Interarms PPK Stainless .380 Info

May 08, 2024, 01:55 PM

1967Goat

I belong to a small private gun club that has a monthly newsletter. This month someone posted for sale a 1981-82 Interarms PPK/S in Very Good condition for $450. I've always thought the PPK were neat to look at, but have never shot one and never had an interest in getting one. I'm pretty well stocked up on other guns I want to buy so I'm thinking about contacting the seller and possibly buying it.

I know nothing about Walther PPKs.

Anything I should know, or ask about? Are the Interarms made in Germany and imported by Interarms? Do they have proof marks? Is $450 an acceptable price for a VGC PPK/S?

Sorry for the dumb questions.

Not the best picture, but I can inspect it myself prior to purchase.

May 08, 2024, 02:48 PM

elmer

I find the recoil to be unpleasant on the .380. Also depending on hand size, the slide can draw blood. Price is good.

May 08, 2024, 02:50 PM

MacGyver

The one in your picture was actually made here in the US, by Ranger Manufacturing, at the request of Interarms. AFAIK, there is no German-made stainless PP, PPK, or PPK/S. Interarms was also the importer of German-made Walther pistols in those days. $450 seems fair to me for any used PPK in VGC.

May 08, 2024, 02:54 PM

newtoSig765

Several of the early post-1968 GCA PPK's and derivatives had reputations for unreliability, so I'd ask the seller if he would let you run a box of ammo through it.

Also, the Double-Action is very heavy by today's standards, and the Walther-produced pistols are just as bad, as is my own pre-war PPK.

If you're looking for a good carry-piece, many other small semi-autos would be better, in my opinion. I believe the Sig 232 is similar in size, for example. Having said that, I'm loyal to the PPK and would love to get a newer one.

Hope this helps.

May 08, 2024, 03:02 PM

1KPerDay

Very cool to handle and look at and play James Bond with. Very unpleasant to actually shoot. Price is good, even if you just want a bondjamesbond role-playing gun.

Don't expect stellar reliability, and expect slide bite and a horrendous trigger.

May 08, 2024, 04:15 PM

Oscar Zulu

Pros:
Accurate (Fixed barrel)
Easy to clean
Good price, Decent sights
Cool factor

Cons:
Very heavy double action pull
Potential slide bite
Heavy for it's size and caliber
Heavy recoil for a .380
Limited capacity

I have one, it was my first ccw. I wouldn't feel unarmed with it now. There are better options out there.

OZ

May 08, 2024, 04:32 PM

dking271

I have one that my wife bought before we were married sometime around 1992/3. I don’t find the recoil to be bad and haven’t been bit by the slide. The double action pull is terrible and due to the fact it is a blowback design messing with the springs could cause issues. Ranger started manufacturing for Interarms under license from Walther in 1978 and they were made in Gadsden, AL.

May 08, 2024, 07:55 PM

YooperSigs

I have owned a couple of them. They were unreliable. Bang-Bang-Jam.
The price is great.

May 08, 2024, 08:12 PM

XLT

Ilike the .22 version allot but not the .380 had one for a few months and sold it. the price is about right.

May 08, 2024, 08:22 PM

jindodog

In 1981 I had one as a small stainless steel carry pistol, living in Fort Lauderdale as a yacht broker I needed stainless. I loved the idea of it but absolutely hated the pistol. Many, many jams of all sorts. I have large hands and would be a bloody mess when shooting it when it worked. So bad, at first I wondered if it got clogged up with bits of me. I replaced it with an sig 230 which was so very much better in all aspects. I truly had recurring nightmares for decades of it failing on me. I had Kings Gun Works build me a stainless colt 1911 that I absolutely loved and trusted so it was not carried much anyway. So I would stay away from it, it being possibly the most troublesome gun I have ever owned. Anyhow, that’s my experience anyway.

May 08, 2024, 08:22 PM

parabellum

I had one in the late 1980s. Mine was well-made and reliable, but the DA pull would give Superman a hard time.

May 09, 2024, 08:11 AM

Pipe Smoker

^^^^
I measured my Interarms PPK/S .380 DA trigger as 17 pounds.

It was reliable with ball, but not with JHP rounds available in 1995. And yes, sharp recoil and hard to rack slide. My SIG P238 is SO much better.

May 09, 2024, 08:53 AM

1967Goat

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I already have carry guns, so this isn't meant to be an EDC.

I guess it might be more of a novelty gun for me. Not sure if I'm willing to drop $450 on a novelty gun...but maybe.

Appreciate the information!

May 09, 2024, 09:23 AM

rduckwor

quote:
Originally posted by elmer:
I find the recoil to be unpleasant on the .380. Also depending on hand size, the slide can draw blood. Price is good.

This. Not a range toy, but for deep cover can be great.

RMD

May 09, 2024, 09:38 AM

smschulz

Wish I could say something positive but my Interarms PPKs was the only pistol I ever traded away.
Mine was difficult to rack, jammed all-the-time and I even had a "smith" do some work to smooth it out, it had loads of trigger bite and not all that accurate.
Obviously it was too frustrating and difficult to shoot so I traded in on a HK 45 USP Tactical.
I don't get rid of weapons, pretty much a one-way trip IN for me and it did sadden me to lose it but it had to be done.
It was however, a great looking sexy pistol - I will give you that.
After that no more 380's for me.

May 09, 2024, 12:06 PM

PASig

If you want a .380 that is very PPK-like just for shits and giggles that is actually fun to shoot and pretty accurate too...get a Bersa Thunder.

This was mine back in 2008-209:

My post about it back then on another forum:

quote:

Just got done breaking in my new Bersa Thunder 380CC and I have to say I'm very impressed and happy with this little gun. It came dripping in some sort of protectant, so I disassembled it, blasted with Gun Scrubber, and then gave it a good coat of Break Free CLP. A little Militec-1 grease on the slide and rails finished it off. I wasn't too thrilled with the stock plastic grips, so they were replaced with Bubinga wood grips from marschalgrips.com

Day 1: 250 rounds of MagTech FMJ .380:

No FTF, FTE, jams or hiccups of any kind.

Cleaned her up and went back to the range the next day.

Day 2: 225 rounds of Winchester(Walmart)White Box FMJ .380 and 25 rounds of Corbon DPX JHP .380 (I was a little concerned as the WWB .380 is a blunt-nosed round)

Once again with all the above, no jams or hiccups of any kind, Yay!

This will now become my EDC. It's small and light enough for pocket carry. It will replace a Kel-Tec P-3AT I was trying to break in for my EDC, but cannot fire even a single magazine without multiple jams and other problems.

This gun is scary accurate considering it has almost non-existent sights. I used 7 inch oval Shoot-N-C targets stuck to silhouettes and was drilling the hell out of them at 5, 7 and 12 yards.

For $255, not a bad little gun!

May 09, 2024, 01:19 PM

newtoSig765

When I was writing my first post, I tried to remember some of the guns recommended years ago over the Walthers, but couldn't recall them.

The Bersa was the main one I tried for. A friend introduced me to them, and even though I looked down on them (was, and still am, somewhat of a snob!) they out-performed the PPK in nearly every category other than coolness. My friend used it for his first concealed-carry gun and carried it all over the country, always said how great it was.

I looked at their website just now, and the only argument against it is that the Thunder is 1.3" wide, nearly as wide as a Glock 19. My PPK is about 7/8" across the grip, and maybe Bersa has a thinner model available now.

A new Thunder is quite a bit cheaper than a used Walther, as well.

May 09, 2024, 01:46 PM

SigSentry

The Bersa is my PPK/s stand-in. I even picked one up in 22lr (mags not cheap tho). Walthers were just too pricey back when I saw them.

May 10, 2024, 07:59 AM

Ranger41

My Interarms PPK/S was very nicely built. Fully the equal of my Sigs. As others have reported the double action trigger pull is very heavy. A Wolff replacement mainspring fixed that. It is very accurate.

May 10, 2024, 09:48 AM

Trooper Joe

quote:
Originally posted by SigSentry:
The Bersa is my PPK/s stand-in. I even picked one up in 22lr (mags not cheap tho). Walthers were just too pricey back when I saw them.

I certainly respect Bersa owners feeling for their guns. However, I have had many really good Walther PPK and PPK/S guns. Since 1965, I have carried them on and off duty as a state trooper and now still carry them into retirement.

What surprises me are the positive comments about Bersa pistols. I have tried three different times to use a Bersa and none of them would work. Usually, the slide hold open notch would wear out on the first range trip. I even had an authorized Bersa repair facility tell me this was common and could not be repaired.

I did like the ergonomics of the Bersa’s. I just wish they made them with more durable material.

Trooper Joe

PS. I had my best luck however with my Sig P230 and P232 pistols.