Walther PPK opnions please?

[megatronrules]

I am looking for ffedback on this gun it is a walther PPK not a PPK/s it has the shorter grip. It is finished in stainless steel and is marked "walther U.S.A. " and "springfield ma. LLC" under that on the right side of the slide. According to walther usa it was made in 2000 anything you can tell me about these guns would be great thank you.

 

[gvass]

The American made Interarms or SW (the mentioned is this) PPK pistols are far behind the original German pre-68 PPK in terms of quality, fit and finish, and a lot of owners reported UNreliability of these licensed copies.

 

[isp2605]

We use to issue PPK to our command. Additionally I've had 2 PPK. What you'll find are the 2 extremes and everything in between. The PPK will either be 100% reliable with anything you run thru it or it will choke on everything but FMJ (maybe not even FMJ) and nothing you'll do to it will make it run. If the one you're looking at is one of the latter then it can aggravate the heck out of you trying to get it to run right. If it's one of the former then they can be a fun little gun. Of the 2 PPK I had one would only feed FMJ (most of the time) and the other would do only W-W Silvertip reliably. Got rid of them and swore off Walthers forever. Then ended up with a PPK/s in a trade and it's been 100% reliable in everything I've fed it.

 

[Richochet]

Mega - I have a stainless PPK made in USA and would rank this pistol as "very good." My boss has one also with the same results. So I can speak from the experience of two of them as we've shot them alot together.

Compared to the Colt 380......the Walther will shoot circles around it in terms of accuracy. We have one of those too.

Reliability - Both of ours will shoot most any ammo. He uses FMJ almost exclusively, while I've shot it all with no problem.

They are both very accurate little pistols even with the rudimentary sights.

I have also learned something about malfunctions in auto pistols recently, but not from Walther. From Kimber as I just purchased a Kimber .45 ACP and it would jam about 1 round per clip. Sometimes two!

When I called Kimber to discuss it with them, they asked me how I cleaned the gun. I told them and they said I was NOT lubricating the gun properly after cleaning. Basically they said to thoroughly oil EVERY moving and sliding part extra good. Then they proceeded to lecture me about how tight the Kimber pistol is. They said after about 2,000 rounds I can actually consider the gun completely broken in.

I have followed their advice and guess what, the jamming went away! (Sometimes the factory does know what they are talking about.)
Kimber told me that 90% of the pistols that are sent back to them for feeding and jamming problems, the cause of the trouble is LACK OF LUBRICATION.

I think the same applies to the PPK. They are REALLY TIGHT when you get them. It's important that they be extra well lubricated, not just clean.

And they also need the daylights shot out of them. Most guys will run a box or two thru them and decide they are unreliable and get rid of them. I don't think it's quite fair to what is really a good pistol.

Now, if the pistol must perform jam free out of the box, Walther may not be for you. These little pistols are built like a tank...all steel and nothing skimped on. Most ARE going to take some breaking in.

My advice is clean it, OIL IT, shoot it. Repeat steps 1-3. I've probably fired mine now 500 rounds and it's pretty much 100%. I shoot the cheapest ammo I can buy for it.

Most automatic pistols have their quirks. The PPK can be no exception. You just have to figure out what it wants to be happy. Then both of you will be content.

 

[Serpico]

Even my beautifully finished pre-68 (1966 model) choked on everything..

 

[molonlabe]

I perfer Sig P230. Feeds everything never fails. I own one is stainless and it's accurate.

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg115-e.htm

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I like my stainless Interams PPK very much. Totally reliable and was my first CCW gun, until the Glock came along.

 

[Jiml3]

To parapharse Secy. Rumsfield, "It's old europe." Step up to a Sig P232 or
better yet, step up to 9mm via Kahr PM9, Rohrbaugh or Glock 26.

Jiml3

 

[Richochet]

Sigs have a great rep but I think they cost quite a bit more.

Personally, I think the smaller the auto, the more tempermental they can be. I'm happy with my PPK but I won't strongly champion it just because I have one and it works for me. It's whatever feels and works best for the individual.

Anyone looking for a good CCW in 380 should consider the Walther. It's got a lot of good qualities and features and for most people fills the bill.

 

[seed]

What about the Mak? Or Bersa?

 

[Trebor]

I really believe that if it wasn't for the "James Bond" mystique, the PPK would have been forgotten by American shooters long ago. It's an old design and there are better designs that have been developed since then.

For it's size, it's underpowered (.32 ACP or .380), non-ergonomic, has excessive recoil and does not have a good reputation for reliability.

Personally, I think the Makarov is twice the "shooter's pistol" as the PPK. I would never carry a PPK for defense. I carry a Mak almost every day.

 

[JohnKSa]

My SS Walther PPK is marked Interarms, Alexandria Virginia.

It has never jammed with any kind of ammo and is very accurate. It also points very naturally for me.

I don't recommend them though. They're pretty heavy in spite of their small size, and until they break in, chambering the first round can be irritatingly difficult.

 

[Haycreek]

Walther PPK opinions

IMHO a CZ 83 is a better choice.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My Interarms PPK/S is IWB from time I get up till I go to bed. Has never jamed on me and I have complete faith in it. I like the way a PPK feels in my hand and I enjoy shooting mine.I carry mine in a Don Hume IWB holster and don t even notice its there as I go about my day. If you want this cal. and size pistol and are leary of the PPK then consider the Bersa its a PPK clone that everybody seems to love,at least those that own one myself included.

 

[denfoote]

My friend's French made PP has been 100% after a break in.
It shoots to POA and handles the Federal PD hollow points as well as ball!!!
He's thinking of putting the G26 into the safe and hoofing the Mahnurin!!!

 

[middy]

The Bersa Thunder .380 is 3 times the gun for 1/3 the price.

 

[Richochet]

I don't know about the notion the PPK is "old technology." Truth is it's the same technology that's used in building almost every pistol made today. Kinda like calling a Winchester Model 70 "old technology." Most of our guns today are based on designs practically 100 years old simply because we don't have anything any better to run with.

I don't think anyone carries a 380 with the notion that they are armed with a real stomper gun that will blow anyone out of the saddle with a single strike. Unless you are a LEO and can carry what you want, where you want, all of us CCW people are forced into the smaller calibers. A 380 is about as big a gun as most of us can conceal effectively and I have no illusions about its power or abilities.

Still I don't want to get shot with one and doubt there are many chaps out there willing to face it. I've seen pipsqueek .25 ACP's give thugs a sudden change of attitude. The 380 is a cannon compared to that round.

So, all things being equal, I feel as well protected by my PPK as I would any other 380 or less. It all boils down to what pistol feels good to the shooter and what works for you.

The important thing to me with all these little guns is safety. They are so small that it is almost impossible to handle one without pointing it at everyone around, including yourself. I think they need an extra measure of caution and watchfulness every time we whip them out or go to the range.

 

[Jim K]

FWIW, I don't think Interarms ever made the PPK. They did make the PPK/S which is a hybrid of the PPK slide and PP frame; it was originally designed to gain enough points for import under GCA 68, but then was made in the U.S. When Interarms went out of business, and S&W took over production of the Walther pistols, they resumed production of the true PPK. Today, all PP and PPK production for the world market is in the U.S. None are made in Germany or anywhere else.

Jim

 

[JohnKSa]

Jim,

My Interarms PPK purchased new in the early 1990s is indeed a true PPK manufactured in the U.S. under license from Carl Walther--it says so right on the slide.

I specifically did NOT want a PPK/S because the grip frame was longer and I was looking for something as small as possible.

The PPK/S has an exposed steel backstrap on the grip and holds seven rounds of .380 in the mag. The PPK has the entire back of the gripframe enclosed by the grips and only holds 6 rounds of .380 in the mag.

 

[Marko Kloos]

FWIW, I don't think Interarms ever made the PPK.

Yup, they did. We have an Interarms PPK sitting on the store shelf right now...a genuine, six-shot, short-gripped .380 PPK, not PPK/S.

 

[Pilot]

Get a Makarov or even a Bersa. But I prefer the Mak for a pistol of this size and caliber. (yes I know, Maks are typically in 9MM Mak, but one of my five Maks, a Russian Commercial is in .380)