Walther Pp 9mm - It is beautiful. It looks great on the big screen. But compared to most modern pistols, the Walther PPK is a terrible choice for self-defense and concealed carry. It's not even a funny plinker. Unless you're a collector or James Bond enthusiast, there are much better options available.
Hello everyone, I'm Chris Baker and I really don't care about Walther PPKs. I know a lot of people like PPK for different reasons. It is an exceptionally beautiful looking design. It has some historical importance. And, of course, it is famous for its association with a certain fictional, mildly psychotic English civil servant. If you have a PPK for one of these reasons, I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I'm glad you liked it and I hope it continues to bring you much joy.
Walther Pp 9mm
But I feel compelled to make this video, because I know right now someone wants to buy a gun for personal protection or learn how to shoot. Maybe this will be their first firearm purchase, period. And for whatever reason, the Walther PPK is at the top of their list. If this is you, then sir or madam, I really need to make sure you know that the Walther PPK in 2021 is a terrible choice for any practical purpose. Yes, this is just an opinion, but it is shared by someone who actually takes gun shooting seriously. Today I want to talk about why.
Used Carl Walther Pp 7.65mm (32acp)
Most of the guns that Walther makes today are very valuable indeed. They even make a couple that I would call exceptionally good. And, like many German-designed firearms, when the PPK first came out, it fell into this unusual category. It was a unique, high-quality gun that played an important role. But, over the past 90 years, there have been some major advances in design and technology that go into concealable handguns. I would no more carry a gun today virtually unchanged since 1931 than I would trust a 1931 car as a daily driver.
The PPK was initially sold to the European law enforcement market as a more compact version of the Walther PP, or "police pistol". The PPK is available in .22 LR, .32 ACP and .380 ACP. Today, we usually associate it with the .380, but early on, the .32 was actually the most common chambering.
Long before the PPK appeared in any spy movie or book, it had already made a huge impact on the firearms industry. The PPK was among the most commercially successful double-action/single-action pistols. It had many mechanical and aesthetic design elements that Walther and its competitors copied and reused for decades.
It was one of the first semi-autos to really define the size category we now call "subcompact." It's much smaller than a service-sized handgun, or even a compact handgun. But it's also a bit bigger than what they used to call vest pocket pistols. It's thin and concealable, but has enough hang grip to make it shoot.
Mm Kurz Walther Ppk Semi Automatic Pistol
The PPK didn't make much of an impact in America until GIs started bringing them home from Europe after WWII. They were quite popular for a few years after the war, and the PPK probably would have faded into history soon after and I wouldn't have had to make this video. But then, a couple of movies came out about him spying on women for lime and the demand for PPK has remained ever since.
Unfortunately for US secret agent cosplay enthusiasts, the Gun Control Act of 1968 banned the importation of certain small, concealable handguns, including the PPK. Walther had to lengthen the grip a bit to meet the new requirements for "sporting purposes". This variant is known as PPK/S. Since the 1970s, a few different companies have imported the PPK/S. Both the PPK/S and the original PPK design are also manufactured and sold under license here in the US. The quality of these guns has suffered or lost over the years.
As of 2018, Walther has been producing PPKs at its US factory in Fort Smith, Arkansas. For the most part, these new weapons aren't all that different from the originals. There are some minor fixes to make them a bit more secure and reliable. The grip tip or beaver tail is slightly longer. The drift adjustable dovetail rear sight has been replaced with a convenient fixed rear sight notch. Right now, it's only made in .380 ACP. Otherwise, this is pretty much the same pistol that Walther first brought out in 1931.
If I use modern pistols for comparison, it will be easier for me to explain why the Walther PPK is the best. I'm going to use a Glock 42 for this. Overall, it's a good carry gun, but it's certainly not the only, or even the best, choice. This is just one of dozens of options that are superior to PPK. I chose this particular pistol because it has roughly the same external dimensions as the PPK and has the same ammo capacity and fires the same cartridge: 6+1 rounds of .380 ACP. In everything but the beauty contest, the Glock 42 completely outperforms the PPK.
Walther Pp Schreckschusspistole 9mm P.a.k. Im Platzpatronen Set
Let's start with an easy one: weight. The PPK has a steel slide and a steel frame. Most guns these days have an aluminum or polymer frame. Steel guns are heavy. And despite what Boris Blades may have told you, that doesn't make them any more reliable or durable than lighter alternatives. Fully loaded, the PPK weighs 24 ounces. The Glock 42 weighs a third less at 16.5 ounces. That's a significant difference for something you wear around your waist for hours a day.
You would think that more weight in a small gun would be a good thing. Perhaps this will help absorb some of the recoil and make the gun shoot smoother. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The PPK has what is called a straight blowback action. The Glock 42, along with most modern handguns, is recoil operated. I won't go into the details of what all this means. If you want to know more, I made a video a few years ago explaining the details. Basically, straight recoil pistols have a significantly greater feel than blowback pistols.
So even though the PPK is quite heavy and the .380 cartridge relatively light, the Walther has the same recoil feel as a modern 9mm subcompact pistol. It's manageable, but definitely not something I'd put in the hands of an inexperienced shooter. The .22 and .32 caliber versions of the PPK are said to be much nicer to shoot. But they are no longer sold in the US and used copies are prohibitively expensive.
What really makes the .380 PPK unpleasant to shoot is actually a combination of high recoil and poor ergonomics. The proper way to grip a modern pistol is to place your primary hand on the backstrap as high as you can. A high, aggressive grip is key to controlling recoil. However, if you hold the PPK this way, you will likely end up with what is known as slide bite. This is where the slide cuts or rubs against the thumb when the gun is used. After less than 100 rounds on the range with the PPK, I had not only a slide bite but a… I don't know what you call it, a beaver tail bite? Here the corner of the beaver tail or tang is so sharp that it cut my hand in places other than cutting the slide.
The James Bond Pistol Returns
Later PPKs had this longer tap to address complaints about hammer bite. But overall, the PPK is still an ergonomic disaster. There are sharp edges and corners throughout. There is zero texture on the front strap. The journal publication is in a strange place. Neither the mag release nor the safety/decocker are ambidextrous.
After struggling with the PPK, shooting the Glock 42 is like diving into a clear blue lake on a very hot day. It has about half the recoil. Nothing pinches me, hits me or bites me. Exercising with it never feels like a chore. I'm not saying ergonomics are perfect for everyone. If you have large hands, this probably isn't ideal. Could use a slightly more aggressive grip texture. The slide release is not inconsistent. But at least it has a slide release, which the PPK lacks. For most people, this is a very nice little gun to shoot. PPK is not.
[Edit: For those of you who like the idea of a Glock 42 but prefer the added safety of a PPK's DA/SA action, you can
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