Walther PPK

[supercomando]

Originally Posted by Fitch

That is what I paid for my Stainless one you see in the post above yours. It too was used. It's a really fun gun to shoot and perfect to carry.

Fitch

Thanks for the reply.

[rad]

Originally Posted by OneChambered

I really like my buddy's PPK .380 and was about to get one as a backup piece until I read about Bersa's Thunder. 380 CC piece. Walther certainly has the prestige and a great history behind it. From what I read of the Bersa, it's operationally simple, reliable and shoots true. It's also half the cost of the PPK. Does anyone have experience with one?

I have a Bersa 83, the model before the Thunder 380, that I bought back in the early 90's. I don't even remember how many rounds I've sent through it, but it has never had a problem. Bersa .380's are excellent handguns.

[HST]

Originally Posted by Fitch

First, congratulations on receiving what I regard as one of the best concealed carry pistols ever designed. I have two of them. I carry the stainless one every day every place it is legal.

IMO, the gun is almost perfect as it is. The stock grips work well, they conceal well, and they will last about forever. One change has been made on my stainless S&W built Walther PPK/S, it was sent to Novak and had Novak sights fitted to it. They are a huge improvement over the stock sights. You can see them here ...

I wouldn't mess with the grips, but if you feel like you want to customize it a bit, try the Novak sights. Highly recommended.

I carry it with the decocking lever in the fire position just like I would a SIG P239. That way there is nothing to remember. The gun has a first shot trigger stroke like a DA revolver, the trigger pull for subsequent shots is much like a 1911.

The gun can be loaded, a round chambered, and cleared with the decocking lever in the "safe" position which makes it very safe to load and clear. I like mine a lot.

I've trained with it to the point where I can get all 7 rounds into COM, none outside the 9 ring, on a B-27E silhouette at 21' in 3.5 seconds including the draw from concealment. First shot is in just over 1 second - I'm hoping to improve that. The gun has enough weight that you can hold it on target and just pour the rounds into it.

Good luck with it. Get about 500 rounds down range in disciplined practice and you will grow to love that little gun. It is a brilliant design for concealed carry.

Fitch

Thanks for the input. I was pretty excited to receive the pistol, and even more so once I started finding out more information about it. It does seem like the perfect concealed carry pistol.

From what I have read, the S&W PPKs have a few modifications over the InterArms model that makes it a bit more forgiving on the shooter (better rear guard, for example). And, considering there have been those who have reported "slide bite" and jamming if they don't grip the pistol right, I thought an aftermarket grip would be a useful thing. I plan on shooting it before I make any decisions, though.

Incidentally, which Novak sights did you have put on? I didn't see anything that would indicate they put them on Walther PPKs from their site. Those new sights do seem to protrude a bit more than the stock sights; do you have any problems getting them caught on anything?

Thanks again.

[Fitch]

Originally Posted by HST

Incidentally, which Novak sights did you have put on? I didn't see anything that would indicate they put them on Walther PPKs from their site. Those new sights do seem to protrude a bit more than the stock sights; do you have any problems getting them caught on anything?

You will have to call them and talk to them. I don't see my sights on their WEB page. The gun was sent to them. They milled the dove tails in the slide to install the sights.

The sights work perfectly. I've had zero issues with them. The gun shoots to point of aim at 25' with Federal HydraShock factory ammo.

Fitch