Walther PPK carry condition?

[Steve H]

I have a Walther PPK (Interarms) that I never have used as a ccw. I have shot this gun A LOT and have found it to be 100% reliable with any ammo I feed it. What is the recommended carry condition for a PPK? I always carry my 45's in condition 1 (one in the pipe and cocked and locked).

 

[Toml]

I carry mine chambered with the safety off. First shot double-action takes care of safety issues in my opinion.

 

[Steve H]

The first being DA does make chambered and safety off seem a smart way.

 

[Toml]

Yep. Just remember to decock it after chambering the first round.

 

[Steve H]

Does your safety decock or do you have to do the thumb on the hammer thing and pull the trigger?

 

[Toml]

Moving the safety lever decocks the hammer. Even that gives me the jitters, but it's far safer than slipping the hammer.

Edited to add: 1967 vintage in .32 acp.

 

[Steve H]

I moved the safety from "safe" to "fire" and the trigger moves forward. The hammer stays in a sorta forward position.

 

[Phantom Captain]

If it gives you the jitters do it the way I have always done on pistols of this type. Move the safety lever but keep your thumb on the hammer and gently lower the hammer instead of letting it slam forward into the block.

Once the hammer is down work the safety one more time to release the trigger and you are in DA mode.

 

[bnz43]

First round chambered and loaded safety off. Long pull for the first shot, next ones not so much.

 

[dfariswheel]

I moved the safety from "safe" to "fire" and the trigger moves forward. The hammer stays in a sorta forward position.

Your Walther is defective. Don't shoot it until you get it repaired.

On the PP series, when the safety is engaged with the hammer cocked, the safety locks the firing pin, rolls a steel block in front of the firing pin so the hammer can't touch it, then drops the hammer.
The trigger stays back until the safety is turned back off, then it springs forward.

Even so, just as a sort of "belt and suspenders" thing, I always held the hammer as I applied the safety and eased it forward.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Sorry, I understood your post, but my mind somehow connected carry into concealed...Yes, decocked and locked; remember the safety goes up not down for firing...
BTW, as suggested by D..wheel: make sure your decocker is functioning correctly.

 

[Archer1945]

De-cocked and locked

 

[billybob44]

I moved the safety from "safe" to "fire" and the trigger moves forward. The hammer stays in a sorta forward position.

And now move the safety into "Safe" position. Draw weapon, move safety to "Fire" position, double action fire for first shot. That's what I do on my PPK .380acp. Just my 2c worth..Bill..

 

[MICHAEL T]

Chamber a round ,De cock safety off Its just like a DA revolver then Long trigger is you safety.

 

[P7]

I have read of safety concerns with the Walther decockers. You might want to do a search on this topic.

 

[NoAlibi]

Decocker Failure

I have a Walther PPK and a PPK/S.

I purchased the PPK new in 1966 and never had a malfunction with it.

I traded for the PPK/S in 1983 from the original owner (I don't know when he bought it.) and rarely shot it. Sometime in 2001 I was demonstrating to a new shooter how to decock it, finger off the trigger, and the pistol fired when operating the decocker. There's a reason why you obey the 4 rules of gun saftey and this was one of them.

I tried several more times to duplicate the malfunction but could not do so. I've since put the gun away and I don't use it mainly because the hammer bites the web of my hand.

What could have caused this one-time failure?

Has anyone on this site had a similar experience?

 

[Mad Magyar]

Sometime in 2001 I was demonstrating to a new shooter how to decock it, finger off the trigger, and the pistol fired when operating the decocker. There's a reason why you obey the 4 rules of gun saftey and this was one of them.

In one of his last comments in "Coopers Corner", Jeff Cooper stated w/o any reason that he distrusted decockers....Like many of you, I keep it down & away and ride it home for the last bit of safety...

 

[GCBurner]

The times when I carry my PPK, it's with a round chambered, the hammer decocked, the trigger forward, and the safety On. The safety blocks the firing pin, as well as decocking the hammer, so I feel it's a little extra measure of safety, in case the hammer gets hit, or the gun gets dropped for some reason. It's no problem to thumb the lever up to the Fire position when the gun is drawn, and I've practiced quite a bit with firing shots double-action.

When I carry my P-38, I do the same thing.

 

[KsThumper]

When I carried my Interarms PPK/S made in the USA by Ranger, it was in Condition 2 - chambered round, magazine topped off, hammer down and safety on. I de-cocked by thumbing the hammer down WHILE flipping the lever to safe.

There is a two part safety on PP's, PPK's and PPK/S's made by Walther in Germany, by Manurhin in France or Interarms in the US. Engaging the safety rolls a block over the firing pin and drops the hammer. With the safety on, the firing pin is blocked and the hammer will only move to cock about 1/8th inch.

There was a problem with some early production Smith & Wesson PPK and PPK/S Walthers. With the safety engaged, some did not fully block the firing pin and/or limit hammer movement. It was possible to thumb the hammer to full cock and then let it drop resulting in a discharge.

Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols Safety Recall

Effected S&W Walters which have been repaired will have a punch dot at the back of the frame. Newer production Walters will not have the punch dot. Bottom-line, if you have a S&W Walther check the serial number.

 

[DBR]

I have a 1996 vintage Interarms PPK. It is my understanding that if the hammer is lowered and the safety is not returned to the safe position then the gun is not "drop safe" with the firing pin blocked.