Walther PPK Question

[Prince Yamato]

I'm hankering to get one of these guns. I like little guns and in the shop these feel great in my hands. My question is this:

What is the recoil on the PPK like? I've heard that it "bites". The comparable guns that I have shot are all in 9x18 makarov:

The IJ-70 commercial mak, the FEG PA-63, and the Polish P-64. For those with Makarov experience, which of these guns feels close to the PPK? I personally found the P-64 a little snappier than I would have liked (it "bites")

Finally is there any difference in recoil between a PPK and a PPK/S ?

 

[searcher451]

Recoil with either the .32 or .380 cartridge in either the PPK or the PPK/S is not the issue. But the famed "Walther bite" is a true phenomonon if you have large hands and aren't careful about where you place them when you fire one of the German-made or Interarms Walthers. The blowback nature of the design and the smallish tang, or beavertail, will nip the unwary shooter in the meat between the thumb and index finger. An LEO friend who carried one as a backup for years proudly shows off what he calls his "Walther scars" on both hands. The current S&W-made Walthers eliminated this issue. S&W extended the beavertail to the point where it's doggone near impossible for the gun to bite. Not everyone is enamored with the S&W design and performance, however. And truth be told, the German-made guns -- the true Walthers -- are by far the best of the bunch available and are well worth owning. The Interarms copy is decent enough, reliable, and remains true to the original Walther design, which means it has the same small beavertail. It also is available in stainless steel, which makes it a good carry candidate. If you get a S&W version, be certain that you find one that works; not all of them do.

 

[Pa.Bill]

You may want to take a look at a PPK clone.
The Bersa Thunder .380. Excellent little gun for half the price and
some say they are better. But thats a personal choice
On the Bersa, if safety is in the safe position when sending the slid home, it will hit your thumb knuckle.

~BEST~
Bill------------------->

 

[usp9]

I find My Interarms PPK/S .380 to be very comparable to the Makarov M 9X18 in recoil. The Mak may be a little easier due to it's larger grip, but it's a close call. A PPK will be a little harder in recoil simply due to the shorter grip. My PPK/S has not "bitten" me for some reason while my PP has...go figure...maybe because the PP is a bit more narrow. Bottom line, if you like the Makarov, then the PPK/S will be no surprise.

 

[Mad Magyar]

What is the recoil on the PPK like? I've heard that it "bites".

The bite is due to some sharp edges on the earlier models that can be cured with a little emory cloth & small file...On my InterArms, they were located on the rear portion of the slide & tang.
However, I find the recoil "stout" due to being on a small package. The nice part is it's accuracy & reliability.....

 

[Z71]

I've got a West German Walther PP .32 and a American made Walther PPK/S .380 pistol as well.

I find the slightly bigger PP .32 pistol to be a dream to shoot. The shorter, stouter .380 PPK/S has just a touch of recoil bite. Mainly because of the square backstrap biting into the web of my hand.

I've never had hammer bite or anything like that though. I like my Walthers. They are fine handguns.

 

[GLOOB]

Love my PA-63. It has a true drop-safe trigger safety.

 

[flusher]

a 1967 German Made PPK 380

 

[Black Majik]

It's a snappy little pistol. Not as lightweight as the newer pocket guns coming out but a fine pistol still. Slide bite is a real issue, I don't get hammer bites on any guns except the PPK. My hands are skinny so it usually clears the hammer/slide during recoil, not in this case. Trigger pretty much sucks, especially in DA, but the gun is pretty accurate out to 10 yards.

 

[1895GS]

The PPK is a great little gun, recoil is no problem, the sights are pretty good, it feels good in the hand, and c'mon, you feel a little like James Bond. On the downside, my interarms model has more sharp edges than a porcupine, and the trigger is less than stellar. Still wouldn't sell it, but would prefer a PPK/S.

 

[Tom Fury]

Hi-Powers bite me; PPK/S surprisingly does not.
Recoil is stout, but you get used to it.
A bit heavy, but something about it just feels...right.

Cheers, TF

 

[Prince Yamato]

Is the gun picky with ammo? I generally only fire two types of ammo out of my guns, Winchester whitebox, or Wolf.

 

[searcher451]

All of my PPKs work flawlessly with Winchester white box, regardless of whether they are German-made or manufactured in the USA by either Interarms or S&W. I use Speer Gold Dots in my carry gun; it, too, cycles reliably, time after time.

 

[51Cards]

I have an S&W that's pretty much flawless. BIG DA pull, great SA. Seems to work with anything (except a S&B squib I had once). Felt recoil is minor compared with, say, a Kel-Tec. Jams are a pain, because there's no slidelock (except an empty magazine). Takedown takes less time than typing "takedown."

 

[usp9]

Is the gun picky with ammo? I generally only fire two types of ammo out of my guns, Winchester whitebox, or Wolf.

WWB has worked fine in my PPK/S. I've never tried Wolf.

 

[misterwhipple]

My Smith & Walther has never bit me the way I've read about, but the slide does have a lot of really sharp edges all over.

I don't have an especially strong grip, and I'm having to practice carefully to avoid limp-wristing and failures to feed/eject. Hot loads like Cor-Bon seem to cause me more trouble.