Interarms PPK/S...when was it manufactured?

Status
Not open for further replies.
My PPK/s stainless is S0347xx and the test target is 11--7- ..... arrrggghh!!!!!!!!!!

However, I know for sure it was sold as new prior to 1993
 
"Interarms" PPK/S

First of all Interarms themselves never made the PPK/S. Interarms had a license from Walther Germany and the PPK/S was made by Mid-South Industries in Gadsden, Alabama for Interarms. (See page 110 of the great coffee-table book "Walther, A German Legend" by Manfred Kersten). My "Interarms" PPK/S s/n S158845 was test fired on February 18, 1999. Great gun, never gave me a problem.
 
One that always drove me nuts is I picked up one in the PPK/s version with a PP barrel of all things. Got a good deal on it so that was OK plus it was a easy fix.
 
Interarms Serial # info for the list

Hi guys,
New member and 1st post after a search for SN's for the PPK.

I bought my .380 PPK in 1989 from the estate of a LEO. Its an Interarms. Stamped (with the usual stampings)left side: "Made in W. Germany", Ulm/Do. marking, Right side: Eagle or crest over N on slide and frame, IA near the stag horn (1980?) SN 243XXX on slide and 243XXXXA on frame.

It's in the original plastic box with the inst manual, Interarms warranty and proof target with SN but no date. Never a misfire, ftf or fte. Carried as back up for about 5 years.

Picture to follow...
 
I've been trying to track down the date mine was made. My test target states 6/10 and that's it. While tracking it down, I found someone with a serial number within 100 numbers of mine. A0586XX. They stated their test target date was May 1991. I noticed, that stamped on the original case, underneath the second mag mold, is a stamp that says "4/91" Is that a coincidence? Or could that be a production-date stamp? Of course, that would just mean the production of the case, but I would imagine they correlate fairly closely to the gun production date.
 
I just bought a used PPK/S today with a serial # starting with S038.... I didn't get a test target or any original paperwork with it.

From what I've read so far, I'm guessing it was made sometime between the mid 70's and 1990? It looks like it was NEVER fired! Even the guy in the shop thought it looked unfired. Kind of makes me want to keep it that way. What do you guys think?
 
If you stored your gun for a hundred years or so, Max, keeping it in pristine condition all the while, you'd have something. Trouble is, you'd have to live for another hundred years. Good luck with that.

The Interarms model PPK is a fine pistol, designed to be fired and used. You can't hurt it by firing it, and you can't do much to its overall finish even if you carry it concealed for personal protection. My advice is to hammer away with it and have some fun; the Interarms folks made dandy little pistols.

When you find yourself a pristine German-made PPK that is NIB, that's the one to tuck away in the safe for the next hundred years or so. :)
 
I was searching the net tonight for PPK info, and ran across this thread. Reason being I bought a PPK made in '66 today. It's .32 and I've never seen another PPK for sale in this caliber. I have looked for a least 10 years for an Interarms stainless PPK in .32. The only .32's I've seen are the PPK/S. This gun must have been imported just before the '68 gun act. I paid $475 for it (seems a little high) and the gun is about 95%. Sorry for the "thread hijack" but what's the current pricing on these guns, as in used.
 
The easy answer: Likely in the $500 to $595 range.

But as always, the value of your PPK depends greatly on who might want to buy it from you and how much that person would be willing to pay. As you correctly point out, you don't see many of them advertised, which greatly increases the want-it value. But you still have to find someone who really wants it. The last time I saw one for sale, and it was three or four years ago, it was listed for $650 and lingered for a time at that price. It eventually sold, but who knows for how much?
 
PPK/S Year Information

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum. Just bought an Interarms PPK/S and found this thread when trying to find a date on my gun. I have some information that may be helpful to you all. My gun came with its original case and underneath the foam that the gun sits in was the original receipt from the gun's first owner.
My Interarms PPK/s (stainless steel) was purchased NEW on 4/25/1987. Serial # S039XXX. Hope this helps.
 
Just to muddy the waters a bit further, back in the mid ‘90’s I worked for Mid-South Industries, the parent company of Ranger Manufacturing which did the actual fabrication and assembly of the Walther PPK/S for Interarms at the time. An employee or anyone who wanted to make a special order could get a Walther pistol made with any serial number that was legal, such as a sentimental date or alphanumeric string that had some personal meaning. I’m sure that “custom” serial numbers on Interarms Walthers are rare but not unheard of.
 
Walther

I just inherited a Walther this week. I am wondering about it... year made, value.... On the Left side close to the front it has the Walther banner and " made in the USA". In the middle, in 3 lines, it has (1st line) Under license of,
(2nd line) Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do, (3rd line) Modell PPK/S Cal 9mm kurz/.380 ACP. On the Right side, close to the front, it has INTERARMS (1st line), Alexandria, Virginia (2nd line), then the serial # S014XXX is in two places, just above the trigger and just behind the trigger. It appears to be stainless to me, with black cross hatch grips on the handle. Any information would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
The same rules apply: No known source of Interarms-made pistols exists.

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?t=10755

The best you can do is to compare your serial number to reported guns with known dates based on original sales slips or test target dates. You might get lucky.

Congratulations, by the way. The Interarms/Ranger folks made a nice gun. FWIW, Interarms was quite picky about what it accepted and what it did not. It was said at the time that as many as 7 out 10 guns shipped were deemed unacceptable and returned to Gasden.
 
Interarms Serial # info for the list

Mine is a very low S prefix number in stainless. The date on the target is 8-9-83. My guess is 1983 might be the start of the S prefix. SN # S000944. Hope this helps the list - Phil
 
I'm still confused.
Didn't Ranger have to keep SOME records for their FFL??
Weren't they required to keep some kind of manufactures bound book???
Were there no BATF inspections over the years???
There has to be records somewhere!!!
Anybody think to ask the feds???
 
i have a interarms 380 ppks ,my test target says 8-23-96 . serial S142XXX.
this may help with manufacture date.
 
Denfoot: To the best of my knowledge, the question has been put to both the feds and to the Interarms folks after old Sam's passing, and more than once. And while the records no doubt exist somewhere, likely in some storage vault owned by the BATF, no one has been able to successfully unearth them, which is more than a bit on the crazy side. When you consider the fact that we have the records for all of the P.38 pistols made by the Nazis during WWII, despite the fact that country was pretty much blown to smitheerens during the war and by the additional fact that the Russians packed up pretty much everything they could from the Walther plant at the end and carted it all back to the frozen tundra, and yet we still have no records from the Interarms/Ranger days, well, it absolutely boggles the mind.
 
As with all things, the records for the Interarms/Ranger pistols were recorded on tape and routinely passed along to the BATF crew. If the BATF folks saved them, then the records would be available today -- if, in fact, someone were inclined to file an FOI request to get them out of hibernation. The cost would be considerable, no doubt, seeing as how the government would require a copying charge, and a lot of copies would be necessary to cover the serial numbers of all of the guns made.

What's really needed is for someone living close by to get inside and examine the records and get a month-by-month assessment of the pistols that were made during the term of the Ranger/Interarms contract. Even that wouldn't be a sure bet, however. Consider, for instance, the gun that was assembled, sent to Interarms, inspected and returned as wanting, only to be reworked and refitted, or perhaps even retrofitted, and then revamped and sent back for additional inspection and perhaps even eventual acceptance. But ... it would be far better than what we have now, which is nothing but the test targets, and those are only good when they were recorded with full dates: a month as well as a year. Too often, that, too, wasn't the case.
 
PPK stainless .380 A043149 11/7/1989
PPK stainless .380 A0509xx 1990 purchase
PPK stainless .380 A058xxx 6/19/1991
PPK stainless .380 A067365 1993 purchase
PPK stainless .380 A068995 7/28/1993
PPK stainless .380 A079617 2/2/1995

PPK/S stainless .380 S101380 2/25/1993
PPK/S stainless .380 S1598xx 6/24/1999

PPK/S stainless .380 S0176xx mid 1970's

Add Mine:
PPK Stainless .350 A087XXX Test Target dated 5/19/99.
 
But as always, the value of your PPK depends greatly on who might want to buy it from you and how much that person would be willing to pay. As you correctly point out, you don't see many of them advertised, which greatly increases the want-it value.
Click to expand...
There's always 20 of them on Gunbroker. I'm looking for a nice Interarms (preferably a German made one) so I always watch.
The US made Interarms sell in the $500 range.

BTW, I'm not sure there really are any German made ones. Aren't the German stamped ones made in France and assembled in Germany?
 
The Germans made the PPK through the war years. It was after the war that things changed because of the various treaties, and the licensing of the PPK and the PPK/S was shipped off to France (and, later, to the USA). This might help:

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?t=10386

As to availability, you'll see a great many of the PPK/S models advertised on Gunbroker, GunsAmerica, etc. You don't see many PPKs offered.
 
I have a stainless Interarms PPK:
S/N: A021488
Purchased 1/29/1988
Target has 2 initials followed by "9/16" probably "9/16/1987"
 
Jim: You are probably correct, although it's a guess at best -- and always has been with the Interarms-model PPKs. The firearm in question could have been sitting on the shelf at the local gun shop for a couple of years before you (or someone) happened along to buy it. It also could have been built by the plant in Alabama, shipped to the folks at Interarms for inspection, been rejected and returned to Alabama for additional work (this happened far more than folks realize), sat in the plant for who knows how long, and then eventually returned to the Interarms folks for final testing and distribution. When it was actually made is anyone's guess, really, which continues to be a shame. It sure would be nice to get the definitive list of the dates of manufacturer of these pistols.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

JohnKSa
  • Locked
PPK Country of manufacture.
Replies
7
Views
2K
JohnKSa
JohnKSa
G
  • Locked
Walther PPK and PPK/S
Replies
11
Views
1K
MICHAEL T
M
R
  • Locked
S&W Walther PPK
Replies
19
Views
3K
Erik
E
R
  • Locked
Walther PPK
Replies
3
Views
476
modifiedbrowning
M
H
  • Locked
PPK - S&W vs Interarms Question
Replies
8
Views
781
Spyvie
S
Back
Top