Walther PP

Walther PPK
File:Walther PP.jpg Walther PP
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Weimar Republic
Service history
In service	1935
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Carl Walther Waffenfabrik
Designed	1929
Manufacturer	Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen
Produced	1929-present
Variants	PPK, PPK-L, PPK/S, PP-Super, PPK/E
Specifications
Mass	Template:G to oz (PP 9x17mm Short/.380 ACP) 660 g (23 oz) (PP 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 675 g (23.8 oz) (PP .22 LR) 590 g (21 oz) (PPK 9x17mm Short/.380 ACP) 590 g (21 oz) (PPK 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 560 g (20 oz) (PPK .22 LR) 635 g (22.4 oz) (PPK/S 9x17mm Short/.380 ACP) 630 g (22 oz) (PPK/S 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 645 g (22.8 oz) (PPK/S .22 LR) 480 g (17 oz) (PPK-L 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 450 g (16 oz) (PPK-L .22 LR) 780 g (28 oz) (PP-Super)
Length	Template:Mm to in (PP) 155 mm (6.1 in) (PPK) 156 mm (6.1 in) (PPK/S) 165 mm (6.5 in) (PPK-L) 176 mm (6.9 in) (PP-Super)
Barrel length	98 mm (3.9 in) (PP) 83 mm (3.3 in) (PPK, PPK/S, PPK-L)) 92 mm (3.6 in) (PP-Super)
Width	30 mm (1.2 in) (PP, PPK/S, PPK-E) 25 mm (1.0 in) (PPK) 35 mm (1.4 in) (PP-Super)
Height	109 mm (4.3 in) (PP) 100 mm (3.9 in) 110 mm (4.3 in) (PPK/S) 113 mm (4.4 in) (PPK-E) 124 mm (4.9 in) (PP-Super)
Cartridge	7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) 9x17mm Short (.380 ACP) .22LR 6.35x15mm Browning SR (.25 ACP) 9x18mm Ultra (PP-Super)
Action	Straight blowback
Muzzle velocity	256 m/s (840 ft/s) (PP 9x17mm Short/.380 ACP) 320 m/s (1,049.9 ft/s) (PP 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 305 m/s (1,000.7 ft/s) (PP .22 LR) 244 m/s (800.5 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S 9x17mm Short/.380 ACP) 308 m/s (1,010.5 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S/PPK-L 7.65x17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 280 m/s (918.6 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S/PPK-L .22 LR) 325 m/s (1,066.3 ft/s) (PP-Super)
Feed system	Magazine capacity: PP: 8+1 (.32 acp) 7+1 (.380) PPK: 7+1 (.32 acp) 6+1 (.380)
Sights	Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade

The Walther PP series pistols include the Walther PP, PPK, PPK/S, and PPK/E. They are blowback-operated semiautomatic pistols manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen in Germany and by Smith & Wesson in the United States, under license from Walther in France. . These pistols feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring.

Overview

The most common variant is the Walther PPK, the Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell (Police Pistol Detective Model), indicating it was more concealable than the original PP and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work. . It is a smaller version of the PP (Polizeipistole) with a shorter grip and barrel and lesser magazine capacity. Sometimes, the name Polizeipistole Kurz (Short Police Pistol) is given, but this incorrect,

The PP was released in 1929 and the PPK in 1931; both popular with European police and civilian shooters, for being reliable and concealable. During World War II they were issued to the German military and police, the Luftwaffe, and Nazi Party officials; Adolf Hitler killed himself with his PPK in the Führerbunker in Berlin. Moreover, the Walther PPK pistol is fictional secret agent James Bond's signature gun in the novels and most films. Fleming's choice of the Walther PPK directly influenced its popularity and its notoriety.

The PP and the PPK were among the world's first, successful double action semi-automatic pistols that were widely copied, but still made by Walther. The design inspired other pistols, among them the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63, and the Czech CZ50. Although it was an excellent semi-automatic pistol, it had competitors in its time. The Mauser HSC pistol and the Sauer 38H pistol (a.k.a. model "H"), were successful in their own rights. Sauer pistol production ended at war's end, but the refined SIG P230 and the P232, owe much to the Walther PPK.

Postwar Manufacture

Europe

Walther's original factory was located in Zella-Mehlis in the state (Land) of Thuringia, in present-day eastern Germany. As that part of Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union following World War II, Walther was forced to flee to West Germany, where they established a new factory in Ulm. However, for several years following the war, the Allied powers forbade any manufacture of weapons in Germany. As a result, in 1952, Walther licensed production of the PP series pistols to a French company, Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin, also known as Manurhin. Manurhin continued to manufacture the PP series until 1986. In fact, all postwar European-made PP series pistols manufactured through 1986 were manufactured by Manurhin, even though the pistol slide may bear the markings of the Walther factory in Ulm.

United States

In 1978, Ranger Manufacturing of Gadsden, Alabama was licensed to manufacture the PPK and PPK/S; this version was distributed by Interarms, based in Alexandria, Virginia. This license was eventually cancelled. As of 2007, Smith and Wesson is licensed to manufacture the PPK and PPK/S. Additionally, Walther's 2008 worldwide defense product catalog indicates (although this is not explicitly stated) that, with the exception of the PP and the new PPK/E model (see below), the United States is the current sole source for new PPK-type pistols.

PPK versus PPK/S

The PPK/S was developed following the enactment of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA68) in the United States, the pistol's largest market (Hogg 1979:164). One of the provisions of GCA68 banned the importation of pistols and revolvers not meeting certain minimum size requirements into the U.S.; the PPK was deemed too short and too small (by a few millimeters of overall height). Walther addressed this situation by combining the PP's frame with the PPK's barrel and slide to create a 104.14 mm-tall pistol legally importable into the U.S. (Josserand & Stevenson 1972:301 [photo]). In addition, because U.S. law allowed domestic production (as opposed to importation) of the PPK, manufacture began under license in the U.S. in 1978; this version was distributed by Interarms, based in Alexandria, Virginia. The version currently manufactured by Smith and Wesson has been improved by incorporating a longer grip tang, better protecting the shooter from "slide bite," i.e. the rearward-travelling slide's pinching the firing hand, which was a problem with the original design.

The PPK/S differs from the PPK as follows:

• overall height of Template:Mm to in
• weight—the PPK/S weighs Template:G to oz more than the PPK
• the PPK/S magazine holds one additional round, in both calibers

As of 2007, the PPK/S and the PPK are offered in the following calibers: 32 ACP (with capacities of 8+1 for PPK/S and 7+1 for PPK); or 380 ACP (PPK/S: 7+1, PPK: 6+1).

PPK/E

At the 2000 Internationale Waffen-Ausstellung (IWA - International Weapons Exhibition) in Nuremberg, Walther announced a new PPK variant designated as the PPK/E. The PPK/E resembles the PPK/S and has a blue steel finish; it is manufactured under license by FEG in Hungary. Despite the resemblance between the two, certain PP-PPK-PPK/S parts, such as magazines, will not interchange with the PPK/E. The official factory photographs do not refer to the pistol's Hungarian origins; instead, the traditional Walther legend ("Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do.") is stamped on the left side of the slide. The factory announcement mentions that the PPK/E is made with "new manufacturing technologies," presumably in an effort to reduce costs.

As of May 2008, the PPK/E bore a suggested retail price (in Germany) of 441 euros ($661.50 U.S. dollars circa 8/8/08), almost 200 euros cheaper than the PPK and PPK/S models imported from the U.S. The PPK/E is offered in 22 LR, 32 ACP, and 380 ACP calibers. As of May 2008, there were no indications that Walther intends to import the PPK/E into the U.S. Since it has the same dimensions as the PPK/S, there would seem to be no government-imposed restrictions in this regard; however, the terms of Walther's licensing agreement with Smith & Wesson could restrict such importation.

References

Hogg, Ian V. (1979). Guns and How They Work. New York: Everest House. ISBN 0-89696-023-4.

Josserand, M.H. (1972). Pistols, Revolvers, and Ammunition. New York: Bonanza Books (A division of Crown Publishers, Inc.). ISBN 0-517-16516-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

See also

• Carl Walther GmbH
• BERSA Thunder 380
• Makarov PM

External links

• Official Walther Classic Pistols page
• Walther PP/PPK instruction manual
• Walther PP spare parts drawing
• Walther PPK/PPK-L spare parts drawing
• Walther PPK/S spare parts drawing
• Walther PPK/E exploded view
• Smith & Wesson's American Walther site
• Unofficial Walther home page
• Photos of the Walther PPK
• Modern Firearms