I would like to hear from folks out there who have had experience with the Walther. How does it compare with other .380s? Accuracy? Recoil comfort? Balance? Fit and finish compared to others like Kahr, S&W, Glock? How does it work for you as a carry piece? Thanks for your help. Tom
Walther PPK .380 questions
- Thread starter Sniper66
- Start date
- Status
I have the S&W/Walther marked one.. It's the only 380 I currently own. Owned a few but this one stayed...
Accuracy? Phenomenal for the size
Recoil? It will abuse you and chew the webbing of your hand up.
Balance? Perfect
Fit and finish? Good, could do without the huge billboards though.
Mines been 100% reliable.. Regardless of ammo...I did however, lock it up with the use of snap caps, almost had to take it to a Smith it was so bad...
I carry mine when I wear shorts and a Tee.
Cons...
Trigger sucks as with all PPK's
Small safety/decock is kind if hard to engage..
Accuracy? Phenomenal for the size
Recoil? It will abuse you and chew the webbing of your hand up.
Balance? Perfect
Fit and finish? Good, could do without the huge billboards though.
Mines been 100% reliable.. Regardless of ammo...I did however, lock it up with the use of snap caps, almost had to take it to a Smith it was so bad...
I carry mine when I wear shorts and a Tee.
Cons...
Trigger sucks as with all PPK's
Small safety/decock is kind if hard to engage..
I have a mid '80s Interarms version.
Cons:
Slide bite. I don't have issue here but nearly everyone else that has fired mine get bit.
Small front sight. It's getting a little hard to see for my aging eyes.
DA trigger pull. Mine runs just under 20 pounds. SA 5 pounds.
Recoil. Certainly not abusive, it is a .380 after all. A bit snappier than a locked breech action.
Pros:
Fit/finish very good to excellent.
Accuracy. 1.5" benched at 25 yards. No problem hitting a 12" gong at 50 yds. every time.
Very comfortable in MY hand, quick to the target.
Very concealable. Diappears in a good IWB holster reagrdless of season.
Cons:
Slide bite. I don't have issue here but nearly everyone else that has fired mine get bit.
Small front sight. It's getting a little hard to see for my aging eyes.
DA trigger pull. Mine runs just under 20 pounds. SA 5 pounds.
Recoil. Certainly not abusive, it is a .380 after all. A bit snappier than a locked breech action.
Pros:
Fit/finish very good to excellent.
Accuracy. 1.5" benched at 25 yards. No problem hitting a 12" gong at 50 yds. every time.
Very comfortable in MY hand, quick to the target.
Very concealable. Diappears in a good IWB holster reagrdless of season.
stogiegila
Member
Have the S&W version.
Feels great in the hand, even though it is a little on the heavy side.
Looks are fantastic, best looking gun I've seen
Accuracy is phenomenal, hit POA with ease
Recoil, is stout but not that bad
Reliable as long as you have a strong grip
Initially I ran into issues with FTE and the next round trying to load. It causes what I would consider a catastrophic failure as the gun doesn't have a slide stop and clearing this type of jam is time consuming.
Someone suggested that I was limp wristing, which I would have not have thought. I strengthened my grip on the gun and haven't had a problem since.
It does like hotter loads, but mine is 100% reliable now and it carries well IWB as well as in pocket.
I don't have any problems with slide bite or it beating up my hand.
Feels great in the hand, even though it is a little on the heavy side.
Looks are fantastic, best looking gun I've seen
Accuracy is phenomenal, hit POA with ease
Recoil, is stout but not that bad
Reliable as long as you have a strong grip
Initially I ran into issues with FTE and the next round trying to load. It causes what I would consider a catastrophic failure as the gun doesn't have a slide stop and clearing this type of jam is time consuming.
Someone suggested that I was limp wristing, which I would have not have thought. I strengthened my grip on the gun and haven't had a problem since.
It does like hotter loads, but mine is 100% reliable now and it carries well IWB as well as in pocket.
I don't have any problems with slide bite or it beating up my hand.
I have a S&W version. Unfortunately it is not a reliable pistol, failing to feed consistently with any of 6 different magazines and with every type and brand of ammo I've tried. I've spent a lot of time and expense trying to make the damn thing work and it simply refuses to function properly. I intend to trade this gun for something else very soon.
Now to the good points. It has near perfect balance and weight. I have large hands but it fits me well. The sights are small but the gun is easy to shoot and it's highly accurate. The double action trigger pull is heavy but very short. Single action pull is light and crisp. I find the recoil to be very light--I've never had slide bite or felt the least bit of discomfort in shooting the gun. Fit and finish are excellent. I've never carried it since it's unreliable but it is a good size and weight for a pocket pistol if that's your intention. If you get a reliable sample, the Walther would rank highly for a .380 carry piece.
Mine is definitely not in the same realm as a boringly reliable and trustworthy Glock. The only other .380 I have for comparison is a Bersa Thunder. The Bersa is not as pretty, not as finely finished, not as well balanced. But the Bersa goes bang every time I pull the trigger while the Walther doesn't. At just over half the price of the PPK/S, it's a much better pistol. If you are considering the Walther, you should also consider the SIG P232. From what I've read, it's considered a more reliable pistol by those with experience with both. I've never owned one so I have to personal knowledge of the gun. I do like SIG pistols.
Now to the good points. It has near perfect balance and weight. I have large hands but it fits me well. The sights are small but the gun is easy to shoot and it's highly accurate. The double action trigger pull is heavy but very short. Single action pull is light and crisp. I find the recoil to be very light--I've never had slide bite or felt the least bit of discomfort in shooting the gun. Fit and finish are excellent. I've never carried it since it's unreliable but it is a good size and weight for a pocket pistol if that's your intention. If you get a reliable sample, the Walther would rank highly for a .380 carry piece.
Mine is definitely not in the same realm as a boringly reliable and trustworthy Glock. The only other .380 I have for comparison is a Bersa Thunder. The Bersa is not as pretty, not as finely finished, not as well balanced. But the Bersa goes bang every time I pull the trigger while the Walther doesn't. At just over half the price of the PPK/S, it's a much better pistol. If you are considering the Walther, you should also consider the SIG P232. From what I've read, it's considered a more reliable pistol by those with experience with both. I've never owned one so I have to personal knowledge of the gun. I do like SIG pistols.
Gator06
Member
I owned a S&W version of the PPK/S for a few years and finally sold it because I came to the realization that I liked the idea of owning and shooting the gun more than I actually liked owning and shooting the gun. Initially wanted a PPK, but after handling a number of them I realized I needed a bit more grip.
All of these issues have already come up, but my take was as follows:
Pros:
-Beautiful gun
-Great Balance
-I bought a demo gun at a gun show so I got a great price
-Great history
Cons:
-Horrible double action trigger
-Beats up the web of your hand (thank you extended tang)
-Heavy for what it is
-No slide lock (so clearing malfunctions is a bit different when compared to other semi-autos)
Mine was super tight when I got it and the slide serrations did a number on my hands during the first few range sessions. I traded mine in and bought a Kahr CW9. While I don't like the look of it nearly as much as the PPK/S, I like shooting it a lot more. I had looked at a Bersa Thunder prior to buying the Walther, but ended up talking myself into the Walther. Wish I had just gone with the Bersa.
All of these issues have already come up, but my take was as follows:
Pros:
-Beautiful gun
-Great Balance
-I bought a demo gun at a gun show so I got a great price
-Great history
Cons:
-Horrible double action trigger
-Beats up the web of your hand (thank you extended tang)
-Heavy for what it is
-No slide lock (so clearing malfunctions is a bit different when compared to other semi-autos)
Mine was super tight when I got it and the slide serrations did a number on my hands during the first few range sessions. I traded mine in and bought a Kahr CW9. While I don't like the look of it nearly as much as the PPK/S, I like shooting it a lot more. I had looked at a Bersa Thunder prior to buying the Walther, but ended up talking myself into the Walther. Wish I had just gone with the Bersa.
My PPK/S is an Interarms from the 1980s. Dbl action pull (1st shot) is heavy but after that the trigger pull is quite nice. Recoil is pleasantly snappy and since I have small hands there is no problem with slide bite. Accuracy is quite astonishing for such a small pistol. The sights are NOT for target shooting but are adequate for the pistols intended purpose. The little gun fits me perfectly and is fun to shoot. The blued finish is deep and attractive and the gun is absolutely reliable. Some women (and men) with little finger strength will find the initial dbl action pull difficult at best.
MedWheeler
Member
I had a stainless Interarms PPK/S back in the nineties. Carried it as a BU/OD gun. Great shooter, and well-fit together. Quite accurate; I qualified better with it once than with my primary duty weapon (Ruger P-85 at that time.)
It did have some snap to it, but nothing out of line for me. As was mentioned, there is no slide-lock, either manual, or "last-shot."
It pocket-carried well. compared to other choices of the day. Such would be different today.
I sold it after leaving LE, during some hard times. Missed it when I returned to the firearms scene nearly 20 years later. Bought a Bersa Thunder as a replacement. Not quite as slim or small, and not quite as pretty, but for me, a better gun. It's lighter, has a smoother trigger, holds one more round than that PPK/S did (I think the current ones match the Bersa in round capacity), and was just a tick over half the price of a new PPK/S.
It did have some snap to it, but nothing out of line for me. As was mentioned, there is no slide-lock, either manual, or "last-shot."
It pocket-carried well. compared to other choices of the day. Such would be different today.
I sold it after leaving LE, during some hard times. Missed it when I returned to the firearms scene nearly 20 years later. Bought a Bersa Thunder as a replacement. Not quite as slim or small, and not quite as pretty, but for me, a better gun. It's lighter, has a smoother trigger, holds one more round than that PPK/S did (I think the current ones match the Bersa in round capacity), and was just a tick over half the price of a new PPK/S.
Had the original pre-1968 GCA PPK (shorter grip than the PPK/S).
Slide bite--yes.
Accurate--yes--can put bullet after bullet in nearly the same hole at 7 yds if you do your part.
Recoil--substantial as the grip is pretty narrow
Hammer bite--yes
Finish and fit--superb
Takedown--a bit primitive but easy
However, mine did not reliably feed hollowpoints--especially the truncated cone type such as the XTP. Would feed Golden Saber .380's a bit better because of the more rounded bullet profile.
Worked best with hot .380 FMJ ammo--Fiocchi seemed to be the preferred taste on feeding and accuracy for mine.
Trigger in DA--long and very heavy--SA-a pleasure--both smooth.
Safety/decocker--easy to reach even with small hands.
Magazine release is button type--most continental arms use the heel release which I hate.
Can't speak as to the more modern Smith/Interarm PPK/S (after the 1968 GCA--Walther had to merge the larger grip of the PP series with the PPK sized upper portion to meet standards for importation).
Summary, fun iconic gun (if you wore shooting gloves) that I would only use for self-defense if that was all I had. My late father used it primarily to shoot skunks on our farm--did the job quite well.
Slide bite--yes.
Accurate--yes--can put bullet after bullet in nearly the same hole at 7 yds if you do your part.
Recoil--substantial as the grip is pretty narrow
Hammer bite--yes
Finish and fit--superb
Takedown--a bit primitive but easy
However, mine did not reliably feed hollowpoints--especially the truncated cone type such as the XTP. Would feed Golden Saber .380's a bit better because of the more rounded bullet profile.
Worked best with hot .380 FMJ ammo--Fiocchi seemed to be the preferred taste on feeding and accuracy for mine.
Trigger in DA--long and very heavy--SA-a pleasure--both smooth.
Safety/decocker--easy to reach even with small hands.
Magazine release is button type--most continental arms use the heel release which I hate.
Can't speak as to the more modern Smith/Interarm PPK/S (after the 1968 GCA--Walther had to merge the larger grip of the PP series with the PPK sized upper portion to meet standards for importation).
Summary, fun iconic gun (if you wore shooting gloves) that I would only use for self-defense if that was all I had. My late father used it primarily to shoot skunks on our farm--did the job quite well.
Ignition Override
Member
How often are handgun shots made at over 10 feet away, in a US self-defense situation? We're talking about the movie "Heat"?
It seems unlikely that a handgun requires the accuracy of a Lee-Enfield rifle. Recognizing that a dude who looks fairly normal, but who moves in a subtle manner, or from a blind spot (after passing you on a busy downtown Milwaukee street at 2:00 PM: circa 1994) seems to be much more valuable than pinpoint accuracy. But I could be mistaken.
It seems unlikely that a handgun requires the accuracy of a Lee-Enfield rifle. Recognizing that a dude who looks fairly normal, but who moves in a subtle manner, or from a blind spot (after passing you on a busy downtown Milwaukee street at 2:00 PM: circa 1994) seems to be much more valuable than pinpoint accuracy. But I could be mistaken.
Last edited:
- Status