Walther PPK .380ACP DA/SS info

[MichaelJ07]

I don't know how to ask this question, exactly.

I will be looking for a handgun soon for concealled carry. I'm 54 years old, weigh 165 lbs, have a small frame and small hands for a male. The PPK that I held today at Cabela's fit my hand nicely and fit nicely in a Bianchi 100 Professionial holster. The Glocks seemed huge to my feel and I couldn't think of any place to carry those things unless it was in a briefcase. I'm pretty sure a bullet fired from the .380 gun would give a Bad guy a trip to the hospital or the cemetary. So, what is the general field experience reliability of this handgun? (Not exactly the correct wording I wanted, but maybe this will get me started.)

Anyhoo, nice helpful forum.

Michael

 

[usp9]

My Walther PPK/S has been a pretty good gun but not totally reliable and for that reason I wouldn't carry it. For guns of that size and price you have much to choose from, for example, if you liked the feel of the PPK, you may want to look at the;

Sig 232
Beretta 84 or 85
Kahr P9, K9
Walther PPS

The PPK is a great size for concealed carry. It is thin and small and sexy. IMHO there are more reliable guns available.

 

[Bobo]

Similar to the PPK, but less expensive and generally more reliable is the Bersa.

http://www.bersafirearmsusa.com/

If you believe that a gun of that size and weight would be a good fit for you, you might want to consider moving up a caliber to 9 mm.

In many people's opinion, including mine, 9 mm is about the least powerful round you should use if you are comfortable with a gun the size your considering or larger.

Just a thought...

Bobo

 

[MichaelJ07]

Great replies! Great advice! And fast!

I'll do some checking on the suggestions for other handguns (and I might as well start looking around for something of mine to sell. This might get expensive.)

Yeah, I think I always wanted a 9mm. My youngest son has a couple, so I figure HE should furnish the ammo?

Again, thanks for the help.

Michael

 

[GaryP]

I'm pretty sure a bullet fired from the .380 gun would give a Bad guy a trip to the hospital or the cemetary.

Well, at least a serious attitude adjustment anyways!

Personally, I do not care for the .380 due to it being a Jamomatic in every gun I've owned in that caliber except for A Browning BDA 380 (Made by Beretta). That one was flawless and I regret selling it.

I own a Walther SS PPK/s in .32acp mfg by Interarms in 1998 that never misses a beat but the Walther PPK's & PPK/s' in .380 are not consistent in the reliability department per my experience.

Just my 02C worth!

 

[Ala Dan]

Sir-

You probably have opened a can of worms by posing that question, 'bout
the PPK's reliability~!

But in all fairness, my daughter picked out an American made Walther PPK
.380 ACP as her personal defense weapon in January of '95. This is from
the run that has an "InterArms" import stamp on the slide. Her firearm is
now over 12 years old, and has NEVER experienced a FTF (failure to feed,
or faliure to fire), failure to extract, stovepipe, or any other kind'a failure.
Its been 100% reliable from day one, and has consistently fed all types of
hollow point ammunition.

Other user's did not experience this type of satisfaction; oftern reporting
stoppages of one kind or another with their Walther PPK/PPKS series guns.
Now that Walther and Smith & Wesson have merged, I can't address any
reliability issues; but one thing is for sure, Smith & Wesson will take care
of any problem or concerns that you might have~!

 

[StrikeEagle]

I have a German PPK in .380 and I carried it for a year or two when I first got it. It was reliable, too... with both ball and Supervel Ammo. (yes, Supervel... LOL)

During my general love affair with Walthers and with .380, I also got a PPK/s which has also been satisfactory. Again, German manufacture, imported by Interarms.

I stopped carrying those because of increasing misgivings about the caliber. Yes, I know it's all about placement. But having said that, Bigger IS Better. I generally carry a .45 Commander now.

But if for whatever reason, Bigger isn't an option .380 HAS been known to suffice. Just shoot the gun a lot, a lot... make certain that it's reliable.

BTW, I'm one of those who believes that .38 Spl out of a snubbie is more powerful than .380. Would something like a 642 appeal to you? Small, packable, yet with fairly serious power...

 

[denfoote]

Do you mean this???



The Walther PPK/S is my favorite autoloader and everyday carry.

It's never failed to go BANG for me yet that I can remember. Except for when it was being broken in and, oh yeah, when I tried to use aftermarket mags. Use the "Walther" bannered mags from Walther America (S&W) and you will be just fine!!

Mine's loaded with Corbon 90gr JHP loaded to 1050fps, which probably gets to very nearly that velocity out of the barrel!!

 

[51Cards]

I have a PPK/S that is incredibly reliable. One malf on its first magazine (probably me), and one from a squib load (my first centerfire failure, weirdly enough, and I shoot a lot).

Probably effective enough, if it's emptied from up close. Forget about "Bond" shots from 50 yards ...

I like mine.

Might not be a bad idea to get a "range" and a "carry" recoil spring. That bedspring in there is just about all that keeps a blowback working.

If this proposed purchase is to be an "only" gun, you's probably be better off with a small 9mm. If it's going to become part of a collection or a "sometimes" gun, you'll probably like it.

The grip feel, to me, is like a mini-1911. The DA pull is not as good as a good revolver with a decent trigger job. The SA pull (on mine) is excellent.

It isn't a target gun, but can print decently at 25 to 50 feet or so. It's really designed as a "belly gun." It's good to shoot at the range, but you may find it a little "snappy" in your hand. Not too punishing, though. (If you want punishment in .380, get a Kel-Tec. Again, it has its place ... but it is a wretched gun to shoot, for most folks.)

How about a S&W Airweight revolver? In standard 38 Special loadings it's survivable, foolproof, and will fit your hand. (If you are brave and slightly insane you can load it with .357 Mag, and make your hand swell up before it falls off.)

If possible, rent and shoot stuff, with some decent instruction. If this isn't going to become a hobby/obsession, it's like a pair of shoes --- get one that fits.

 

[RyanM]

Personally, I'd try on a Kahr K9 or MK9, see if that fits. Kahrs are usually excellent guns for people with small hands. You can get a used K9 for about the same price as a new PPK, and you'd have a considerably more powerful round, as well as a softer-kicking gun. The all-steel Kahrs are quite reliable, as well. My MK40 has been perfect since day one.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My PPK/S is a Interarms and it to has always ran perfect I used for my main carry for a long time. Today is loaded with Corbon DPX and still gets some carry.
The Bersa is also a good relieable PPK type pistol.
I belive the 380 at SD range 10yds or less will give a good accounting of its self with a good HP. My choice is Corbon DPX.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My PPK/S is a Interarms and it to has always ran perfect I used for my main carry for a long time. Today is loaded with Corbon DPX and still gets some carry.
The Bersa is also a good relieable PPK type pistol.
I belive the 380 at SD range 10yds or less will give a good accounting of its self with a good HP. My choice is Corbon DPX.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My PPK/S is a Interarms and it to has always ran perfect I used for my main carry for a long time. Today is loaded with Corbon DPX and still gets some carry.
The Bersa is also a good relieable PPK type pistol.
I belive the 380 at SD range 10yds or less will give a good accounting of its self with a good HP. My choice is Corbon DPX.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Double Post Mod please delete

 

[mekender]

i carried a ppk/s in ccw for over 3 years... best gun ive ever owned and i regret selling it to this day... its small and it works, plus for ccw, its got a manual safety, so its ideal for pocket carry... if you hit your target, it doesnt matter the caliber... shot placement is key.... i had over 10,000 rounds of ammo through mine with no failures, so i cant agree with some of the other posters... i did have to get a good rubberized grip cus the stock ones were crap...

and remember, if it was good enough for James Bond, its good enough for you...

 

[JERRY]

i've owned a PPK/S .380acp years ago...it is a well built gun, but mine was only reliable with FMJ which was fine by me for that caliber but i got "slide bite" too often so i sold it....

if your hands are med/small, you should not have this problem, but as with any straight blow back .380acp it kicks more than more potent calibers of the same sized gun.

 

[MichaelJ07]

You folks sure make a newbie feel comfortable when posting. I sought good advice and was not disappointed. Great advice in an area I'm unfamiliar with.

Thanks and I appreciate your valuable time on my behalf.

 

[usp9]

Here's a size comparison between a Kahr K9 and a Walther PPK/S. As you can see they are close in overall size. Interestingly, the K9 is a tiny bit slimmer than the PPK. Both hold 7+1 rounds. The PPK is DA/SA while the Kahr is DAO and .380 VS. 9mm, (both adequate for self defence).

[/IMG]

 

[Mad Magyar]

Michael, did it look like this? Well, minus my own touch of ostrich.....
To be honest, mine is totally reliable...Just keep the slide lubed good; short travel you know...On the PPK, at least on mine, I had to use a little emory cloth to smooth over the sharp edges on the left rear portion of the slide & tang..Being rght-handed, that's where it affected me. You can see it in the Pic....
You don't want the dreaded "skin bite" that you notice after a range session.
Anyway, good hunting on your choice. Yes, the .380 will do damage because you will be POA, guaranteed...

 

[Hokkmike]

No problems with the .380. Sorry though, don't have experience with the PPK. I can recommend the Bersa Thunder .380.

 

[wrangler5]

I carry a Makarov, which is slightly larger than a PPK and a bit heavier. But Makarovs are ABSOLUTELY reliable while the PPK reliability can vary from gun to gun. Accuracy is outstanding to 50 YARDS - I routinely (90+%) hit 12-14 inch square and round steel plates at that distance with both of my Makarovs, with any ammo.

The 9x18 Makarov cartridge is slightly more powerful than 380 (9x17), but as others have noted, shot placement is the most important element of defensive shooting. BTW, Strike Eagle's observation about 38 snubbies is probably correct - only 1 (Russian, heavy bullet) load in my Makarov exceeds the muzzle energy of Speer's 130g +P Short Barrel round from my 2" S&W and no 380 load that I'm aware of would approach that.

HOWEVER - in order to hit exactly what you shoot at, you usually have to practice A LOT. If you can't stand to shoot your gun a lot, you WON'T shoot it a lot, and so won't get and stay good with it (I mean really good.) Personally, my aging hand and wrist have not found the polymer Kahrs to be comfortable shooters (I've tried one twice - haven't tried the all steel models), nor could I shoot my KelTec P11 (9mm Luger) comfortably for more than a dozen or two shots. (I have the same problem with snub nose 38s, and wouldn't even TRY a snub nose 357 revolver.) But I can shoot my Makarovs (and now my CZ-82s - fatter grip, but 12 Makarov rounds in the mag) all day without pain. As a result, I am VERY good with them, and I KNOW that I'm very good with them. Mental confidence is a force multiplier, to borrow a military term.

SO - if a PPK lights your fire AND you can shoot it enough to get and stay good with it, then by all means go with it. If you prefer to move up to the more powerful 9mm Luger and can find a gun you can both carry easily and shoot comfortably, that's a good choice too. But whatever you pick, pick something that you can shoot a lot - and then shoot it a lot.

 

[putteral]

I also have an Interarms PPk/S. Love It. Once it broke in I have not had any FTF'S. Also use it as a CCW occasionally along with my KP95. I use 102gr Golden Sabres in the Walther.

 

[edcrosbys]

I love my PPK and carry it regularly.
BUT
My wife cannot shoot it without getting it to jam. I believe this is due to her not holding it tightly enough, but she doesn't have that problem with my Ruger P94.
If I were to do it over again, I would be looking at the 9m Kahr's. They look like they are slightly shorter with a bigger cartridge and a cheaper price.

 

[MichaelJ07]

Yep, Mad Magyer, that photo looks like I held the other day. Tried some suggestions this morning. The Taurus Millineum and the SigSauer226. Still don't seem to fit my hand as well as the Walther, but that could change and could grow on me. Like that Bianchi holster set up too. Whatever I choose, you can bet I'll shoot it a lot and learn how to do it correctly.

So, the fun begins! I'll do some digesting and continue to plague the forum with questions. Thanks again for all the assistance.

Michael

 

[gbelleh]

I have owned 2 Interarms PPK/s pistols. Both were somewhat unreliable. I still have one of them, and I'm pretty sure I could get it to work by changing springs, mags, etc., but it's a collection piece and I don't carry it or shoot it much. If your PPK runs well, it would make a nice carry gun, but for a similar carry gun, I personally would go with a Bersa Thunder .380 or Makarov. There were many other good 9mm suggestions posted too. Let us know what you decide.