SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  SIG Pistols    Anyone still carry or shoot a Walther PPK or PPK/S?
Page 1 2 
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Anyone still carry or shoot a Walther PPK or PPK/S? Login/Join 
Smarter than the
average bear
posted
I have a PPK/S that I bought about 40 years ago, and I ended up with my dad's, which is a German gun. I bought that gun almost exclusively because I thought it was cool, you know, Bond, and all that. I remember it being a beast to shoot well, estimating the double action trigger pull at 42 pounds and single action at 18.

Yet I have recently seen these guns, new, selling for over $769. Who is buying these? I don't think Bond even carries it anymore. Did I miss the memo on extremely heavy hard to shoot old school guns?
 
Posts: 3570 | Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Registered: June 20, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Wild in Wyoming
posted Hide Post
I regularly carry a PPK in a Galco holster.
Yes, the DA and SA are heavy, but I practice with it. It is not one by Smith & Wesson. It is an Interarms stainless.
I paid $190 for mine about 3 months ago. It was used but looked well taken care of by previous owner.

PC

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PCWyoming,
 
Posts: 1390 | Location: NW Wyoming | Registered: November 23, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
I have one in .22lr that I recently bought but have not shot. I thought it was only the 22 that had a 17.5 hard DA trigger. Does the 380 also have heavy trigger pull? Periodically, I think about getting one in 7.65mm.

The Bond character still carried on in "Spectre" but also uses other firearms.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Democracy is 2 Wolves & a Lamb debating the lunch menu.

Liberty is a well armed Lamb!
 
Posts: 886 | Registered: March 03, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by honestlou:
I have a PPK/S that I bought about 40 years ago, and I ended up with my dad's, which is a German gun. I bought that gun almost exclusively because I thought it was cool, you know, Bond, and all that. I remember it being a beast to shoot well, estimating the double action trigger pull at 42 pounds and single action at 18.

Yet I have recently seen these guns, new, selling for over $769. Who is buying these? I don't think Bond even carries it anymore. Did I miss the memo on extremely heavy hard to shoot old school guns?


I have had a few PPK over the years, from German to Interarms. I haven't carried a PPK for years now as the double action trigger sucks (even with a trigger job) and they are quite heavy for their size and firepower.

Plus, my older ones leave railroad tracks on my strong hand if I shoot high power loads.

I seldom carry a .380 but when I do it is for lightness and/or deep concealability, so my carry choice in that department is usually a Ruger LCP.

I even carry an LCP in my pocket at times as a backup even with a larger 9mm or .40 in a waistband holster.
 
Posts: 67 | Registered: August 13, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Never miss an opportunity
to be Batman!
Picture of jsbcody
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by SSAreGreat:
I have one in .22lr that I recently bought but have not shot. I thought it was only the 22 that had a 17.5 hard DA trigger. Does the 380 also have heavy trigger pull? Periodically, I think about getting one in 7.65mm.

The Bond character still carried on in "Spectre" but also uses other firearms.


The new PPK/S models have a very nice DA/SA trigger (5:25 mark in video below and I can confirm it is a very smooth trigger, PPK/S Stainless). Yeah, I have the .22 also and damn near need an anchored tow truck to shoot it DA.



I was going to put it on my off duty carry list but 2020 events have changed what I carry for my EDC. A new model PPK/S Black is on my very short list of firearms to get. Hmm, if I do get the black, I might go ahead and carry both.....if I can find any .380 ammo.
 
Posts: 4101 | Location: St.Louis County MO | Registered: October 13, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
teacher of history
Picture of maxwayne
posted Hide Post
I have a PPK/s in 380, but prefer to carry a PP in 32. It is much easier to shoot and more reliable.
 
Posts: 5706 | Location: Central Illinois | Registered: March 04, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
I own an Interarms stainless PPk/S that was a gift to me many years ago. I still take it to the range from time to time, and enjoy shooting it. I handload for it.
 
Posts: 6771 | Location: Az | Registered: May 27, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of T.Webb
posted Hide Post
I have a 1964 West German PPK. And I have a shoulder holster as well as a real nice pancake holster. However, I carried it just once after I brought it, and these days the only time it comes out of the safe is when I make a vodka martini - shaken not stirred and slip a Sean Connery Bond flick into the VCR.


************************************************
"Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done". {George W. Bush, Post 9/11}



 
Posts: 842 | Location: Long Island, N.Y. / Stephentown, N.Y. | Registered: March 20, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Poppy6x
posted Hide Post
I have a German PPK and PP both .380 that sit in the safe. Keeping them as an investment, they are near mint condition. Because I like the feel of the PPK and PPK/s, I have had others in Interarms and S&W form none of which were reliable with JHP Ammo. I got rid of them. However, I am happy to say that in the past year I have picked up both aPPK and Ppks in .380 stainless —both Ft. Smith produced — and they have been excellent. Both reliable and accurate. I have been pleasantly surprised. So much so that I thought I would pick up a Ft. Smith version in .22. As previously mentioned the trigger on the .22 version is horrible. I don’t understand how their can be so much difference with just a different caliber. I can easily recommend the Ft. Smith 380’s but don’t even think about getting a .22


Sigs, HKs, S&Ws, Rugers, Wilsons, Nighthawks, Colts

 
Posts: 234 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: June 15, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
The last two PPK/S pistols (one stainless, one black) that we've received in the past 2 1/2 months (both .380s) had HORRIBLE DA triggers. Not as atrociously heavy as the .22LR versions that we've received in the past from Walther, but not all that far behind in unconscionable poundage either. I don't remember previous Walther-sourced .380 PPK/S triggers feeling as heavy and drawn out to pull as these two.


-MG
 
Posts: 2279 | Location: The commie, rainy side of WA | Registered: April 19, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Poppy6x:
I have a German PPK and PP both .380 that sit in the safe. Keeping them as an investment, they are near mint condition. Because I like the feel of the PPK and PPK/s, I have had others in Interarms and S&W form none of which were reliable with JHP Ammo. I got rid of them. However, I am happy to say that in the past year I have picked up both aPPK and Ppks in .380 stainless —both Ft. Smith produced — and they have been excellent. Both reliable and accurate. I have been pleasantly surprised. So much so that I thought I would pick up a Ft. Smith version in .22. As previously mentioned the trigger on the .22 version is horrible. I don’t understand how their can be so much difference with just a different caliber. I can easily recommend the Ft. Smith 380’s but don’t even think about getting a .22


I agree on the Fort Smith 380s. Trigger seems improved particularly in DA mode.

On my sample it's pretty good. Fairly heavy but smooth and not overly long. Definitely shootable.

I'm not a fan of the tang though. It does help with hammer-bite but it looks and feels ungainly at best.

Walther could have done a better job of that functionly and aesthetically.
 
Posts: 462 | Location: Illinois | Registered: June 13, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Any reason that the PPK was made with such a heavy trigger pull?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Democracy is 2 Wolves & a Lamb debating the lunch menu.

Liberty is a well armed Lamb!
 
Posts: 886 | Registered: March 03, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
I have a 1930's PPK (.32 ACP), DA trigger pull is actually not bad at all.

I only use it for range trips, particularly for new shooters who want to try the "Bond" gun.

You know, a .32 ACP will stop an elephant...
 
Posts: 704 | Registered: March 08, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by SSAreGreat:
Any reason that the PPK was made with such a heavy trigger pull?


Do a trigger job on one and you will see why. Due to small internal area for trigger group the trigger geometry isn't that great plus it uses a fairly hefty hammer spring.

I can make them smoother but not a whole lot lighter and still maintain 100% reliability. You can definitely make a lighter double action trigger pull but then that starts flirting with less than 100% reliable ignition with all primers in double action.

They do have a safety if a person wants to carry that way.
 
Posts: 67 | Registered: August 13, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by SSAreGreat:
Any reason that the PPK was made with such a heavy trigger pull?


The PP series was the first or one of the first DA/SA pistols.

It was ahead of it's time but a lot has been learned since then.
 
Posts: 462 | Location: Illinois | Registered: June 13, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
My parents got me one when I earned my Navy wings. If not for that I’m not sure I would keep it. It’s got cool off the charts but mine also has that double digit weight DA pull. It’s so heavy it isn’t a gun you even want to train with. All that said, who doesn’t love these little guns that kind of suck to shoot? Lol
 
Posts: 7540 | Location: Florida | Registered: June 18, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Blume9mm
posted Hide Post
A goodly number of years ago my wife had signed up for a women's only hand gun class and I was trying to pick out the right gun for her (mistake #1).

I had narrowed it down per much research on the internet to either a Walther PPK in .380 or a Sig P230. Went to our local gun show with the hopes of finding one of these and for some weird convoluted reason found both and bought both....

Now back to current times... I think that Sig is one of the best looking and functioning handguns made.... The Walther is probably one of the ones on the top of my soon to be list to get rid of.


My Native American Name:
"Runs with Scissors"
 
Posts: 4441 | Location: Greenville, SC | Registered: January 30, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Spieler
posted Hide Post
Although I cannot comment on the commercial PPK/S in .380 acp, I've owned and carried an ex-W. German police PP in .32 acp for many years now. The trigger pull is no worse than most of my other DA/SA guns and I paid a bit over $230 for it.


_____________________________
People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election. - Otto von Bismarck
 
Posts: 2434 | Location: ATL South OTP | Registered: December 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Mine is a S&W marked .380 PPK/s. I picked it up used at an LGS. The DA trigger pull is heavy yet I have little difficulty controlling it. The SA is quite nice. Thus far it has gobbled up everything to include TULA and some HP. What amazes me is how accurate it is. I can ring my 8-inch gongs (15 Yards away) continuously using SA.
DA I shoot at 8 yards.

I have not read many complementary tales of the S&W PPK/S's but I got lucky and found a good one.

I usually carry a .38 revolver in a leather holster however, when I get rousted to go somewhere at a moments notice it is easier to clip the Kydex holster holding the PPK/S onto my belt.

And no, I do not hear James Bond movie music when I put it on. Or do I? Cool

Lock N Load

Michael
USMC Ret

This message has been edited. Last edited by: specter77,
 
Posts: 1455 | Location: Texas | Registered: January 01, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Smarter than the
average bear
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by specter77:
... What amazes me is how accurate it is. I can ring my 8-inch gongs (15ft away) continuously.
...


Is that a typo? I don’t think hitting an 8” target at five yards is any indication of accuracy. I do, however, think the PPK is capable of acceptable accuracy at reasonable distances; I just remember it being hard to accomplish.
 
Posts: 3570 | Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Registered: June 20, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata Page 1 2  
 

SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  SIG Pistols    Anyone still carry or shoot a Walther PPK or PPK/S?

© SIGforum 2024