James Bond Would Not Approve

ToddDubya

ToddDubya

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Today after taking my new PPK/S to the range and firing 150 rds through it, I was giving it a bath. The barrel was particularly dirty so I was giving it some extra attention. After running the brush and a number of patches through it a few times, it was nice and shiny. Well, almost. There was some crud at the muzzle.

I gave it a closer inspection and there are lips at the end of two of the rifling grooves. You can see them and feel them with your finger. I looked even closer at the crown and I could see that maybe half of the crown was cut, and half wasn't. It looks like maybe the tool they use to cut the crown was crooked. The two grooves that have the lips are in the uncut area. At first I was trying to justify just dealing with it but I figured what the hey, I'd give S&W a call. I know I'm no marksman, but there is no way these lips are helping my shooting any. And the crooked crown can only add to the problem. I'd rather not have it for a few weeks than be unhappy with the way it shoots forever.

After about 3 minutes on hold and one minute with a Customer Service rep, I have a return label on its way. I'm not happy that it has to go back, but I have to give S&W the opportunity to make it right. I'll post again once it's back home and I see what they've done for me (fingers crossed).
 
If you really like the PPK/S but can't stand the shit quality that is the S&W-made PPK/S, get an Interarms model. The S&W PP series guns seem to be plagued with problems.
 
I understand your misgivings and not to seem like my next comment is lessening your frustrations but it happens. S&W has a great customer service, more so then many today, and they will try to make you a satisfied customer. I disagree to first sending it to someone else for repair as it's a manufacturing issue, not a functioning one.

With that said, I also have a S&W PPK/S in .380. Mine was one of the older ones that got caught up in the recall so I went without for a couple months. Literately, thousands were sent back. Mine was one of the first in and they did them first come, first serve. I have no complaints, before or after the recall. As far as the Smith design goes, I like it over the previous versions, others don't. I find it a perfect fit esp. with the extended tail. The PPK was originally designed for .32 acp so the .380 models bring their own problems into it. There are also problems with any small pistols trigger pull compared to larger ones by way of a crisp let off by having a touch of creep in single action. It's just the way it is. I stick with 90-100 grain FMJ, which is what it's designed for, preferably S&B's as I find it a touch on the hot side, again, some prefer other brands. Mine has almost an 1/16" creep before let off, which isn't bad for smalls. Knowing that going into smalls will alleviate the rush for trigger work. As it is, I can't get it to malfunction. I've tried limp wristing it so that it practically falls from my hand when I fire it. Rapid fire as fast as I can pull the trigger and so on. I don't use hollow points at all in it. But I don't use them in my 45 either as neither one was designed for it.

The best thing I find for most ppk issues are to polish the feed ramps a bit. That could be why it's recommended to run a couple hundred through it before saying it has issues beyond having the parts working in together.

Sorry, I try and limit my answers to quick replies and always end up with a wall of words.

T.
 
vellnueve said:
The Interarms ones were crap too.
Click to expand...

I have to agree here. I could have added to my previous post but it was long as is.

Another thing about the PPK, it likes to be run slightly wet but clean. You don't want them completely/quasi dry. Can get a bit messy. I get around this by using a moly-teflone lube. I like Brownells but there are other brands. I use it on the metal to metal parts after a regular cleaning and oil. I put it on with a q-tip, let it sit a while then wipe it down. The moly-teflon bonds with the metal and lasts a long time, a couple hundred rounds any way but I usually only go a hundred or so and then clean it up.

T.
 
45collector said:
If you really like the PPK/S but can't stand the shit quality that is the S&W-made PPK/S, get an Interarms model. The S&W PP series guns seem to be plagued with problems.
Click to expand...

vellnueve said:
The Interarms ones were crap too.
Click to expand...

Taipan01 said:
I have to agree here. I could have added to my previous post but it was long as is.

Another thing about the PPK, it likes to be run slightly wet but clean. You don't want them completely/quasi dry. Can get a bit messy. I get around this by using a moly-teflone lube. I like Brownells but there are other brands. I use it on the metal to metal parts after a regular cleaning and oil. I put it on with a q-tip, let it sit a while then wipe it down. The moly-teflon bonds with the metal and lasts a long time, a couple hundred rounds any way but I usually only go a hundred or so and then clean it up.

T.
Click to expand...


bought my ex girlfriend a bersa thunder , well made and she loved it
 
You left out how the gun was shooting for you. POA or close? Good groups? I'd still send it back but it would be interesting to know if you had any problems in the accuracy department, possibly due to this problem.
 
vellnueve said:
The Interarms ones were crap too.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say they were completely crap, but the quality wasn't consistent, they were hit & miss.
I've seen good ones and bad ones from Interarms, fortunately I got one of the good ones.
Mine (a stainless PPK) has always performed in the way it was intended, but I've seen others that were jam-o-matics, especially their PPK/s models.
My dad bought an "s" in the late 80's and couldn't get through a magazine without some stoppage.
The dealer was a friend of his and swapped it for a PPK like mine, which worked just as reliably as mine does.
BTW, I don't remember Interarms having any recalls like the S&W built models did.
IIRC, Interarms wasn't using any MIM parts that were breakage prone, which was the problem S&W was having.
 
FPrice said:
You left out how the gun was shooting for you. POA or close? Good groups? I'd still send it back but it would be interesting to know if you had any problems in the accuracy department, possibly due to this problem.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it grouped well, but I attributed that to the short sight radius and the mediocre shooter. Most shots went left but every once in a while I'd have a pair of magazines that covered the entire target plus a couple of misses. I certainly wouldn't say any of my targets had any real discernable groups. In fairness to the gun, my range has a minimum shooting distance of 50', which might exceed my skill at this point.

As for the gun being the complete piece of shit I'm reading here, I wouldn't go that far. The only jams I encountered were with the box of Blazer steel cased ammo (oops, I didn't pay attention when I bought it). I also had a few that took more than one strike to fire, but those were also the Blazers. I ran a box each of Remington UMC and WWB and both cycled though it without a problem.

I've wanted one since I was waiting for my license so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
 
Todd, when you get that baby back from smith drop me a line. ill take you as a guest to the range im a member of that has an indoor pistol range where you can shoot as close or as far away as you wish, and ill bring some ammo to play with (no longer have a 380, and have some ammo to use/give to you).

sound chuch?

Dom
 
Zappa said:
BTW, I don't remember Interarms having any recalls like the S&W built models did.
IIRC, Interarms wasn't using any MIM parts that were breakage prone, which was the problem S&W was having.
Click to expand...

Inter arms PPKs were notoriously bad. Jamming and stove piping was considered a "feature". And character. Why would they recall them?


But are you all saying that the S&W is actually worse than inter arms?

That is bad.
 
Boom Shakalaka!

Well, I happened to be home today when Old Saint FedEx came down the chimney bearing arms. I dropped my Herbie Hancock on his e-lec-tronic signature machine, swept the dishes off the counter and onto the floor, and tore open the box. There I found my PPK/S, returned to me from finishing school. The crown had been re-cut (or really just cut all the way) and after I cleaned out the barrel I was able to confirm that the burrs are gone. Man, they must have put a bunch of rounds through it because it was filthy. I cleaned her up spic and span before sending her back and she certainly needs another bath. Oooh, you're a dirty girl.

Whoa, back on topic. So I think I'll take the scrubbers to her this afternoon and get over to the range for a test run. Note to self: watch the slide bite!

Step B: Order some better grips.
 
exodious said:
I've got some purdy wood grips but they need to be fitted, they interfere with operation...
Click to expand...

Hogue seems to have the market cornered on grips for this gun. I'm trying to keep my wallet pointed toward reloading equipment at the moment, but I'll probably cave in about a week.
 
S&W sent directions for shipping along with the shipping label. I know that doesn't count as legal advice, but it lined up with what I understood to be legal. The only thing it said to do that I wouldn't have done is inform the person you hand it to that the package contains a firearm. The woman seemed to handle things differently once I mentioned it, and I was more comfortable handing it over.
 
ToddDubya said:
S&W sent directions for shipping along with the shipping label. I know that doesn't count as legal advice, but it lined up with what I understood to be legal. The only thing it said to do that I wouldn't have done is inform the person you hand it to that the package contains a firearm. The woman seemed to handle things differently once I mentioned it, and I was more comfortable handing it over.
Click to expand...

If S&W advised you to do anything illegal, they'd be in a heap-o-trouble.

I'm betting their Lawyers are better than our Lawyers.

So if they provided a Shipping Label, I wouldn't hesitate to use it either. But that's me.
 

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