Mom and pop local hole in the wall shops can be a real gem. They can have things the big box stores don't and it can be at a steal of a price at that as they might have not kept up with the insanity of certain things!

Like the prices between Interarms W. German, Interarms USA and Smith & Wesson manufactured PPKs.

Just at random I had my brother pull in to this little shop in the little big town part of Dawsonville.

They had man Barbies covering the wall and Glotches all in the cases, then there it was, all by itself, unwanted in the corner of a case. Nobody wants real metal anymore.

A West German Walther PPK/S just like the one I traded to get my first JK Sig all those years ago. How I have missed that pistol so much.


I'll take a 1970's W. German Interarms all day long over the USA manufactured.

I managed to find an original 7 round flat bottom mag and an under the shoulder SPECTRE reproduction holster and they are on the way!

Yes, I know Bond carried a PPK and not the S, but by damn, I want this and I like the feel of the steel backstrap and having the extra round.

Well-done, Commander!

Seriously, congrats on the find(s) - it’s been too long since I’ve visited such a mom-and-pop outlet.

One of the sexiest guns I have ever owned.
Also the worst shooting one.
Mine wasn't a German gun but an Interarms build.
It jammed, hard to rack, slide-bite and caused me to trade it away and forsake 380 cal forever.

HOWEVER, if I had one like yours and it shot fine - I would be in love again.
So congrats and best of shooting to you.

Cool!

Been there a few times.

Looks like I missed one.

My shit pictures do this fine pistol no justice.

The Walther royal bluing is just luscious.

With 7 rounds, the weight is dang near the same as my 365X with 12. They are almost identical dimensionally.

I am going to try to locate some PowRball ammo for blowback cycle pistols. It made my last one function flawlessly for defense. A little snappy, but it cycled reliably. PowRball seemed like a gimick, but it sure worked well in the PPK when conical or RN hollow points just jammed as they were just not quite the same dimensions as FMJ RN.

My experience is very similar to smschulz. Owned a couple, both blue and stainless, neither worked. I even had a TPH. No luck there either.
PowerBall worked well in my non HP friendly P6. I dont know if its in production anymore.

Since I do try shoot every gun I have, I will give this a test with 95gr WWB JRN and some my hand loads to see how it works.

My last one always functioned with FMJ RN and even LRN handloads. It only ever hung up on hollow points. I shot it all the time. It was snappy, but it always worked.

However all I have ever known was W. German Walther manufacture.


I found where to get the corbon powrball ammo, so that will get tested also.

We went in just to waste some time, as I've past by there for years and never went in.
I peeped through the cases and saw it sitting in the corener.
"Hey Marzy, they have a PPK." THen went about looking the store over.
I wander back over and he's grabbed onto it with a death grip. then I hear "I'll take it".

There's a Remington nylon 22 there. In GREAT shape. Dammit.
It looks like some kid inherited grandads collection and sold it all to them.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:


There's a Remington nylon 22 there. In GREAT shape. Dammit.
It looks like some kid inherited grandads collection and sold it all to them.

My brother bought a nylon 22 forty years ago. Probably hasn't fired it in 39.
Next time he's in town I'm giving him some power tools I don't use.
Maybe I can talk him out of it.

Ah the Remington Nylon 66. Prices turned pretty stupid awhile back when I was looking for a nice Chrome Apache Black like the one I had when I was a kid. What used to be $300 to $400 only a few years ago for a clean-looking rifle jumped to prices getting uncomfortably closer to a grand for rather cosmetically sketchy examples. Ouch.

Still pains me that Dad inadvertently sold mine off after I left it with him when I went to college. Never seem to encounter these at any of the small gun shops around here, though they do regularly show up on GB. Right now prices are all over the place, with at least a couple of listings asking a frickin' FOUR figures. One of them is at Daniel Defense V7 level money, complete with somewhat less than sharp images that don't quite show just how true to "near perfect" the seller's claim really is.

Yeah, no. I liked my old Nylon a lot as a youth, but not that much as an adult. Nostalgia has a price that sometimes can lead to trouble, but my threshold isn't close to being that high.

But back on-topic: at the local mom n pops, even if I've had little luck when it comes to bucket list long guns, they have yielded a fair share of desired handguns, some pretty sweet shooters over the years. My stainless P232 alternative to the PPK was a small shop buy, as was my cherished KE P228 and blued 4" Python. A lot of other classics in my safe also were purchased from small local shops as well. And then there were the few that I hesitated on and crushingly let slip away. Yup, those small, locally owned gun shops can be at times a treasure trove of hidden diamonds.

Oh, btw...nice looking Walther. Can't stand shooting them though they do cool. But since I already have a .380 that I don't particularly enjoy shooting (SIG P232), a PPK or PPK/S will most likely never be in the cards for me. Besides, I never really liked martinis. And DB5s have gotten crazy expensive these days.

The web of my hand hurts just from looking at those photos.

quote:

Originally posted by monoblok:
Can't stand shooting them though they do cool.

Pretty much this. Worst slide bite I've ever had was from a PPK/s.

Sweet looking gun, enjoy!

Ppk/s was used in recent films. I snagged a PP for a good price and enjoy shooting that. Fulfills my Dr. No dreams.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Yes, I know Bond carried a PPK and not the S, but by damn, I want this and I like the feel of the steel backstrap and having the extra round.

There's at least one movie where Bond uses a PPK/S. When he meets the new Q in Skyfall, Q issues him a PPK/S with electronic palm reading 'smart gun' technology.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:

There's at least one movie where Bond uses a PPK/S. When he meets the new Q in Skyfall, Q issues him a PPK/S with electronic palm reading 'smart gun' technology.

I had no idea! Checking it out now!

Glad you are happy and I agree about steel or at least metal and not plastic ....

If it just didn't have that little flippy thing on on the side and the red dot telling you it's okay to pull the trigger.

They have to be in the running for the best looking handgun design ever.

Spent a portion of my day off visiting a couple of small LGSs that I haven't been to since before the Wuflu. At one of them in the used section lo and behold there was a stainless PPK, though it was a recent US-made version. No apparent mileage at all on this gun; it definitely appeared to be a proverbial safe queen. Thinking about this thread I did finally ask to fondle it, but the remembered pain of past shooting experiences made it easy to hand back to the shop clerk.

However I DID find another gem, but that's for another thread on the forum.

Under license…


So just a “less than” Ranger made Interarms in SS, but it is in 7.65, so at least I got that goin for me. I hear it’s “like a brick through a plate glass window”!

Not sure what that means ballistically speaking, but it definitely looks great!

Bill R