The Walther PPK is a legendary design that paved the way in which for a half-century of handgun improvement. Like the true life and fictional heroes and villains that carried it, the PPK has turn into one thing of an archetype. It exists and has been little modified because it was launched in 1931. However the panorama the PPK exists in did change. The top of World Battle II introduced PPK manufacturing out of Germany for the primary time. The Gun Management Act of 1968 birthed the PPK/S mannequin. The PPK debuted in .32 ACP however immediately the design is old-school .380. Though the .380 is a little more highly effective and produces an even bigger gap in no matter you’re taking pictures, the PPK design is at its most shootable in .32 caliber. In 2024, Walther reintroduced the PPK and PPK/s in .32 ACP. Ever a .32 caliber fan, I picked up the brand new PPK/s and set to work.
Walther PPK/S: Quirks and Options
The Walther PPK/s has remained largely unchanged since getting an extended PP grip after 1968 and the PPK design itself has seen treasured few modifications since its introduction in 1931.
With its longer grip, the PPK/s in .32 ACP holds eight rounds of ammunition with both a flat base plate or prolonged journal, each of which ship within the case with the pistol. It’s all-stainless metal and suggestions the scales at 1 pound, 9.5 ounces absolutely loaded.
The pistol contains a de-cocker/security on the left facet of the body and a loaded chamber indicator that protrudes above the uncovered hammer. It’s a double-action/single-action pistol that may be fired with one lengthy pull of the set off to cock the hammer and fireplace the pistol. Or it may be fired with the hammer to the rear for a lighter pull. On firing, the hammer is routinely re-cocked by the slide. If you end up carried out taking pictures, decreasing the de-cocker lever safely drops the hammer and deactivates the set off.
The PPK/s has an American-like journal launch though it’s mounted excessive on the left facet in comparison with trendy American handguns. It has no journal launch however has an inner slide cease that locks the slide again on an empty journal.
Whereas the primary technology of PPKs had drift adjustable sights, this new mannequin has small mounted iron sights milled into the slide with a burnished sighting aircraft in between. Though a great pair of PP wooden grips would set off this polished-stainless pistol, it ships with useful checkered plastic grips.
Like all PP fashions, this one is a straight blowback design with a hard and fast barrel and a recoil spring over the barrel, which doubles as a information rod. Disassembly is so simple as flattening the set off guard, shifting it to 1 facet of the body, and bringing the slide again and as much as take away the slide and recoil spring for cleansing.
Fast Specs:
Mannequin: PPK/s
Caliber: .32 ACP
Capability: 8+1
Barrel Size: 3.3 in.
General Size: 6.1 in.
Width: 1 in.
Weight: 1 lb., 9.5 oz. (loaded)
Extra on the .32 ACP
The .32 ACP, in any other case generally known as 7.65 Browning, was designed in 1899 for John Browning’s first slide-operated semi-auto pistol, the FN Mannequin 1899. This semi-rimmed low stress cartridge was designed for straight blowback pistols. Commonplace loadings include a 71-grain FMJ bullet touring at about 800 to 900 ft per second, though some lighter 60-grain jacketed hole level choices can up that pace by a bit extra.
The .380 ACP was developed for a similar class of handguns in 1908 and boasted an even bigger bullet. Nonetheless, the .32 ACP was extra fashionable. The PP and PPK pistols debuted in .32 and it remained the most well-liked chambering for these pistols, though the rising American market got here to desire the .380 mannequin. The .32 has the drawback of getting a semi-rimmed case, so it’s doable to lock rims if the rounds will not be fastidiously loaded. Nonetheless, this decrease powered spherical boasts much less recoil than a comparable .380 and offers surprisingly good penetration equal with the larger spherical.
On the Vary with the Walther PPK/s in .32 ACP
I don’t actively search out Walther merchandise, however I’ve owned a West German PP in .32 and an American-made PPK in .380. The newer .380 was very correct however with sufficient sharp edges to decorate a deer and was disagreeable to get by a field of ammo. The outdated PP was nicely rounded and nice, however I didn’t understand how the brand new PPK/s would stack up.
Upon taking it into stock, I discovered it to be a well-finished pistol with no milling marks and the one burr I may detect was a pointy edge on the higher facet of the de-cocker lever that tended to chew into my thumb when dropping the lever into the protected place. I checked the realm across the beavertail and close to the muzzle however discovered no different sharp edges within the locations I might count on. On doing a little dry fireplace observe, I did discover the PPK/s to have a stout double-action set off pull. It’s a must to stack weight on the set off till it instantly slips, cycles and drops. When it comes to pull weight, it exceeded my Lyman set off pull gauge, and I might estimate it to be about 20 kilos. The one-action pull is brief and lightweight, breaking at 4 kilos, 1 ounce. There isn’t any discernable reset to the set off, however that comes with the territory with the PPK design.
Heavy double-action set off however, it was of little consequence for me on the vary. I’m used to operating double-action revolvers and a Polish P-64 with out disturbing the sights, however I think about a situation the place some shooters would possibly choose to thumb again the hammer for his or her first shot. However when it comes to precise taking pictures, the PPK/s is a hoot.
It’s dense, all-steel and steady within the hand in contrast to many light-weight polymer weapons. The small milled sights made it straightforward to print teams on paper and hit static targets out to 50 yards, however up shut they are often exhausting to choose up when performing taking pictures drills at which level the PPK turns into a degree shooter’s delight as it’s straightforward, if not tempting, to tear off all eight rounds rapidly. The .32 ACP has subsequent to no muzzle rise and the load of the slide and spring are greater than sufficient to absorb recoil earlier than it will get to your palm.
When it comes to accuracy, the .32 ACP mixed with the Walther’s fixed-barrel design can yield spectacular outcomes. The one kicker is that the mounted sights on these latest manufacturing PPKs is that they arrive with mounted sights which are both on or they don’t seem to be. Mine had excellent windage, however my rounds favored excessive. Utilizing Magtech 71-grain FMJ, my rounds typically hit two inches larger than the purpose of goal. I ran a pack of Buffalo Bore +P 75-grain exhausting solid hundreds and received even nearer to the purpose of goal. The number of 60-grain hole factors, together with Speer Gold Dots, PMC Bronze and Hornady Essential Protection, favored 4 inches excessive however produced the most effective accuracy grouping-wise. PMC Bronze, total, was probably the most correct, and I may drill eight rounds right into a two- to three-inch group at 10 yards.
When it comes to ergonomics, this new mannequin is little modified from different PPK fashions. It’s a frequent criticism of the platform. The journal launch button is a bit larger than on most trendy American pistols, however it’s a far cry from the everyday European-style paddle or heel launch. The de-cocker is constructive and the loaded chamber indicator pops out above the hammer readily to let you realize you might have a stay spherical within the chamber. The beavertail is greater than lengthy sufficient to forestall hammer chew and the uncovered backstrap, which might punish the online of your hand if you’re utilizing a .380 PPK, merely doesn’t snap again underneath recoil sufficient with the .32 to be a hassle. The longer PP grip integrated on the PPK/s offers you further ammunition and greater than sufficient grip for bigger fingers, which makes the pistol ever extra shootable.
I hit just a few pace bumps within the reliability division early on. Regardless of a fast spritz of Rem oil earlier than firing my first photographs, I had three failures to totally eject out of my first field of fifty rounds of PMC Bronze. However with none extra cleansing or remediation, the issue didn’t reoccur, and I ran by the remainder of my ammunition and not using a failure to cycle or any dud rounds. Very similar to my earlier experiences, this .32 Walther was a largely drama-free shooter.
The Backside Line: The PPK/s in .32 as a Shooter’s Pistol
Shooters are drawn to the Walther PPK due to its distinctive place in firearms historical past. It’s a design that has been in steady manufacturing with only a few adjustments since debuting in 1931. It went on to encourage numerous Chilly Battle designs and seize the creativeness of hundreds of thousands in spy thrillers just like the James Bond franchise.
I’m certain some PPK followers have been craving for the reintroduction of the .32 ACP PPK just because it was the mannequin Bond carried from his movie inception till the latter Brosnan period. Certainly, the pistol was picked for the movie as a result of the .32 constantly outsold the .380 model till the pistol made severe inroads with American shooters who most popular the larger spherical.
However the PPK was first launched as a .32 and it’s a design that actually lends itself nicely to that caliber. Going as much as .380 appears to amplify the detriments of this older design. Chambering the PPK/s in .32 solely amplifies the enjoyment and shootability of this storied platform with out giving up a lot in return. Though my run with the PPK/s in .32 isn’t excellent, it’s excellent for Bond followers, Weimar Germany aficionados, and, maybe, those that want a low-recoil possibility or just simply desire a very cool gun to shoot and carry.
Try my video evaluate of the Walther PPK/s in .32 ACP beneath:
