Walther PPK/S .380

[Kirby]

I had always considered small automatics as little more than toys. Give me a .45 any time. A few weeks ago, on a whim, I bought a Walther PPK/S .380. Needless to say, I have now learned a new respect for "little guns with 3" barrels".

On a 24" high silouette target, at 25 yards, I put 36 of 50 rounds into the 5 ring. The other 14 went into the 4 and 3 rings....and I ain't the goodest shot in the world. A competent pistolero could place some mighty good groups with this "little toy". This is a fine, strong, well made pistol and I don't think the .380 punch is that much less than the 9 mm either.

Has anyone had much experience with this type of weapon? I think Ohio is close to getting a CCW law and I'm considering making this my choice.

VBR
Kirby

[WFS]

Kirby,

I've fired the .380 PPK/S on several occaisions. I found it to be well balanced and very accurate at any reasonable self-defense range. It doesn't have the full punch of the 9mm parabellum, but unless you're going into combat it is more than enough to stop an attacker. Lets face it, most self-defense situations take place quickly and at close range.

Don't knock the modern, small autos. A lot of the predjudice comes from the days when your two basic choices were the .32 and the .25 loaded with ball ammo. Most were innacccurate at more than a few feet. The fmj ammo had to strike bone or vital organs to have any stopping power. A well made, modern .380, loaded with a good hollow point round, is a different animal.

Best Regards,
Wayne

[Shooter]

Kirby:

As pocket pistols go, the Walther is pretty near the top. I prefer the Mauser HSc to the PPK/s, but both are well made firearms. I have owned them both in the past and "traded up" to a Colt MkIV Series 70 with the Walther in 1976. I also traded in the Mauser for a second Colt in 1977, so currently I have neither. The only Walther I currently own is a P-38, 1969 vintage..

I found the Walther to be accurate, grouping inside a three inch circle at all normal pistol distances. I cannot say a lot about the 9mm Kurz (.380ACP) but it is the absolute low end of the list of self defense cartridges.

If you can find an inexpensive one, it would not be a bad investment. They used to be $295.00 back in the Sixties and VG examples easily fetch twice that today.

Semper Fi,

Shooter sends

[Barrett]

Another entrant in the .380 market is Colt's Mustang, though you gotta download the mag by one round for reliability. It's what a pocket pistola is supposed to be: light, handy, and as Shooter says, the low end of defensive calibers. Main advantage is the single-action trigger, IMO. No decockers or other bells & whistles. However, it's an SOB to reassemble so be careful out there...

The only caveat I would offer on the PPK is this: There is no firing pin block safety. In other words, when you decock the pistol, a sharp blow to the hammer, or dropping it on the hammer will cause the pistol to fire.

That doesn't mean the design is not safe, it is just something that should be pointed out in this day of modern Crunchentickers with hammer block safeties. It is important that you carry the Walther PPK in a properly fitted holster to prevent dropping the weapon.

[stephen]

Until someone slaps me, I claim PPK/S Forumite Expert title. I'm a long time owner of an Interarms Walther PPK/S in 9mm kurz and a huge proponent of this outstanding pistol.

First of all, the PPK/S (that's "S") most certainly does have a full, modern firing pin block. The needle you see protruding just above the hammer is not the firing pin, it is an "indicator pin." A very handy animal that tells you at a glance (or by running your finger over it in the dark) whether or not a round is chambered.

Secondly, you'll find this among the most accurate pistols in the world. It truly is made to a higher standard and the Walther genius shows. See below my set of lazy shots at a 10 inch paper plate from 25 yards (not 25 feet!). This gun will put bullets precisely where you aim them, every time.

And finally, the one drawback that I've had in mine was an initial lack of reliability. The PPK/S is indeed finicky about ammo, so don't load it up with cheap junk. I had the feed ramp polished and sent it back to the factory for a faulty extractor before it was as reliable as I expected. It's still not quite as reliable as my Makarov's, but then Russian guns will shoot marbles if you can fit them into the mag.

When you shop for hollow point ammo, consider Remington or Speer. Remember that the PPK/S is based on an 80 year old design, meaning that it was intended for use with ball ammunition. Remington and Speer HP ammo tends to have a smaller opening in the nose with a more rounded profile, which helps a gun of this type.

It is an excellent backup to your larger calibers, or those times when your clothing doesn't allow you to pack heavy. If needed, it will certainly get the job done with a one-shot stop ratio of just under 80%... not bad at all for a small caliber gun. The 9mm Lugar shoots about 1000 fps, while the 9mm kurz/.380 shoots around 875 fps.

Buy a PPK/S and you will be very glad you did. You'll soon realize why this pistol has set the standard for small caliber weapons for 8 decades.

First of all, the PPK/S (that's "S") most certainly does have a full, modern firing pin block. The needle you see protruding just above the hammer is not the firing pin, it is an "indicator pin." A very handy animal that tells you at a glance (or by running your finger over it in the dark) whether or not a round is chambered.

Ah-ha! I was mistaken about the lack of a firing pin block on the PPK/S, thanks for clearing that up Stephen. My experience with the PPK series is not very extensive, probably about 250 rounds total in my lifetime, and that was on late 60's era imported Walthers that definitely lacked firing pin blocks.

I have to admit, if a sidearm doesn't fire .38 Special/9mm Parabellum or better, I don't spend much time getting familiar with it. *:-[

[stephen]

Those of you who live in states without CCW permits, I strongly urge you to make your personal safety decisions without respect to the "laws" of your state. The state is neither competent nor responsible enough to be entrusted with decisions affecting my personal safety; I do not mean disrespect to elected officials, but I do not consider their opinions or laws when it comes to the safety of myself, my family and my children.

We avoid travelling through Ohio when going on vacations for that exact reason. On occasions when we have been there, I have deliberately disregarded their laws which put my family at risk and will continue to do so in the future.

To simplify... if you and your children drove across the state line and were told that while in this area you were not allowed to wear your seatbelts... would you obey?

[stephen]

Pardon the distraction. Back to Walthers.

[mike_baram]

Stephen,
Pretty good results. And, now I know why your guests complain about dripping syrup at your pancake breakfasts.
VBR,
Mike
Seriously, folks,
How does the PPK handle the recoil? My experiences with the Kahr 9mm (similar size) and other short barrels were not pleasant when it came to re-acquiring the target after the recoil. (The Kimber Ultra-Carry is a different story entirely, though.)