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Walther PPK
Walther PPK
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Weimar Republic
Service history
In service	1929 (PP), 1931 (PPK) 1968 (PPK/S)
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Walther
Specifications
Weight	682 g (PP) 568 g (PPK)
Length	174mm (PP) 154 mm (PPK)
Barrel length	99 mm (PP) 84 mm (PPK)
Cartridge	7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) 9x17mm Browning Short (.380 ACP) .22LR .25 ACP
Action	blowback, Double action
Feed system	Magazine capacity: PP: 8+1 (.32 acp) or 7+1 (.380) PPK: 7+1 (.32 acp) or 6+1 (.380)
Sights	fixed iron sight

The Walther PP series pistols include the Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/S. They are blowback-operated semiautomatic pistols manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen in Germany and under license from Walther in France and the United States ^[1]. 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 gun's single recoil spring.

Contents 1 Overview 2 PPK versus PPK/S 3 Notes 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

The most common variant is the Walther PPK. Its German acronymous name stands for Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell (Police Pistol Detective Model - implying it was more concealable than the original PP model and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work).^[2] Sometimes, the backronym Polizeipistole Kurz (Police Pistol Short) is given, but this interpretation is incorrect. Nevertheless, it is a smaller version of the PP (Polizeipistole) and has a shorter grip and barrel as well as a lower magazine capacity.

The PP was released in 1929 and the PPK followed in 1931. Both pistols were popular with European police and civilian shooters. The pistols were reliable and easy to conceal. During World War II both variants of the pistol were issued to German military police, Luftwaffe, and other support personnel, as well as officials of the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler used his PPK to kill himself as Soviet forces closed in on the Führerbunker in Berlin. The PPK pistol is the signature gun of fictional secret agent James Bond, having been chosen by Ian Fleming for his novels and used in most films. Use of the PPK by Fleming had a direct influence on the PPK's notoriety.^[3]

The PP and PPK were some of the world's first successful double action semiautomatic pistols and not only were they widely copied, but they are still produced by Walther. The Walther design has inspired several other pistols including, but not limited to, the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63 and the Czechoslovakian CZ50. Although it was an excellent automatic pistol, the Walther had competition in its time. The Mauser HSC pistol and the Sauer 38H pistol (a.k.a. model "H"), were both successful in their own right. Sauer pistol production ceased at war's end, but the refined SIG P230, and later the P232, owe much to the earlier Walther weapon.

When the Gun Control Act of 1968 became law in the United States, the PPK pistol was deemed too short and too small (by a few millimeters of overall height) for legal importation into the U.S., the pistol's largest market (Hogg 1979:164). This is how Walther addressed the situation:

1. First, Walther created the PPK/S model, 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]).
2. Second, because Federal law allowed domestic production of the PPK (as opposed to importation), Ranger Manufacturing of Gadsden, Alabama was licensed beginning in 1978 to manufacture the PPK; this version was distributed by Interarms, based in Alexandria, Virginia. Today, Smith and Wesson makes a licensed, improved version with 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 PPK design.

The PPK/S differs from the PPK as follows:

• overall height of 104.14 mm
• weight—the PPK/S weighs 1.8 oz (51 g) more than the PPK
• the PPK/S magazine holds one additional round, in both calibers

The PPK/S and the PPK are chambered for 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).

1. ^ WaltherAmerica.com - customer support page
2. ^ Both Walther America's and Walther GmbH's websites features a history section in their About page however the origins of the name Kriminalausführung, which is a synonym for Kriminalmodell is not explicitly explained.
3. ^ A.E. Hartink, The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers, page 368

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

Josserand, M.H.; Stevenson, J.A. (1972). Pistols, Revolvers, and Ammunition. New York: Bonanza Books (A division of Crown Publishers, Inc.). ISBN 0-517-16516-3. 

• Carl Walther GmbH
• BERSA Thunder 380
• Makarov PM

• Smith & Wesson's American Walther Site
• Unofficial Walther Home Page
• Photos of the Walther PPK
• Modern Firearms

v • d • e .38 Caliber
Cartridges
.38 Long Colt (1875) | .38 S&W (1877) | .38 ACP (1900) | .38 Special (1902) | .380 ACP (1908) | .38/200 (1922) | .38 Super (1927)
Revolvers
M1899 Revolver | Smith & Wesson M&P/Victory | Enfield No. 2 Mk I | Colt Detective's Special
Pistols
Colt M1900 | Colt M1902 | Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer | Colt M1908 Pocket Hammerless | Browning M1910 | Walther PPK | HK 4
Lists
List of handgun cartridges | List of rifle cartridges | List of firearms

v • d • e German-made firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms (Pistole)
Mauser C96 | Luger | Walther P38 | Walther PPK | Sauer 38H | Mauser HSc
Rifles & carbines (Gewehr & Karabiner)
Karabiner 98k | Gewehr 41 | Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 | StG44/MP44 | FG42 | StG45(M) | Volkssturmgewehr 1-5
Submachine guns ( Maschinenpistole )
Bergmann MP18 | MP34 | MP38/MP40 "Schmeisser" | MP3008 "Volks MP"
Machine guns & other larger weapons
MG08 | MG34 | MG42 | Faustpatrone | Raketen-Panzerbüchse 43 | Panzerfaust | Panzerschreck | Fliegerfaust/Luftfaust Flammenwerfer 35 | Panzerbüchse 39 | Solothurn S-18/1000 | Granatwerfer 36 | Granatwerfer 42
Grenades
Model 24 Stielhandgranate | Model 43 Stielhandgranate | Model 39 Eihandgranate | Splittering | Panzerwurfmine
Notable foreign-made infantry weapons
P.640(b) | Vis.35 | Vz.24/G24(t) | MG26(t) | Panzerbüchse 35(p)
German-made cartridges used by the Wehrmacht
7.92x57mm Mauser | 7.63x25mm Mauser | 7.92x33mm Kurz | 7.65x22mm Parabellum | 9x19mm Parabellum

v • d • e Modern (post Korean War) UK infantry weapons
Side-arms (Self-loading Pistols)	Browning L9A1 • L47A1 (Manuhrin produced Walther PP) • L105A1 • L107A1 • L102A1 (Compact)
Rifles, Carbines, & LSWs	L1A1 SLR • SA80 series (L85 IW, L86 LSW, L22A1) • L108A1, L110A1 (Para) • L101A1 • M16/A1/A2 • L119A1 (Diemaco SFW) • L100A1
Sniper rifles	L42/A1 • L96/A1 • L115A1 • L82A1 • AW50F
Submachine guns	L2A1 to L2A3, L34A1 • L80A1, L90A1 • L91A1, L92A1
Shotguns	L32A1 • L74A1 (Remington 870 Wingmaster)
Machine-guns & other larger weapons	L3 • L4 • L7 "GPMG" series (L7, L8, L19, L20, L37, L43, L44) • L2A1/L111A1 Heavy Machine Gun • L17A1/A2 • L67A1 • L1A1 (LAW) • LAW 80 • L14/A1 • L2A1 (ILAW) • L142A1 (AT4CS HP) • L9A1 51 mm Mortar • L16/A1 81mm Mortar • MILAN • Javelin
Modern cartridges used	5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Remington) • 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win) • 12.7x99mm NATO (.50 BMG) • .338 Lapua • 9x19mm Parabellum • 12 gauge