Off topic Walther PP and PPK pistols

whats what on these? Is there a difference between the two models? 

I would like a fixed barrel model in 380.

Are the S&W made ones any good?  

What should I look for?

Are they accurate at all?

Thanks

They are cool guns. The Smith is great. They are as accurate as they need to be. The .380 isn’t fun to shoot though, they snap pretty hard.
Kurt

The PP Model was the original and is somewhat larger than the PPK in both grip length and slide length. It was considered a duty gun when it was developed. I'm not sure how recently these have been produced because the smaller guns are more popular. The PPK has a shorter slide and grip frame and was a popular carry gun in Europe.  Because of its size, it couldn't be imported in the US so they came up with the PPK/S which has the shorter slide/barrel but the same grip size as the PP.  I'm not up on current (or even recent) production of these but i think the most prolific model would be the PPK/S. 
I owned one for a few years in the early 90s. Mine was stainless and was heavy enough that I didn't really feel the recoil of the .380 but that cartridge can be punishing in the small guns it normally comes in. One thing I really like about that platform is how sleek and slender it is. It's prett easy to carry.

Good luck.
John

John Dervis wrote:The PP Model was the original and is somewhat larger than the PPK in both grip length and slide length. It was considered a duty gun when it was developed. I'm not sure how recently these have been produced because the smaller guns are more popular. The PPK has a shorter slide and grip frame and was a popular carry gun in Europe.  Because of its size, it couldn't be imported in the US so they came up with the PPK/S which has the shorter slide/barrel but the same grip size as the PP.  I'm not up on current (or even recent) production of these but i think the most prolific model would be the PPK/S. 
I owned one for a few years in the early 90s. Mine was stainless and was heavy enough that I didn't really feel the recoil of the .380 but that cartridge can be punishing in the small guns it normally comes in. One thing I really like about that platform is how sleek and slender it is. It's pretty easy to carry.

Good luck.
John

"how sleek and slender it is"


Just like you, JD

I have an original German made PPKs. The PP and PPK and PPKs are all variations, mainly caused by the 1968 Gun Control Act and the point system on imported small handguns. There is a longer slide and barrel on the smaller PPK frame to make it a PPKs. It was very popular also in .32.  I also have a current production PPKs in Stainless Steel that has a German Barrel and Slide and has final assembly done in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Walther owned and operated USA branch. As it is made in America, these no longer have to meet the point system so the short barrel can be sold on the small frame.

The new Walther Model has the same sharp edges as the original so you have to watch how you hold it when shooting. Or you can smooth them out. If you decide on an original, which were all in blue, I wore the bluing off mine carrying it after about 2 years. I had it Nickel plated (In case I ever decided to become a pimp!) and the finish is as good today as it was when I had it done in 1973.

In my opinion, the Smith and Wesson version while they made them under license, are not as reliable especially considering the call backs. 

Not a super defense cartridge, but with modern ammo it will do the job and it is easy to conceal and with the weight or being steel and not polymer (which some people do not like) and using the magazine with the pinky extension (one of the two magazines supplied) it has less perceived recoil.

Bob

They're accurate.  The old German .22LR guns were particularly so...they were the basis for the Olympia Modell...which was the progenitor of the Hammerli 200-208.

PPKs in .380 are known for rather heavy recoil, and have slides that ride rather low in the hand.  You have to be careful shooting them.  I rather like the .32 version, they are much better mannered...but they've gotten very hard to find at a non-collector price.

What do you want the pistol for?  The pre-war guns were absolutely beautiful, but are almost always in .32.  Many of the wartime guns are rather roughly finished, and are mostly in .32.  I have shot .32 PP and PPK, and they are very accurate, pleasant to shoot.  The .380 jumps around like a snubbie .357 magnum, and I don't shoot it well.  Most or all of the recently made guns are stainless, which you may, or may not, like.  

There are other calibers, .22 and .25, but they are less common.  

The PPK/S is a shorter PPK slide on a PP frame, to get the necessary points for importation under GCA '68.

Shows what little I know. I thought the PPK was blued and the PPK/S was stainless. I've owned both in .380. I guess they were both not really for me since I had trouble hitting the inside of a barn. The much older (to me) was the more accurate of the 2. I purchased the PPK out of a barrel of them on the floor of Interarms in Alexandria in 1974. Both those Walthers are gone but I still have my Mauser HSC.

I bought a PPK/S from another forum member a year or so ago.  Very pleased with it.  I liked the PPK/S because I can grip it better.  It also can carry one more round.  The 380 ammo wasn't as hard to shoot as I was led to believe.  Mine came with several grips - the rosewood wood grips were and are my favorite.  It's easy to disassemble and clean too.

I expected I would find a convenient way to carry it, if I ever decided to do so, and there were lots of choices in holsters.  

It's on my list of guns I want to take to the range in the very near future, but it keeps getting bumped off the list because of other guns I want to shoot.

Mine was made by S&W - the previous owner never had problems, and neither have I.  I thought that was a bonus.  As to shooting, I shot mine mostly at 15 yards, one handed.



Added a few minutes later - took me a while to find this:
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t13081p25-found-and-purchased-wtb-walther-ppk