Walter .380 PPK/S Like or dislike Comments welcome.


rifleshooter474

New member
Thinking of a Walter .380 PPK/S as a backup carry. Please give me your comments.
 

I haven't shot a lot of different handguns, but out of the ones I have shot, I like the PPK best. My first carry was some model of CZ in .32 cal, which was nice, but tended to malfunction. I moved to a Bersa .380, which was OK, but compared to the Walther, had a stingy recoil and seemed less smooth. I'm carrying the PPK .380 now and I really like it. It is a bit large for a CC weapon, but I carry in a bag, so I don't really notice. I think this would be the only issue you might have with it.
 
The PPK/S is a nice size to CCW in the warmer months when all you wear is a shirt. The downside is it bites the web of my hand when fired.
 
I have one for CC. The trigger action was a little stiff, so I had a slightly lighter spring installed. Also had the ramp polished to mitigate any potential problems with hollowpoint. Love the weapon since I am a petite woman with small hands. The size is great for any CC use.
 
I like the two I have... My first is an American made PPKS, I have found it to be temperamental and jam while feeding a round with many types of ammo. I have had two gunsmiths look at the firearm and both recommend using only fully jacketed rounds to resolve the feeding issue. This has worked and made it enjoyable to shoot, but I would not use that one as a backup or primary carry firearm. My other PPKS is pre-ban German made, and I have carried it as both primary and backup, in training it has never let me down. Fortunately, I have never been in a position that required drawing it in a real life situation.

My father has and carried a PPK for the better part of 30 years, but has recently changed over to the Ruger LCP. I like his Ruger, but have no plans to switch from my trusty Walther…

Raidenko
 
Walther PPK - opinion

The PPK/S is a nice size to CCW in the warmer months when all you wear is a shirt. The downside is it bites the web of my hand when fired.

Agree with @roguejesse: very nice size for CC, but it has a serious kick/bite to it that none of my 9mm's has. Not fun to train with, but I'd be OK carrying it.

Incredibly accurate though.
 
The Walther has a great name but the human fit is bad.

The grips are squared-off and bite the hand.

The frame for the PPK/S is actually the PP frame with a PPK length slide/barrel. If you can find an original grip PPK, it will be much more comfortable.

My bottom line recommendation: Get a Bersa. It is a much more comfortable design!

-Doc
 
I have a bersa, not a walther ppk. It's not the smallest gun I have, but it has the least recoil of the guns I have. It's a little on the larger side for pocket carry, but it depends on what you like and the size of your pocket!
 
I have the PPK, the PPK/S and a Bersa Firestorm .380. I would recommend anyone of them. The PPK/S have had some issues with the slide assembly and that will cause failure to feed and jamming, but a trip back to S&W and that problem gets resolved with a new slide. The PPK is a bit more comfy on a IWB carry. The Bersa has a better fit and feel.
 
What can I say. The Walther PPK is a classic.
I carry one from time to time... I changed the grips for some houge grips and it is very comfortable.
also they make a walther CCW model and it is a slim polimer version very nice and light.

You also can change the grips to wood and it make it a very classy gun.

James Bond approved message. ...But the gun is not going to get you the hot girls.


with a Walther you love them or you do not...so choose wyse. I recommend you get a German pre-ban they are super reliable, but the price is high for one of them.

good luck.
 
Wife has one, says she loves it, uses it for primary carry as it fits her hand better than a 9mm. she is very comfortable with it and loves shooting it. I am looking to use one as a BUG, after shooting hers, found it to be accurate. I would recommend one.
 
Walther is a quality product and I have never had one fail. To me, this is a top two consideration when choosing a self-defense firearm. However, I imagine the reason that some gunsmiths are resistant to working on them (giving the advice to use ball ammo instead of doing their job and polishing the feed ramp like they were asked to do) is they are complicated to disassemble (not to clean, but to work on) and they are high quality steel which takes more processing work than just buffing it and handing it back to you. Find a Walther-certified gunsmith and tell him you want the gun worked to feed current hollowpoints. To a COMPETENT gunsmith, there are three or four things that can be worked to get the gun more "hollowpoint reliable."

A fantastic firearm from a wonderful company - I don't think anyone would ever be disappointed from choosing this piece.
 
I owned a PPK/S made by Smith & Wesson. The gun fit me quite well and
felt very good in my hand. But, it turned out the gun was a real turkey.
It would not fire factory round nose ammunition reliably, but it would
fire factory hollow points OK. It would not fire my reloads reliably
either.

Since factory hollow points usually sell for around $1.00 per round, I
could not afford to practice with the gun. So I gave the gun what it
needed most: A new owner.

Good luck if you purchase one. Maybe you will be luckier than I was.
 
I just bought a new S&W PPK/S .380 and today took it to the range to give it a testing.
It shot with no problems no FTF or FTE and no jams.
It is a very accurate small handgun, but because it's small you must keep a firm grip on it.
As for the recoil I did not find it to be a problem, but I also shoot a Glock23 .40 and it does have a really sharp recoil you notice quickly.
I feel the S&W PPK/S is a quality handgun, and will be a good addition to my other carry handguns.
 
You know what? I'm a big stinky liar. I carry a Walther PK .380 (thus the comment about it being a bit large). However, my adoration remains the same.
 

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