Walther manufacturing question.

[XenoSaber]

I just bought a Walther (S&W) PK380. I absolutely love this pistol, btw, but have a question. It's not the old German vs. US manufacturing question. I know mine was made in Springfield, MA, says so on the frame. I have been told that Walther didn't even design the P22 or the PK380 at all, that only the P99 was actually designed by them. That a separate company was contracted to design the P22 and PK380 and follow the lines of the P99. Does anyone know if this is the case?

 

[MACGYVR]

Walther is a company in Germany. Smith & Wesson is the exclusive distributor of Walther in the US. They jointly develop products.

The frame is made and assembled in Germany. It is fully functional when it arrives in the US.
The slide assembly is made in Springfield.
The magazines are made in Italy.
They are put together in final asembly in Springfield and shipped to dealers from there.

Learned this on the tour.

 

[XenoSaber]

Walther is a company in Germany. Smith & Wesson is the exclusive distributor of Walther in the US. They jointly develop products.

The frame is made and assembled in Germany. It is fully functional when it arrives in the US.
The slide assembly is made in Springfield.
The magazines are made in Italy.
They are put together in final asembly in Springfield and shipped to dealers from there.

Learned this on the tour.

Right you are, I was wrong. My Frame says "Made in Germany" and the slide has S&W on it.

I understand that part though, also the part that they can have all of the components actually made elsewhere but put it all together and test in yet another location and it will be said to have been made at the final location. Like the PP's that were marked as being made in Germany but they were just put together there after being actually made in France.

I am wondering about the Design part not the manufacturing. The P99 was designed by Walther, I've read that the P22 and the PK380 were not.

 

[MACGYVR]

Walther designed them all.

S+W licensed the P99 design to release the SW99 - this was I think the first foray into a partnership and led to what they now call the strategic alliance.

I don't doubt that S+W has some input to the design process, but that process most definately takes place at Walther in Germany.

 

[Greg Derr]

This is the same process Glock, Beretta and Sig have done to open themselves to more of the US police market. Made in the USA has a lot to do with large bids.

 

[Remsport Mfg]

The Walthers are assembled at S&W in Houlton Maine.

 

[XenoSaber]

The Walthers are assembled at S&W in Houlton Maine.

Not this one, it's stamped Springfield. It has Houlton no where on it, where my PPK/S did.

 

[sigp6]

Not this one, it's stamped Springfield. It has Houlton no where on it, where my PPK/S did.

Interesting. The slide has the German federal test markings, so it must have been part of an assembled pistol over there in 2010 (BA).

Also, it seems that most (if not all) of the PK380s I have seen so far have the marking of the Cologne test center (coat of arms) and not the Ulm one (part of an antler). Usually, most other Walthers have the Ulm stamp, since Walther have their production facilities there.

 

[seanc]

I was under the impression that if it had the eagle on it, then that part is 100% made in Germany and proofed. Is that not correct?