. Plus I have the capability of 8+1 (9 shots).

Lots of people like the .380. The two I had were great guns. All of them have been flawless in their operation. They are great carry guns, conceal easy, and are very accurate. I'm wearing mine today.

 

[Eightball]

I took care of the "bite" with a little emory cloth & fine file...No problem....

Could you potentially elaborate some on how you did this, please? A PM would work if you'd rather not detail the process in the thread. However, stories of the "bite" are one of the things that keep me from a PPK or similar.

 

[XavierBreath]

For me, the Walther bite (more like a gnaw) came from the saw tooth edge of the slide, at the serrations. I radiused the bottom of the slide, as well as the rear of the frame. It helped some. A set of stag grips, which were by necessity wider than the normal Walther grips, finally eliminated the bite for me.

YMMV

 

[Sarge55]

I've got a S&W PPK/s. Love it! 100% reliable with everything I've put in her. Superbly accurate. Carry her off-duty when I just don't feel like carrying anything bigger. Very comfy IWB.