New manufacture Walther PPK

[Delta L Varmint]

Ok, so I owned a S&W manufacture PPK and while it was accurate, it was neither reliable nor comfortable to shoot. The contract with S&W has been up and Walther is now, supposedly, manufacturing the pistols themselves. The price has also jumped dramatically, I paid $489 cash for mine at four seasons, the new ones are $649 there! Anyone heard any feedback on these? Are they better? Is anyone really paying that much for them?

 

[boilermaker]

How is this gun even relevant in today's market? You can get 9mm guns just as small as .380 now. And if you want .380, you can get lighter and thinner guns than this. OP, this is not directed at the you, just at every show I see people taking a long look at them and I just don't get it.

 

[Delta L Varmint]

Awesome factor. That's about it. The double action trigger is atrocious. The sights are acceptable. It's a little heavy. I still loved mine while it jammed and chewed my hand to pieces and fired a sub par caliber. I keep hoping I'll hear something good about the new Walther manufactured guns, because I'd like a reason to buy another one. BUT, if it's not head and shoulders above the S&W guns there's no way in hell I'd pay anything close to that.

 

[boilermaker]

Awesome factor. That's about it.

+1, great response. Shoot what you like.

 

[PATRON]

I like the old ppks,the newer one were always junk.You could get a nice ruger LC9 for less money,and in 9mm.

 

[btnh6668]

My smith ppk gave me zero issues. I only sold it because I don't shoot much 380.

 

[TUGINSTRUCTOR]

My S&W PPK/S shoots fine, has only FTF when I used steel casings one time, other than that it's great, and for me personally, it shoots straight as can be, guess it's the weight of the gun vs 380 cal. I still carry it on a regular basis.

 

[Delta L Varmint]

I like the old ppks,the newer one were always junk.You could get a nice ruger LC9 for less money,and in 9mm.

I don't even want one for a carry piece, I've been through the ppk, a pf9 and a pm9 (i can get another one for $25 more than a new ppk) and keep going back to my jframe. It would mostly be a range gun. When I had mine I had considered sending it out to a smith, but just couldn't justify spending $500 on a $500 gun. It's too bad MA gave th e new one in .22lr the thumbs down, it would've been a really fun range gun.

 

[fw190]

I believe that S&W is still making them for Walther, just the address on the gun has been changed to Walther America's address. As to the reliability of the S&W Walther, they either work or they never will, the internals were changed to keep the S&W lawyers happy and the QC in Houlton Me. where they are made is atrocious. On Walther forums the S&W guns are not highly thought of putting it politely.

I have carried a PPk/S for over 25 yrs. it is as reliable as gravity and it will still be running long after the "polymer wonders" have been scrapped, as an endorsement they have been the sidearm for most European countries law enforcement since the early 30's. As to the caliber I don't go for the "bigger is better" theme,, my carry PPK/S is 380, which is a little snappy, the gun was designed for .32 which I have no problem carrying either.

 

[Baserock]

I bought mine two years ago, I don't know if it was made by S&W or not, I'm pretty sure it is stamped Walther, Houlton, ME on the slide. I'll have to check when I get home. Double action trigger is heavy, but single action is great. The sights are ok, but the gun shoots about 6" low at 10 yards with point of aim. I love the decocker safety setup, that's primarily why I bought. It's a heavy gun but I have had zero problems with it. My only gripe is that even after 1 mag, the webbing of my thumb would hurt. My ppk/s kicks harder that my 1911, I've always thought that was funny. I carry it in a crossbreed IWB at around 4:00, just behind my right hip and I can forget it's even there. I did spend at least $650 on mine, wasn't cheap

 

[AngelKing]

There is that awesome factor. I hate quoting him, but NuTnFancy refers to it as the second kind of cool - aside from the fact that its a proven tack driver and all around accurate weapon, one of the reasons I LOOOOOVE my 686 is that badass stainless look. I have a Glock 23 and have taken to carrying it more often, but I tend to think about it when choosing between the 2 to carry.

Awesome factor. That's about it. The double action trigger is atrocious. The sights are acceptable. It's a little heavy. I still loved mine while it jammed and chewed my hand to pieces and fired a sub par caliber. I keep hoping I'll hear something good about the new Walther manufactured guns, because I'd like a reason to buy another one. BUT, if it's not head and shoulders above the S&W guns there's no way in hell I'd pay anything close to that.

 

[zyx123]

The Walther PP-series, in any of its versions, is not for everyone. Neither is a 1969 MB 280SL Roadster.

 

[josh2600]

Ok, so I owned a S&W manufacture PPK and while it was accurate, it was neither reliable nor comfortable to shoot. The contract with S&W has been up and Walther is now, supposedly, manufacturing the pistols themselves. The price has also jumped dramatically, I paid $489 cash for mine at four seasons, the new ones are $649 there! Anyone heard any feedback on these? Are they better? Is anyone really paying that much for them?

hate that gun, got a nice one at a good price on here too, flipped that shit right away.

 

[bfm]

Wolff springs made mine 100% reliable. For the rest, Mike Larocca can fix everything else for about the difference in the prices you mentioned. He will smooth out all the rough edges.

 

[center442]

How is this gun even relevant in today's market? You can get 9mm guns just as small as .380 now. And if you want .380, you can get lighter and thinner guns than this. OP, this is not directed at the you, just at every show I see people taking a long look at them and I just don't get it.

You raise an interesting point, and one I agree with. That being said, I still find myself using the PPK/s as a regular carry gun.

Why? In my case, it's simply familiarity and being set in my ways. Of the many handguns I own, they're all either revolvers or SA/DA pistols. The one exception is a single Glock 27. I carry the Glock on occasion, but I find the PPK thinner, which makes IWB carry more comfortable for me. My PPK is a S&W model. It was one of the guns affected by the recall a couple of years ago. I sent it out, had the recall performed, and had it back in about 2 weeks. It was reliable before the recall and was just as reliable after I got it back. It fires consistently with all of the factory ammo I've fed it and with my handloads.

I'm simply not a big fan of DA-only striker fired pistols. I don't knock 'em, they're just not for me. When I was looking for an everyday carry gun a few years ago, I came across this PPK for just under $400, which included two holsters, several mags, and about 200 rounds of factory ammo. I thought the deal was too good to pass up. I figured that at the worst I'd wind up with another range toy. Instead, I find myself carrying it more often than any other gun I own, even my beloved revolvers.

There may well be better options out there, but it works for me.

 

[Hooper]

I talked to my friend at S&W who told me they are making them until April. Apparently the Walther "factory" in AR hasn't even been built. Had one and sold it (at a massive loss) the day after I bought it but I still think they are one of the most aesthetically beautiful guns out there. Just not fun IMHO to shoot and the tang just whacked the bone at the base of my thumb. Here's mine since nobody has posted a pic!

 

[1903Collector]

I bought one of the S&W ones a year or so ago, it shot like crap! Of course that was because almost half the barel wasn't rifled I have always had a warm spot for the Beretta 84/85 series.

 

[Delta L Varmint]

Wolff springs made mine 100% reliable. For the rest, Mike Larocca can fix everything else for about the difference in the prices you mentioned. He will smooth out all the rough edges.

I had seriously toyed with the idea of sending it to him. Some day, when I have more free $, I'll get another one and have him go through it top to bottom.

 

[Delta L Varmint]

I believe that S&W is still making them for Walther, just the address on the gun has been changed to Walther America's address. As to the reliability of the S&W Walther, they either work or they never will, the internals were changed to keep the S&W lawyers happy and the QC in Houlton Me. where they are made is atrocious. On Walther forums the S&W guns are not highly thought of putting it politely.

I have carried a PPk/S for over 25 yrs. it is as reliable as gravity and it will still be running long after the "polymer wonders" have been scrapped, as an endorsement they have been the sidearm for most European countries law enforcement since the early 30's. As to the caliber I don't go for the "bigger is better" theme,, my carry PPK/S is 380, which is a little snappy, the gun was designed for .32 which I have no problem carrying either.

Good, so S&W is still making these things (with baaad quality control) and is now charging $150 more for them. I guess they can do that when they're hiding behind the Walther banner and only providing a three month warranty instead of their normal warranty. I would probably give one in .32 a shot if I came across one, but they're rarer than hens teeth in MA and it looks like they gave up on manufacturing it in .32 anyway.

 

[Flamingo26]

My PPK/S isn't the most accurate, but it is comfortable in my hand and it sure is beautiful.

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[drgrant]

Ok, so I owned a S&W manufacture PPK and while it was accurate, it was neither reliable nor comfortable to shoot. The contract with S&W has been up and Walther is now, supposedly, manufacturing the pistols themselves. The price has also jumped dramatically, I paid $489 cash for mine at four seasons, the new ones are $649 there! Anyone heard any feedback on these? Are they better? Is anyone really paying that much for them?

Will it be more reliable? Probably... but otherwise it has the same pitfalls that the other PPKs do. The only one in the line that's remotely intriguing is the .22 LR version.

-Mike

 

[Delta L Varmint]

Will it be more reliable? Probably... but otherwise it has the same pitfalls that the other PPKs do. The only one in the line that's remotely intriguing is the .22 LR version.

-Mike

It sounds like s&w is still making them, so I guess it won't be any more reliable. I would love to have the new one in .22, but apparently it didn't make some bureaucrat happy so they don't want us MA dwellers to have them.

 

[Uncle Buck]

It sounds like s&w is still making them, so I guess it won't be any more reliable. I would love to have the new one in .22, but apparently it didn't make some bureaucrat happy so they don't want us MA dwellers to have them.

They are available. I purchased on about 6 weeks ago from a MA gun shop.

 

[Carver patriot]

Ive had mine for 4 years now and carry it ccw all the time only issues ive had with it is it has a distaste for steel cartridges other than that it eats every type of bullet i put through it and is super reliable and accurate. Its a s&w btw.

 

[codenamepaul]

Bought mine for a song back in '85 in NY before I could actually own a pistol. Barrel near smooth from being shot. Unreliable at first, LGS did a ramp and trigger job and it ran like a top after that. I like it as formal wear. Nothing says class like a PPK under your suit at a wedding.

 

[nhfiat]

I had a S&W PPK. It was my first handgun. I had seen too many James Bond movies as a youth. But the gun I had was horrible and one of the ones under a recall. I traded it for a different gun.

I have been wanted one for my collection and people had told me to get one of the older models imported by Interarms. I found this beauty has week on gun broker. It is a 1960 PPK/S imported by Interarms.

It was a buy it now for $540 from a local home ffl in Hudson NH. and I got to use my C&R for an easy pickup.

The PPK is part of history and I collect history. I like it and I have been carrying it around the last week as a carry gun after spending some time at the range. I would not recommend a new one when you can get older collectable versions for cheaper then what they want for a new one.

 

[tuna]

You could always go with a Makarov. Looks like a Walther to those that have only seen James Bond movies, accurate, reliable and a tad more powerful.

Cheaper, too.

 

[45collector]

You could always go with a Makarov. Looks like a Walther to those that have only seen James Bond movies, accurate, reliable and a tad more powerful.

Cheaper, too.

This right here. A true Makarov (Russian, East German, Bulgarian or Chinese) is twice the gun for half the money.

I have a 1990's Interarms stainless PPK/s .380 that I've had for over 10 years but don't carry much anymore. The EG Makarov has taken over the roll of summer carry for the most part.