I have a 1994 Interarms PPK in .380 acp.
I would rather have one in .32 acp but out of my price range.
I, too, prefer the Colt 1903 (mine was made in 1911).

PC

I have a pre-war model in 32 ACP. That is the right cartridge for the PPK. It is a popular choice for new shooters who want to try out different firearms. At a certain point, you have to have one -- it's the James Bond pistol after all.

More times than not, when I head out from home it is with my Walther PPK/s on my side. It is stupid accurate and very comfortable to carry. I use a Wright Leather Works "Banshee" IWB holster.

Lock N Load

Michael
USMC Ret

I have one from the early 90’s bought new that has been absolutely reliable. Actually it is the only firearm that my wife purchased herself which my adult son thinks is cool but also makes it a pass down heirloom in his eyes. I carried it a fair amount back then, but the DA trigger is brutal at just over 20lbs. I have a Wolfe tuning kit which is designed to improve the trigger but have not worked up the nerve to install it. Due to the blowback design, swapping the mainspring brings in the risk of light primer strikes but also significantly changes the slide velocity which impacts reliability. The tuning would require a lighter mainspring and a heavier recoil spring all of which I have. I just don’t want to solve that physics problem especially given the cost of 380 ammo. My dilemma, why take a rare reliable PPK that I shoot rarely shoot, never carry anymore and, mess with it? Of the 380s that I still have, I would grab the P230 over PPK if I had the desire to shoot one.

I am actually surprised its run lasted as long as it did!

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
it would be like buying a new car with 30 year old technolgy with carburetor, mechanicel points, and mechanical fuel pump.

Terrible analogy, more like 50 year old... and I would jump at the chance!

^^^^^^^^^
As would I, no doubt at all! My Chevy Cruze, so-called economy car, they want nearly $1,000 to replace the timing belt, a required service. Even spark plugs are pretty expensive.

I'll keep my PPK rather than buy a newer small-caliber handgun. My issues aren't with the heavy trigger pull or small sights, but the weakness of the 7.65mm cartridge, and no modern gun will fire it any harder. When the PPK and Browning 1910 and all the other classic 7.65's were invented, the cartridge was loaded to a higher velocity, therefore more powerful. Fiocchi used to load to the old specs, but I haven't seen it much lately and I don't know if any other manufacturer does a similar load.

German (French) manufactured PP/PPK pistols in 7,65mm/.32 auto are quite reliable when used with FMJ ammunition. The nearly ~100 year old design however is quite often incompatible with modern defensive HP bullets. US manufactured copies are notoriously finicky with the 9mm Kurz/.380 auto tending to be a bit more problematic.

^^^ Yes, add to that the following: European made 32 acp ammo is a little hotter than US stuff. I think that contributes a lot to making the PP series more reliable.

Had a PPK years ago, not the PPKs. Snappy little thing in 380 and it bit me several times before I realized that I would be better served by a S&W J frame. And I was!

my pot metal .22 goes bang everytime and they are fun to shoot but 10 rds is just a bummer if the made a 18 rd model it would be better.

XLT, you can keep your pot metal .22!
If you are happy with it, I'm glad for you.
I greatly appreciate my 1969/1970 produced Walther PP chambered in .22LR.
It's all very nicely machined steel.
Me personally, I don't do pot metal firearms, under any circumstances.

It's the only .22LR semi-automatic pistol I will carry with a loaded chamber.
While a Ruger Mark 2, 3, or 4 is clearly a superior semi-automatic rimfire pistol, I won't carry one with a loaded chamber.
All the Ruger Mark series pistols are HUGE compared to the Walther PP.
Before I bought the PP, I invested a serious amount of time looking at all the modern .22LR Tupperware choices.
In the end, I just couldn't do it.

I spotted this one on Gun Broker. Upon closer inspection of the GB ad, the Gun Shop turned out to be only a few hours away.
I drove to the place selling the PP, they had a 100 yards indoor range rated for centerfire magnum rifles, and they were happy to let me try out the PP before actually purchasing it.

IMG_20221207_160412376_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

I just picked up a PPK made by Smith and Wesson. It is one of my favorite pistols. It shoots a lot better than my Inter arms PPK/S. Im guessing that I prefer it because of the beaver tail. That PPK will shoot half-dollar groups at 50' and that's good enough for me.

A lot of people don't like the trigger, a lot of people don't like the caliber and capacity. Nobody thinks they are ugly.

***This is an old thread***

As a result of the PP/PPK product suspension, I picked up a black PPK-SD.


You might notice it's missing something. That's because I ordered a sleeve from Old Glory Gun's & Ammo to replace the thread adapter when SD shooting is not necessary. You might also notice the barrel does extend a few millimeters past the slide. I can live with that for the ease of swapping to the SD adapter.



Another plus is the foam in the Walther box was NOT cut for the SD thread adapter, which left to some unfortunate crushing and glue transfer. The sleeve allows for a perfect fit!


Walther should've ABSOLUTELY included the sleeve for ALL their PP/PPK SD models. It's a no brainer.

Sorry for the crappy pics.

Have two Ulm made BGS issued PP's in .32, bought them back in 1990, picked through at least 40 that my local gun distributor had in stock (It's nice to have a friend on the inside) blueing impeccable, tight, machined like a Swiss watch, never have had a ftf or fte, but i've never had the urge to buy more, they're fine, i actually carried one back in the day as a backup with CorBons in it, but there are better choices now