Is a Walther PPKs worth it?

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YES!!!

I've been carrying the PP series pistols for over 40 years. I've had the German Walthers, Manurhin Walthers (French), and the Interarms.

Currently I have a Manurhin PP in .32 ACP that gets carried and shot a lot. I also have a mint Interarms, SS, PPK/S in .32 ACP that is a true gem.

Having owned both the .380 and .32 versions my hands down favorite is the .32.

If you want a lot of great info on these guns check out the Walther Forums:

http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/pp-tp-series/

http://p38forum.com/forums/index.php
 
Love my PPK in .380, even if it's a Smith & Wesson model. No, the finish isn't as nice as the German ones, the French ones, or even the Interarms models. But it's a reliable gun... has eaten everything I've fed it with the exception of aluminum cased ammo, and always goes bang. Gets a lot of attention at the range and people always want to play with it.

Would I buy another? In a heartbeat! But I'd probably look for a Manurhin or German made one next.

I also have a .32 Manurhin PP that's an absolute joy to shoot. The PP series are great guns, I just wanted to get my hands on the original model in the original caliber.
 
Woodchuckassassin said:
Is a Walther PPKs worth it?
Damn these spy thrillers! Is a PPK worth the money? There trigger pulls seem ridiculous, but I'm looking for first hand experience. I would be looking at one of the newer S&W ones, not the old-school ones.
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My first carry gun was a PPKs ... sold it to a friend a couple of years later and replaced it with a PP ... sold that one and replaced it with a s/s PPK in ~'89. All were/are in 9x17.

The PPK was replaced as my primary carry piece after I purchased & tested the PF9 in 2007.

The PP-Series is classic. All of mine were reliable & relatively accurate. I love the look, the shape and the feel ... but ... the DA action is truly horrible (on all 3). It was so bad that I trained myself to cock-on-draw.

These days I would not buy one as a carry piece, since (I think) that there are many better choices, especially for the amount of money you would probably have to spend to acquire a PPK.

I have no experience with the S&W version.
 
That is what my wife wanted so I got her one, She is happy with it so I feel it was worth what it cost. :D To tell the truth I have shot a lot of more user friendly guns than this little rascal.
 
I have carried a variety of Walthers/clones over the years and still have them all - But the one I use now is a Hungarian PA 63 (PP copy) in 9mm Makerov.
I have a large hand and the PPK is OK, but not as comfortable as the PP frame.
The PA 63 in Makerov is the best of all worlds - comparatively small pistol in a very good caliber. It is also a flawless performer! The only thing I would think of replacing it with would be a PPK/S type in Makerov cal. Don't think anyone makes one?
Sarge
 
WoodchuckAssassin said:
Damn these spy thrillers! Is a PPK worth the money? There trigger pulls seem ridiculous, but I'm looking for first hand experience. I would be looking at one of the newer S&W ones, not the old-school ones.
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A 380 ACP PPK fit a need for me. I wanted a DA/SA small carry pistol and there are not many new ones on the market theses days, or at least in 2011 when I got my S&W built model. The DA trigger pull is, well. a DA trigger pull. SA pull is reasonable.

Last I looked a few months ago, Walther still cataloged the PPK in 380 ACP for the move to Arkansas. I am hoping they will bring back the 32 ACP, but I doubt it.

New PPK or PPK/s pistols are pricey, relatively speaking but used ones can be had for a reasonable price. I got a nice Interarms PPK/s in 32 ACP before Christmas for a nice price.
 
I procrastinated on buying a very nice blued Interarms/Ranger .380 PPK/S. Went back a couple of days with cash in my pocket and it was gone. :(

Several months later I found on a local gun forum a stainless version of the same with box, papers and three magazines. I bought it and carry it some but not much.

I would probably buy a blued one if I see one someday.

Got to remember the slide bite...Ouch! :scrutiny:

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I prefer my SIG P230 over the smaller but heavier Walther.

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I sold my Interarms PPK/S because the DA trigger pull was way too heavy. I never measured it but I would estimate that it was over 10 pounds.
 
I owned an old one many years back, but sold it to go to a 9mm off duty gun. I liked it a lot, but I could not afford to keep it.

A couple of years back, I saw a new one in the case at the LGS, and it's price was right so it came home with me. What a mistake. Nothing at all like the old one. I sold it fairly quickly. The disappointment with the new one has kinda made my memory of the old one slip a bit. I wonder if my memory is just a bit off. I wish I hadn't bought the new one.

I'm wondering if Walther, in general, is resting a bit too much on their reputation. Prior to obtaining a VP-9, I had a 4 inch PPQ. Sometimes it shot well, other times, it wouldn't feed anything. It had a wonderful trigger out of the box. After a few hundred rounds, it was so soft and so quick that I was afraid if it.

But I did not lose a penny on either Walther. They sold quickly for very near what I had asked.
 
I like mine a lot. I have an older one that I bought from a relative. It's a .380 and I know he had it since the 80's, but I never really looked into the exact year of the gun. I've never had any failures at all with it. Honestly the only reason I don't shoot it as often as I used to is because it wouldn't knock the plates all the way around on my dueling target. I still occasionally carry it in the small of my back if my clothing won't allow me to carry my G23. I qualify with it (as well as a few other pistols obviously) so that I can ankle carry it when I am on duty.

If you can find one for a good price I would say go for it. It's a classic!

I'd personally pass on the S&W ppk/s. In my very limited experience with them (never owned one, shot a friends a few times), there were some reliability issues. Not to say all of them were like that, but the one I shot a bunch of times was a junker.
 
I have a Walther .22 PPK/S and my friend has the same in .380. Have shot both and like both. My wife REALLY likes the .22 and she is wicked accurate with it. I have 3 other semi auto .22s and the Walther is my favorite....looks, feel, fit, and finish works for me.
 
GBExpat said:
Oh, that is just so wrong ... not only do they not have him with his 7.65x17 PPK, they change it to a Variant that owes its existance to the US GCA68. So wrong, so very wrong. :(
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You think that's bad? It's also got a biometric sensor that never gives a single false positive or false negative through the course of the film.
 
You need to get a German made one, pre 1976. When they work they are dead on accurate. I carried one for 20 years in the 70's through the mid 90's. They were the smallest gun you could carry other than a 38 snub.
I brought it with me when I moved, but it had slide problems every few years, "it would loosen up". I eventually sold it in FL.
I would not go that route again.
 
I haven't had experience with the PPK/S except the little .22. Love that little gun! Second time I took it out, I tried some CCI plain lead, round-nosed, target loads. After about 30 rounds, the little PPK/S started the FTF because the slide didn't come back far enough to cock the hammer. Also a couple of FTE. I don't know if it was lower power or dirty ammo that caused it.
I went back a few days later with some CCI copper coated hollow points, but still target loads. I shot either 60 or 70 rounds without any problems. I was curious and fired a 10 shot mag rapid fire, just as fast as I could pull the trigger. I have 3 mags. I ejected the first one, got to the 4th or 5th shot on the 2nd mag and had a FTF. I cocked the hammer and tried it again, nothing. Tried it one more time, still nothing. Ejected the bad one and finished the mag rapid fire. In all, I ran 40 rounds through the little PPK/S as fast as I could pull the trigger. No problems.
I know most of you are talking about the .380 and the .32, but I haven't had any experience with a .32; but have a little Bersa Thunder Concealed Carry in .380 that's great.
 
They need to be kept clean and lubed. And many people screw up the fit, not knowing how to disassemble it and reassemble it correctly.
 
I bought an Interarms PPK/S .380 and a Manhurin .22LR Some 30 or more years ago as a pair. Both are as reliable as the sunrise and extremely accurate. I have small hands and these pistols fit my hand as if molded with it. The price for both (then) was not that much but I realize inflation and government has pushed the cost way, way up. The .380 is one of my favorite carries. The other one is a German prewar PPK in 7.65 that I inherited as a war souvenir.
 
Worth it?
It is for me. I have an S&W model that has been 100% reliable with everything I've fed it. No slide bite. Next to my full size 1911, it is the gun I can shoot most accurately of the many that I own.
It's one I'll never sell.
 
For those that can't handle the trigger pull on the PPK series pistols, get the weight scale out and try the double action trigger pull on a S&W Chief's Special. Once you get an exercise program down for your trigger finger, you'll never notice the weight of the pull.

How many Walther's have I owned. Probably a dozen or so and counting their Hungarian clones upwards of two dozen. I've owned all except for the S&W version but have one of them on lay a way at my local dealer. Yes there are lighter pistols; yes there are more powerful pistols that are size and weight wise about the same; yes there are smaller in similar calibers; yes there are cheaper ones. That all being said what you get with a walther is a compromise.

Yes it's heavy, but the recoil is less noticeable than from the lighter ones. Yes the grip is large, but you can get a very decent grip on it unless you're built like Shaq. Yes the caliber is not as powerful, but being all steel, I don't think I ever saw one that had been shot out. Yes it has a DA pull from hell, but it won't go off accidentaly nor will you get a misfire from a weak primer hit. Yes, it is costly, but the ones made in the thirty's are still going pretty strong - that's what four generations.

Oh and as far as cost goes, with silver at almost $20.00 per ounce that makes a walther cost right at $35.00 or just one dollar more (real money) than what one cost from the 1939 stoeger catalog.:fire:
 
Whether it's worth it depends on how much stock you put in the iconography. Sure, there are better carry guns, but if you want a PPK, you want a PPK. I have several guns that "don't make sense" in this day and age, but I bought them anyway.
 
I have a Walther PP. Nice gun shoots very well in
single action mode. It is heavy and pulls your pants
down. The guys are right there are a lot better choices
that are more up to date.

Zeke
 
I have the new S&W PPK in .380 it's never missed a beat and it shoots good and fast,for an up close backup handgun. Takes some getting use to but it's a solid little handgun. With the new .380 ammo. it can be depended on.
 
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