Walther ppk/s 380

[handgun101]

Thinking of buying a Walther ppk/s380 by interarms.
Would like some pros and cons on this gun if anybody out there has owned one or owns one now.
Want to use it for a cc gun sometime in the future.
Does anyone have one new or a 9+ they might be willing to sell at a reasonable price?
Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

[Chris Z]

As a concealed carry instructor who deals with students that show up with all types of guns.... Here is what I see over and over again.

.380 pistols should be avoided, period! They don't work.

Had a Sig P232 today in class. Sig Sauer generally makes quality pistols........ Malfunction after malfunction with this P232 today.

Walther PPK's..... Malfunction after Malfunction. Usually...

Ruger LCP's... Malufunction after Malfunction.

Sig P238..... Malfuction after Malfunction.


Every now and then I get a .380 in class that works every time. Malfunctioning Sig today, Walther PPK that someone had today, worked without problems.


My advice.... Don't buy a .380 - I would NEVER TRUST on of these pistols for defensive use.

[UPCrawfish]

Chris,
Don't hold back - tell us how you really feel about .380 pistols.....   

[lunchbox]

Weird. I must be in the rare. My p238 has never had any problems

[Chris Z]

Chris,
Don't hold back - tell us how you really feel about .380 pistols.....   

Thanks, I won't hold back! I feel pretty strongly about this one, since I've seen so many of them have problems over the years of doing this  :-)

[Waltherfan]

My PPK and LCP have never jammed. Never.
Do I think the .380 an ideal self defense round? No, but it's better than a sharp stick.

[Phantom]

As a concealed carry instructor who deals with students that show up with all types of guns.... Here is what I see over and over again.

.380 pistols should be avoided, period! They don't work.

Had a Sig P232 today in class. Sig Sauer generally makes quality pistols........ Malfunction after malfunction with this P232 today.

Walther PPK's..... Malfunction after Malfunction. Usually...

Ruger LCP's... Malufunction after Malfunction.

Sig P238..... Malfuction after Malfunction.


Every now and then I get a .380 in class that works every time. Malfunctioning Sig today, Walther PPK that someone had today, worked without problems.


My advice.... Don't buy a .380 - I would NEVER TRUST on of these pistols for defensive use.

Makes me wonder if they lubed them well enough before Firing or not.

In basic in the Military we had a lot of people that (never touched a gun before) thought
that if they didn't lube them they'd be eaiser to clean later (yea right!).
 

[greg58]

Chris,
Don't hold back - tell us how you really feel about .380 pistols.....   

I see Chris didn't list the Makarov, mine shoots every time.
Must be the Russian commie craftmanship...

Greg58

[zofoman]

.380 pistols should be avoided, period! They don't work.

Never had a problem with my LCP.....300+ rounds and it is my conceal carry.

[OleSharky]

On the Walther Interarms PPKs, this is strictly my opinion, I'm not an expert in anything....The downsides:  The double action trigger was designed by someone a little sadistic.  It racks hard partially due to its small size, the sight leaves a little to be desired.  It has a sharp recoil, more punishing than my 9mm's for long term shooting.  The upside.....It is extremely accurate.  Unbelievable for its small size. Love the looks and size.  I haven't found it to be unreliable.  Why would anyone own a firearm that you didn't have confidence that it would go "bang" every time you pull the trigger?  The Walther Smiths have had a recall and had some issues but thought they had most worked out.  It terms of popularity, the German made Walthers are the most sought after and expensive, then the Interarms, followed by the S&W's.  I think no matter what gun or caliber one ends up with, you should have verified its reliability before you ever think of signing up for a CHC class.  IMHO, the positives outweigh the negatives on the Interarms PPKs.  It depends mostly on what you plan on doing with it, your experience, and how you care of it.

[Ronvandyn]

My PK-380 was a very dependable gun, never a problem.  You have to keep the things clean and properly lubed though, like almost anything mechanical it must be properly maintained.

As for the Sig's, well the company itself warns that FTE's and FTF's are to be expected until the gun is broken in, usually around the 500 round count.  I believe Chris taught me that himself. 

Ron

[Waltherfan]

On the Walther Interarms PPKs, this is strictly my opinion, I'm not an expert in anything....The downsides:  The double action trigger was designed by someone a little sadistic.  It racks hard partially due to its small size, the sight leaves a little to be desired.  It has a sharp recoil, more punishing than my 9mm's for long term shooting.  The upside.....It is extremely accurate.  Unbelievable for its small size. Love the looks and size.  I haven't found it to be unreliable.  Why would anyone own a firearm that you didn't have confidence that it would go "bang" every time you pull the trigger?  The Walther Smiths have had a recall and had some issues but thought they had most worked out.  It terms of popularity, the German made Walthers are the most sought after and expensive, then the Interarms, followed by the S&W's.  I think no matter what gun or caliber one ends up with, you should have verified its reliability before you ever think of signing up for a CHC class.  IMHO, the positives outweigh the negatives on the Interarms PPKs.  It depends mostly on what you plan on doing with it, your experience, and how you care of it.

I actually like the heavy trigger pull for the first round. If I'm in a situation where I want to pull the trigger, the addrenalin will be high enough that it won't be an issue. The heaviness will be appreciated if I don't want to fire. I don't want it going off and me saying "Oops".

[Chris Z]

My PK-380 was a very dependable gun, never a problem.  You have to keep the things clean and properly lubed though, like almost anything mechanical it must be properly maintained.

As for the Sig's, well the company itself warns that FTE's and FTF's are to be expected until the gun is broken in, usually around the 500 round count.  I believe Chris taught me that himself. 

Ron

This is helpful sometimes with certain types of guns........... But if someone asks advice about buying a .380 I won't hold back on my opinion of them and will share my experience with them  :-)

[2guns]

Over the last 20 years I have had a bersa thunder 380, a Taurus pt85 380 ,and I just purchased a Beretta 84 fs 380 that has had over 100 rounds through it. The bersa I carried for years never once cleaned it! And get this IN ALL THESE YEARS AND HUNDREDS OF ROUNDS OF AMMO NOT EVEN ONCE CAN I EVER REMEMBER ONE  PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THEM! Of ever hand gun long gun I have owned only my 22s ever seem to have problems (they are dirty and cheap ammo). Not trying to start anything here, I was reading about all the problems with the ruger sr9 tons of people hate it I have one I love it its been my carry gun for 3 years and got its first cleaning last week because I got sand all over it while fishing. So I say buy a 380 but talk to someone who owns one first. Btw thanks for the .380 ammo Richard.

[Gary]

The real problem with .380 is you can only pack so much punch in a 9mm short. 

[2guns]

That is true but like stated before better that a sharp stick! LOL!

[OleSharky]

You're welcome 2guns!  Enjoy and good shooting.  I quit argueing "best calibers" at least 30 years ago.  I know I don't want anyone shooting at me with a .380.  I figure everyone should shoot what works best for them whether that is a .22 or a .44 Mag.  If we all thought the same, everyone would want my wife and that wouldn't work.   

[358156hp]

Ian Fleming did a great job of romanticizing the PPK with his James Bond character. British Intelligence lost favor with the PPK because it developed a reputation for feedway stoppages, most famous was the incident regarding the kidnap attempt of Princess Anne. While I believe that some of these issues have been addressed, the PPK never recovered. I've had a few 380s, and decided that I referred a good revolver to the 380 pocket pistols, and never looked back from there. Have you considered a nice S&W Airweight in 38 Spl? They have a lot going for them.