Walther PPK
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The Walther PP is a pistol made in Germany, France and the United States (PPK and PPK/S [link]) at various times. It features an exposed hammer, double-action trigger, single-column magazine, and a return spring located around the fixed barrel.
The Walther PPK (German: Polizei Pistole Kriminal, 'Police Pistol Detective' [Detective Pistol], or Polizei Pistole Kurz - 'Police Pistol Short') is a shortened version of the PP (Polizei Pistole) and differs from it in size (shorter barrel and grip) and magazine size.
The PP appeared in 1929 and the PPK in 1931. Both guns were popular with European police and civilian shooters. They were reliable and easy to conceal. During World War II Walther PP's and PPK's were issued to German military police, Luftwaffe, and other support personnel.Adolf Hitler used his PPK to kill himself during the final days of the war in Europe.
The PP and PPK were the world's first successful Double Action autos. They were widely copied. The type is still in production by Carl Walther Sportwaffen. The Walther design has been used in numerous other pistols including, but not limited to, the Soviet Makarov and the Czechoslovakian CZ50. Although it was an excellent pistol, the Walther had competition during its time. The Mauser HSC pistol and the Sauer 38H (also known as the model "H") were both successful pistols in their own right. Production of the Sauer pistol ceased with the end of the war, but the refined Sig P230 and later P232 owe a great deal to the earlier weapon.
Due to the Gun Control Act of 1968, these pistols could no longer be imported into the United States, the largest consumer of the type. The Walther PPK was license manufactured in the United States from 1978 by Ranger Manufacturing in Gadsen, Alabama and sold by Interarms in Alexandria, Virginia. It is now manufactured by Smith and Wesson with certain improvements. One issue that a shooter of the PPK had always faced is what is termed as 'bite.' Upon discharging a round, the slide travels backwards chaffing or even cutting the web of the hand between the thumb and the index finger of many individuals. Modern PPK's feature a 'beavertail' frame which largely corrects this situation as well as hammer bite.
The PPK is carried by fictional secret agent James Bond in books and films.
Specifications
- Type: Double Action
- Caliber:
- *.22LR (5.7 mm x 15R)
- *.25 ACP (6.35 mm x 16 Browning)
- *.32 ACP (7.65 mm x 17 Browning)
- *.380 ACP (9 mm x 17 Browning Kurz (Short))
- Size
PP PPK Overall length 173 mm 154 mm Barrel length 99 mm 84 mm Weight 682 g 568 g Capacity 7.65 mm 8; 9 mm 7 7.65 mm 7; 9 mm 6 See also
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:[Special]- [Nazarian's Gun's Recognition Guide]
- [Smith & Wesson's American Walther Site]
- [PPK Back in Bond's Hand]
- [Unofficial Walther Home Page]
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