This Gun Is Making a Comeback: Walther PPK Is One Again in Production

[AHM]

Inner city thugs have two problems I don't envy them for:

... 2. Finding a place to practice.​

​

Anyone else remember a story about some folks in one of Beantown's poorer neighborhoods
who provoked a Police Action by plinking at a target on their back yard fence during a BBQ?

(Not claiming the plinkers were licensed,
but not calling them "thugs" per-se, either).

 

[fencer]

​

Anyone else remember a story about some folks in one of Beantown's poorer neighborhoods
who provoked a Police Action by plinking at a target on their back yard fence during a BBQ?

(Not claiming the plinkers were licensed,
but not calling them "thugs" per-se, either).

I don't remember that one, but my wife was watching an episode of Homicide Hunter a while ago about a guy that was sitting is his kitchen in Colorado Springs when all of a sudden dozens and dozens of rounds came through his windows. Blew his kitchen to smitherines, breaking dishes, the toaster, blender, through the refrigerator, it was a total mess. The cops thought it was a drive by shooting.
Then the cops did some investigating and broke out a map. It was two 12 year olds shooting at a street light about a mile away with 10-22's. They fired about 100 rounds from their back yard while mom ran to the grocery store.

 

[MisterHappy]

It truly amazes me that people have to be hatin' on a gun (or car, or coffee shop, or....) here on NES.

If you don't like the PPK, don't get one. I don't care for a Glock, but I fully support your right to Glock out.

 

[AHM]

... my wife was watching an episode of Homicide Hunter a while ago about a guy that was sitting is his kitchen in Colorado Springs when all of a sudden dozens and dozens of rounds came through his windows. Blew his kitchen to smitherines, breaking dishes, the toaster, blender, through the refrigerator, it was a total mess. The cops thought it was a drive by shooting.
Then the cops did some investigating and broke out a map. It was two 12 year olds shooting at a street light about a mile away with 10-22's. They fired about 100 rounds from their back yard while mom ran to the grocery store.

Did they manage to nail the street light?
=====
I may (may) have related the Intarweb story of the frustrated homeowner
who called the cops after yet another window was broken by incoming gunfire.
Cops show up, see that the wall of the house is riddled with large caliber holes.

They whip down to the (closest) gun club in that direction,
and find some guys firing a Barrett
that's skipping rounds off of a frozen berm.

The homeowner didn't mind the strikes on the woodwork,
but he hated replacing the window glazing.
=====
When we were on Long Island for my (10th?) high school reunion one summer,
WINS-AM 1010 was running with the explanation of the
"Long Island Expressway(?) Sniper".

Dude would set up up a paper target against the chain link fence
at the back of an idled department store's rear parking lot.
He had no idea that after his bullets hit the paper that they kept going,
and were hitting cars on the highway.

The Bride has never stopped being gobsmacked over that tale.
=====
But no evidence that Walthers were involved in these tales.

 

[Dennis in MA]

It truly amazes me that people have to be hatin' on a gun (or car, or coffee shop, or....) here on NES.

If you don't like the PPK, don't get one. I don't care for a Glock, but I fully support your right to Glock out.

No one is saying that PPK's should go the way of the dodo. Just that we don't like em. And you SHOULD like Glocks. So there! LOL

 

[Coyote33]

Hey @Nick Fury , is that a Bersa? What model? Like it? Thanks.

 

[Nick Fury]

Bersa Thunder in 32acp no longer made. Found them on Gunbroker a few years ago. I think they are great. I just bought a BP9CC for the wife. Great little nine for $250 out the door. Hard to beat that...

 

[BigTimber]

It truly amazes me that people have to be hatin' on a gun (or car, or coffee shop, or....) here on NES.

If you don't like the PPK, don't get one. I don't care for a Glock, but I fully support your right to Glock out.

Don’t think of it as hating it’s an act of love. We’re just trying to help others from making the same HUGE mistake we made buying one of these POS. And glocks rule. Because I love.

 

[BigTimber]

While I was walking around the house today after work I was thinking about this the thread and then I figured out how to summarize the PPK into one word...

"constipated".

So so many better choices. Movie appearances is about the one and only thing it has going for it.

 

[mac1911]

.380? I don't think that's going to sell very well.

thats what I thought when all those cute little 380s flooded the market a few years ago with the body guard , LCP and the like ? Thought the colt 1908 and the beretta of the times was going to see the end of the .380 20 years ago?
I wont be shocked if the .25 vest pocket pistols comes back into full swing ?

 

[Al-Jim19]

Ok first you've never shot or learned about a 7.62x25, 7.63x25, or 5.7x28.

Second, sub-0.355" calibers can penetrate bone and body parts quite fine and have been doing so since JMB's day. See pages 74-75 (86-87 of the .pdf):

http://www.specops.pl/vortal/download/files/shooting_to_live.pdf

Third, the vast majority of shooting deaths occurs with mousegun calibers like .25ACP, .32ACP, and .380ACP. Criminals who actually kill people don't carry 1911s or HK 45s. Source: pretty much any police report involving a shooting.

Check out this thread on The High Road. I pretty thoroughly believed that most shootings occurred using trash calibers. It might have been true at one time but a Leo member over there shared some interesting info.

What kind of guns do the bad guys carry?

 

[me109g4]

Got my first Walther pistol in 1984, an interarms blued PPK/S, had to send it back initially as it behaved badly. Once returned it was perfection, been carrying it since 84, interspersed occasionally with a Glock 19. Since then my Walther stable has grown, starting with an almost new 1931 PP in .32, various WW2 PP and PPK in .32, couple of 50's and 60's police PP's and Interarms Stainless PPk/S in .32 and .380. Even a Brit issued PP in .22. I learned quickly to keep far away from the Houlton built S&W Walthers, they either worked right out of the box or will never work, poor quality, mostly shoddy workmanship. As far as usage, the German military along with most European LE have been carrying the PP/PPK family of guns since the early 30's with the Brit Special Branch finally giving them up in the mid 90's due to one jamming on the job. Not many other firearms have a record like that so there must be something right about them.

 

[timbo]

I used to have a PP Super in 9mm Ultra. I dumped it because ammo was very hard to find for it. Nice pistol but impractical for me.

 

[majspud]

I carry my mid-1939 Nitro proofed commercial PPk. 7,65mm/.32 auto.

Going to put a box through it tomorrow.

t

 

[Coyote33]

thats what I thought when all those cute little 380s flooded the market a few years ago with the body guard , LCP and the like ? Thought the colt 1908 and the beretta of the times was going to see the end of the .380 20 years ago?
I wont be shocked if the .25 vest pocket pistols comes back into full swing ?

After the stabbing murder in West Boylston last week, my father in law suggested maybe I should buy the wife (his daughter) a .25. Door open, now to figure out what to do, and how to get there. Hate to start another "What pistol to get my wife" thread, but things have been changing quickly, even in the past 6 months.

 

[drgrant]

It truly amazes me that people have to be hatin' on a gun (or car, or coffee shop, or....) here on NES.

If you don't like the PPK, don't get one. I don't care for a Glock, but I fully support your right to Glock out.

The problem with the ppk is it sucks at everything except looking great. It would demonstrably suck less if the hammer had more mass (this would allow a much better trigger) and the action was smoothed out.

-Mike

 

[jct61765]

The single worst gun I have ever shot. Malfunction after malfunction. My buddy has one too and his is a steaming pile of crap too. We’d both be dead if we ever got in to a bad situation with it as our carry gun.

But we did get to pretend we were 007. So there’s always that

Those were probably the S&W one's. They were crap. The Germans were good. Heavy, but good.

 

[ISOTOX]

Have never had any issues with mine.....Not something I carry all the time but it is honestly one of the best balanced guns and fits well in my meat paws. Few tweaks here and there, smooth out some of the Sharpe edges and it turned into a nice pistol.

 

[majspud]

I also carry a 1910 .25, a 1915 .380, and a 1937 Detective Special. Depends on the season/clothing. Yes the vest Colt is small, but it will punch through half inch plywood and accepts Hornady FTX ammo.

t

 

[AHM]

After the stabbing murder in West Boylston last week, my father in law suggested maybe I should buy the wife (his daughter) a .25. Door open, now to figure out what to do, and how to get there. Hate to start another "What pistol to get my wife" thread, but things have been changing quickly, even in the past 6 months.

Stabbing murder in West Boylston last week?
Ah:
NES: Murder suspect fled to Mexico then back before slaying ex, DA says

Carlos Asencio is a "New Hampshire Man".
Maybe your wife should start by just keeping the hell out of Derry.

SIGH.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Those were probably the S&W one's. They were crap. The Germans were good. Heavy, but good.

Damn what goes around comes around and goes back around to come around again on the round.

I've heard too many German-import horror stories of PPK's. I can't see how you can screw up a blowback operated pistol, but I read countless articles 10-20 years ago about how crappy the Interarms and other imports were. They weren't "up to the Nazi standard" of manufacturing.

Then S&W came along and everyone THOUGHT they were the cat's behind. "Oh, there is no comparison. S&W just did a better job."

Now we are back to the "German imports are better."

Go figure.

I'll say this: I've heard a pile of problems with S&W over the years. That their modern revolvers aren't nearly as good as what they made years ago.

I've got a circa 2005ish Model 65. Amazing quality all around on it. Is it high polish blue? No. Stainless. Is it as smooth as you'd expect an old-school S&W to be? Yes.

I thin we all have a perception of what is good and bad and things are usually better than we imagine them. Except in politics.

 

[majspud]

The PPk at 50 feet today; 5 rounds PPU 71gr JHP.

t

 

[citoriguy]

Damn what goes around comes around and goes back around to come around again on the round.

I've heard too many German-import horror stories of PPK's. I can't see how you can screw up a blowback operated pistol, but I read countless articles 10-20 years ago about how crappy the Interarms and other imports were. They weren't "up to the Nazi standard" of manufacturing.

Then S&W came along and everyone THOUGHT they were the cat's behind. "Oh, there is no comparison. S&W just did a better job."

Now we are back to the "German imports are better."

Go figure.

I'll say this: I've heard a pile of problems with S&W over the years. That their modern revolvers aren't nearly as good as what they made years ago.

I've got a circa 2005ish Model 65. Amazing quality all around on it. Is it high polish blue? No. Stainless. Is it as smooth as you'd expect an old-school S&W to be? Yes.

I thin we all have a perception of what is good and bad and things are usually better than we imagine them. Except in politics.

I've been looking for PPKs & PPK/Ss and have heard all the horror stories, especially about S&W. Interarms has their fair share of complaints as well. I really just want a true PPK or K/S that functions better as a pistol than as a rock. The reality is that it's just so I can live out my James Bond days. Yes, I'm also looking for an Aston Martin DB5 too.

 

[Koolmoose]

I know 2 other people, besides myself, who have Made in Germany, Interarms PPK/s'. Those 2 are blued, while mine is stainless. None of the 3 guns has ever had a problem, to my knowledge. Once we were on the range and my friend had a squib that resulted in a bullet lodged in the barrel. Took care of that with a brass punch. We felt that was ammo, rather than the guns fault.
I suggest you look for a made in Germany, or a made in Germany Interarms one if you're shopping.

 

[AHM]

I've got a circa 2005ish Model 65. Amazing quality all around on it. Is it high polish blue? No. Stainless.

(Noted psittacine expert @one-eyed Jack can correct me),
but the High Polish Blue is not to be discounted.

 

[AHM]

(Noted psittacine expert @one-eyed Jack can correct me),
but the High Polish Blue is not to be discounted.

Oh wait - that's the Norwegian Blue; never mind.

 

[citoriguy]

I know 2 other people, besides myself, who have Made in Germany, Interarms PPK/s'. Those 2 are blued, while mine is stainless. None of the 3 guns has ever had a problem, to my knowledge. Once we were on the range and my friend had a squib that resulted in a bullet lodged in the barrel. Took care of that with a brass punch. We felt that was ammo, rather than the guns fault.
I suggest you look for a made in Germany, or a made in Germany Interarms one if you're shopping.

I have been looking for just that. The problems are the scammers, the fake descriptions, and in some cases, the price. I don’t mind paying for a collector grade piece if the gun actually fits the description.

 

[AHM]

I'd be afraid that those plastic grips would decompose at some point.
Oh well, the Germans were wizards at organic chemistry.
Maybe they're made of something rugged. (Thermosetting plastic?)

Still, if I owned something like that,
I'd be on the lookout for cheesy 3D printed replacements.

 

[MisterHappy]

The problem with the ppk is it sucks at everything except looking great. It would demonstrably suck less if the hammer had more mass (this would allow a much better trigger) and the action was smoothed out.

-Mike

Meh. I'm happy with mine.

De gustibus non disputandem est.

 

[majspud]

The problem with the ppk is it sucks at everything except looking great. It would demonstrably suck less if the hammer had more mass (this would allow a much better trigger) and the action was smoothed out.

-Mike

Well the .32 shot well today...the PPU runs 71gr/905fps/128ft-lbs kinetic energy

t