My Walther PPK/S review

[ZBoater]

Yesterday I went to the local gun show looking for a small revolver, S&W 357 Airlite or similar, so I could carry more often. My XD Sub .40 is small but a bit on the chubby side, and I wanted a slimmer alternative for when I went out in shorts and t-shirt (I live in FL and its getting HOT). None of the revolvers appealed to me, but somehow a Walther PPK/S .380 in stainless steel made by Smith & Wesson followed me home. I hate it when that happens. (Impulse buy). I had done ZERO research but I liked the gun and they way it felt. I carried it all afternoon and was convinced it was the one - I only had to shoot it.

That evening I scoured the Internet for info, and low and behold 90% of the posts about this gun are negative. I should preface this post by saying I am not a gun expert (obviously), but there seemed to be some confusion between the different PPK/S models (the ones made in Europe, the ones made by Interarms? and the ones made by S&W). In any case, almost all posts talked about jams, skin burns, problems loading, etc. etc. Made me wonder why James Bond would ever use such a piece of garbage.

Today I took it to the range, and I was afraid of pulling the trigger because of all the bad press I read about this gun - but I did it anyway, expecting it to jam. It didn't. I pulled the trigger again. It worked. 100 rounds later (of the cheap Winchester stuff they sell at Walmart). I also put 40 rounds of Winchester Supreme XT - flawless. The groups were tight at 14 and 21 feet and I did not burn my skin once.

This gun weighs 26oz fully loaded with 7+1 380 ammo. The first shot is DA with subsequent shots being SA. You can also cock the hammer manually to make the first shot SA, and it has a decocker/safety similar to the H&K USP. It has a pin that protrudes from the back to let you know it is loaded. It does not have a slide catch/release, which I found odd. It took me a while to figure out how to pull the slide and have it catch to inspect the gun and then another while to figure out how to release it - it will only catch when there is an empty magazine in the gun. To release you need to release the magazine first and then pull the slide back a bit, and it will release. Odd, but I got used to it quickly.

It is thinner and a bit smaller than the XD Sub, but feels very hefty in the hand (the XD Sub loaded weighed 31oz). Recoil was less than the XD (my XD is a .40). I realize that the .380 caliber (or 9mm short) has its critics and is less powerful than the .40 or .45, or even the standard 9mm, but the gun felt and shot really well.

I was expecting the gun to burst in my hand, again because of all the bad press. I guess my low expectations were easy to surpass, but I am really happy with this gun. It is very, very comfortable to carry with a Protech IWB holster. I guess I'll join the 5% of folks who really like this gun and are happy with its performance (so far).

[devilfrog1911]

Goes to show you can't believe everything you read. I've owned a S&W version of the PPK/S for a few years now and have few complaints (the primary being I wish it was blued and not stainless ). Seriously though, I've never experienced the "Walther bite," and rarely have a failure to feed or other jam with over 1000+ rounds down range.

Don't get me wrong, all things considered I would rather carry my XD-9 or 1911, but sometimes you have no choice but to carry something smaller. And for that reason I wouldn't part with my Walther.

[03RangerXLT]

sooooooo...


...where are the pics?

[hobocircus]

Back in the 80s the gunshop guys told me they were junkomatics (Walther) and that review has always stuck with me through all the years.

Good to hear you got a good one and made by S&W?

Wow! Who knew?

[mr0w1]

Originally Posted by hobocircus

Back in the 80s the gunshop guys told me they were junkomatics (Walther) and that review has always stuck with me through all the years.

Good to hear you got a good one and made by S&W?

Wow! Who knew?

Yeah, most of the new Walther stuff in the US is S&W contract. Our P22 is. From what I've gathered, it's the S&W Walthers that you need to watch out for, and the Walther Walthers that are the ones to look for.

But that's just what I've read on the neenernet.

[TomSwift]

Congrats on your new pistol. The only thing I've ever disliked about the PPK is the sharp edge around the grip. Does the S&W version exhibit that trait?

[ZBoater]

Originally Posted by TomSwift

Congrats on your new pistol. The only thing I've ever disliked about the PPK is the sharp edge around the grip. Does the S&W version exhibit that trait?

No. S&W made a number of improvements to the PPK/S design, and the S&W Walthers go by the name of PPK/S-1. Among the improvements were the extension of the beavertail to protect the hand from the slide's recoil, they deburred all the sharp edges to resolve the "train track" marks the slide would leave in your hand during recoil, they removed serrations on the trigger, and most importantly, the feed ramps in both the barrel and frame are cut in one operation, curing a misalignment problem of earlier versions which made the PPK "picky" ammo eaters, especially with hollowpoint ammo.

[hogship]

I think he meant the edges around the grip frame. I find my Smith PPK/S to have those edges......one thing I don't particularly like. It could have been done better....not hard to overlook, though.

If you make a quick visual comparison, you'll see the PPK/S to be very close to the same size as a J-frame 2" bbl Smith.....but, the PPK/S is thinner and easier to conceal.

I think the Walther Walthers are the ones to look for, only because they are more collectible. The Smith PPKs are superbly machined, and as noted, have some important improvements to their design.

Overall, I really do like my Smith PPK/S. It has been a perfect shooter.....not one jam. I have had a few FTFs, not while shooting, but by loading the first round into the chamber.....releasing the slide by hand. There seems to be a knack for doing that right.

Recoil is pretty sharp and snappy.....more than I ever would have expected from such a heavy pistol in .380acp, but not nearly what I'd call "too much" to handle. I have a Kahr K40, in 40s+w that is downright brutal to my hand, but I don't shoot that one very much either......they have an entirely different purpose than having fun at the range.

I really like my Smith PPK/s. It's design is classical....John Browning didn't do any better with his superb designs! Karl Walther has, as did John Browning, made history with this design.......like the 1911, the PPK design is destined for the firearms hall of fame! It was soooo good that the Rusians used it as a base for designing their famous Makarov.....another classic in firearms design.

hog

[ZBoater]

Originally Posted by 03RangerXLT

sooooooo...


...where are the pics?

Glad you asked!

Here are some low res shots - if you click on any of them, they should open up a high res version. These pics are all less than 80k each, with the high res being between 800K and 1MB.

[ZBoater]

Originally Posted by hogship

I think he meant the edges around the grip frame. I find my Smith PPK/S to have those edges......one thing I don't particularly like. It could have been done better....not hard to overlook, though.

Oh... yup, mine has sharp edges, unlike the H&K and USP which have nice rounded edges. The Houge grip helped, but now I find the beaver tail, although it protects me from the slide recoil, is in itself a hazard - I must be holding the gun either too loosely or not high enough, but the beaver tail banged my skin between the thumb and index finger to where skin came off. It didn't happend in one shot, it was 200 shots over two days.

I am however getting better at keeping all my shots inside a 6" circle at 21 feet (obviously, not a marksman, but not bad). I took my H&K to the range today, and boy oh boy does that .40 caliber have a kick to it... Next week I'll be taking the XD Sub out along with the PPK/S to compare them.