Walther PP - Wikipedia
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| Walther PP | |
|---|---|
 Original Walther PP pistol | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Weimar Republic[1] |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1929–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
|
| Production history | |
| Designer | Carl Walther Waffenfabrik |
| Designed | 1929 |
| Manufacturer | Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen |
| Produced | 1929–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 170 mm (6.7 in) |
| Barrel length |
|
| Width | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Height | 109 mm (4.3 in) |
| Cartridge |
|
| Action | Straight blowback |
| Muzzle velocity |
|
| Feed system | Magazine capacity:
|
| Sights | Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade |
The Walther PP (German: Polizeipistole, or police pistol) series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen.[9]
Design
[edit]The Walther PP series feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism,[10] a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel that also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring.
The PP series incorporates a number of design features which were rare at the time it was first produced, but were in common usage by the late 20th Century. These include double to single action operation, a rounded hammer spur to avoid snagging when drawing the pistol, a loaded chamber indicator and a safety which, when activated, decocks the pistol.
Variants
[edit]The Walther PP series includes the Walther PP, PPK, PPK/S, and PPK/E models.
See also: Walther TPHPP
[edit]
The original PP was released in 1929[1] and is, as of 2025, re-introduced with modern enhancements.[11] It was designed for police use and was used by police forces in Europe in the 1930s and later.[1] The semi-automatic pistol operated using a simple blowback action.[1] The PP was designed with several safety features, some of them innovative, including an automatic hammer block, a combination safety/decocker and a loaded chamber indicator.[1]
PPK
[edit]The most common variant is the Walther PPK, a smaller version of the PP with a shorter grip, barrel and frame, and reduced magazine capacity. A new, two-piece wrap-around grip panel construction was used to conceal the exposed back strap. The smaller size made it more concealable than the original PP and hence better suited to plain-clothes or undercover work. It was released in 1931.[12] PPK" is an abbreviation for Polizeipistole Kriminal (literally "police pistol criminal"), referring to the Kriminalamt crime investigation office. While the K is often mistakenly assumed to stand for kurz (German for "short"), as the variant has a shorter barrel and frame, Walther used the name "Kriminal" in early advertising brochures and the 1937 GECO German catalog.[13][full citation needed]
PPK/S
[edit]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.[14] One of the provisions of GCA68 banned the importation of pistols and revolvers not meeting certain requirements of length, weight, and other "sporting" features into the United States. The PPK failed the "Import Points" test of the GCA68 by a single point. Walther addressed this situation by combining the PP's frame with the PPK's barrel and slide to create a pistol that weighed slightly more than the PPK.[10] The additional ounce or two of weight of the PPK/S compared to the PPK was sufficient to provide the extra needed import points.
Because U.S. law allowed domestic production (as opposed to importation) of the PPK, manufacture began under license in the U.S. in 1983; this version was distributed by Interarms. The version currently manufactured by Walther Arms in Fort Smith, Arkansas has been modified (by Smith & Wesson) by incorporating a longer grip tang (S&W calls it "extended beaver tail"),[15] better protecting the shooter from hammer bite, i.e., the rearward-traveling slide pushes the hammer rearward pinching the web between the index finger and thumb of the firing hand, which could be a problem with the original design for people with larger hands or an improper grip.
The PPK/S is made of stainless steel.[10] There are also blued examples.
The PPK/S differs from the PPK as follows:
- Overall height: 104 mm (4.1 in) vs. 100 mm (3.9 in)
- Weight: the PPK/S weighs 51 g (1.8 oz) more than the PPK
- The PPK/S magazine holds one additional round, in both calibers.[15]
The PPK/S and the PPK are offered in the following calibers: .32 ACP (with capacities of 8 for PPK/S and 7 for PPK); or .380 ACP (PPK/S: 7; PPK: 6). The PPK/S is also offered in .22 LR with capacity of 10 rounds.
PPK-L
[edit]
In the 1960s, Walther produced the PPK-L, which was a lightweight variant of the PPK. The PPK-L differed from the standard, all steel PPK in that it had an aluminium alloy frame. These were only chambered in 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) and .22 LR because of the increase in felt recoil from the lighter weight of the gun.
All other features of the postwar production PPK (brown plastic grips with Walther banner, high polished blue finish, lanyard loop, loaded chamber indicator, 7+1 magazine capacity and overall length) were the same on the PPK-L.
PP Super
[edit]First marketed in 1972, this was an all-steel variant of the PP chambered for the 9×18mm Ultra cartridge. Designed as a police service pistol, it was a blowback operated, double-action pistol with an external slide-stop lever and a firing-pin safety. A manual decocker lever was on the left side of the slide; when pushed down, it locked the firing pin and released the hammer.
When the 9×19mm Parabellum was chosen as the standard service round by most of the German police forces, the experimental 9mm Ultra round fell into disuse. Only about 2,000 PP Super pistols were sold to German police forces in the 1970s, and lack of sales caused Walther to withdraw the PP Super from their catalogue in 1979.[16]
PPK/E
[edit] Semi-automatic pistol| Walther PPK/E | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |  Hungary |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2000 |
| Manufacturer | Fegyver-és Gépgyár |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 155 mm (6.1 in) |
| Barrel length | 83 mm (3.3 in) |
| Width | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Height | 113 mm (4.4 in) |
| Cartridge | .22 LR, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP |
| Action | Straight blowback |
| Sights | Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade |
At the 2000 Internationale Waffen-Ausstellung (IWA – International Weapons Exhibition) in Nuremberg, Walther announced a new PPK variant designated as the PPK/E.[17] 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, are not interchangeable with the PPK/E. 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 PPK/E is offered in .22 LR, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP calibers.
Production
[edit]Walther
[edit]Walther's original factory was located in Zella-Mehlis in the state of Thuringia. As that part of Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union following World War II, Walther fled to West Germany, where they established a new factory in Ulm.
Manurhin
[edit]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 made the parts but the pistol was assembled either at Saint-Étienne arsenal (marked "Made in France") or by Walther in Ulm (marked "Made in West Germany" and having German proof-marks). The French company continued to manufacture the PP series until 1986.[18]
In the US
[edit]In 1978, Ranger Manufacturing of Gadsden, Alabama was licensed to manufacture the PPK and PPK/S; this version was distributed by Interarms of Alexandria, Virginia. Ranger made versions of the PPK/S in both blued and stainless steel and chambered in .380 ACP and only made copies chambered in .32 ACP from 1997 to 1999.[citation needed] This license was eventually canceled in 1999.
Walther USA of Springfield, Massachusetts briefly made PPKs and PPK/Ss directly through Black Creek Manufacturing from 1999 to 2001. From 2002, Smith & Wesson (S&W) began manufacturing the PPK and PPK/S under license at their plant in Houlton, Maine until 2013. In February 2009, S&W issued a recall for PPKs it manufactured for a defect in the hammer block safety.[19]
In 2018, Walther Arms began producing them again at their new US manufacturing plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and new ones are being shipped as of March 2019.[20][21][22]
In other countries
[edit]The PPK and PP are still manufactured by Walther and have been widely copied. The Walther PP design inspired other pistols, among them the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63,[18] the Czechoslovak Vz. 50, the American Accu-Tek AT-380 II, and the Argentine Bersa Thunder 380.
Close copies were produced by the following countries:
| Model | Origin | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Type 51 |  China | [citation needed] |
| Zella Mehlis P1001 |  East Germany | [18][23][24] |
| WALAM 48 | Hungary | [25][26] |
| Model 74 |  Iraq | [27] |
| MKE Kirikkale |  Turkey | [18][28][29] |
| Pistol Carpați Md. 1974 |  Romania | [18][30] |
Adoption
[edit]The PP and the PPK were among the world's first successful double action semi-automatic pistols.
Warfare
[edit]During World War II, they were issued to the German military, including the Luftwaffe, as well as the uniformed Ordnungspolizei, plainclothes detectives of the Kriminalpolizei[1] and Nazi Party officials.[1][31] The PP and PPK variants were privately bought and used by members of the Latvian Aizsargi national guard.[32] The PPK was used by the MACVSOG recon skydiver team, equipped with detachable suppressor.[33]
L66A1
[edit]In 1974, the British Royal Army Ordnance Corps purchased some thousand .22LR caliber Walther PP pistols for members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.[34][10]
They were issued as sidearms to be carried by off duty soldiers for personal protection during The Troubles.[34] They had military markings unlike standard Walther PPs.[34] They had black plastic grips and were parkerized. In the 1980s, the guns were coated with a lacquer called Suncorite,[34] which was later found to be toxic and is no longer in use.
Law enforcement
[edit]The PP and PPK were popular with police forces, alongside their specialised departments worldwide. Australia,[35][36] Austria,[37] Brazil,[38][39] Denmark,[40] Sweden,[41][42] the United Kingdom and the United States, alongside other countries, have issued PP and PPK as their officers' sidearms.
A PPK carried by Princess Anne's personal police officer James Beaton infamously jammed during a kidnapping attempt on the princess and her husband.[43]
The Kentucky State Police issued the stainless PPK/S as a backup gun with the agency logo engraved on the slide.[44]
Others
[edit]A Walther PPK .32 (gun number 159270) was used by Kim Jae-gyu to kill South Korean leader Park Chung Hee.[45]
Users
[edit]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Bolivia[46]
Burkina Faso[47]
Central African Republic[47]
Chad[47]
Republic of the Congo[47]
Guyana[47]
Indonesia[48]
Iran[49]
Madagascar[47]
Mali[47]
Mauritius[47]
Germany[18]
Niger[47]
Peru[50]
Senegal[47]
Seychelles[47]
Togo[47]
United Kingdom[51]
Former users
[edit]
Australia
Austria
Argentina[52]
Brazil[53]
Denmark
East Germany
Nazi Germany
Latvia
Sweden
Turkey
Romania
United States
Cultural references
[edit]The fictional secret agent James Bond uses a Walther PPK in many of the novels and films. Ian Fleming's choice of Bond's weapon directly influenced the popularity and notoriety of the PPK.[54][55] Fleming had given Bond a .25 Beretta 418 pistol in early novels but switched to the PPK in Dr. No (1958) on the advice of firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd.[56] Although referred to as a PPK in the film adaption of 1962, the actual gun carried by actor Sean Connery was a Walther PP.[55][56][57] Actor Jack Lord, who played Felix Leiter in Dr. No, was presented with a gold-plated PPK with ivory handgrips, given to him by his friend Elvis Presley. Presley owned a silver-finish PPK, inscribed "TCB" ("taking care of business").[58]
See also
[edit]- Bersa Thunder 380
- FEG PA-63
References
[edit]Footnotes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Bishop, Chris (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58663-762-0.
- ^ Huon, Jean (September 2013). "The Chaco War". Small Arms Review. Vol. 17, no. 3. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Katz, Sam (24 March 1988). Arab Armies of the Middle East Wars (2). Men-at-Arms 128. Osprey Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-85045-800-8.
- ^ "The airman's guide to survival". Forces and Firepower. BBC News. 18 December 1998.
- ^ Toft, Mike (Summer 2016). "Reality of War: Tornado GR1 1,000lb GPB Low-Level Loft Delivery". Air Power Review (First Gulf War 25th Anniversary - Special Edition). Royal Air Force: 130–133.
- ^ "Stock Photo - Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 pilot FLT Lt Scott Morley puts his personal Walther PPK pistol into his flying suit as he prepares before his mission over Iraq from their base in their base in Kuwait, March 21, 2003". Alamy. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "2003 Op Telic". Fourfax.co.uk. 7 October 2017.
- ^ "Keeping it Quiet: Suppressor Use by Jihadis, Militants & More". CalibreObscura.com. 19 July 2018.
- ^ "About Walther". Walther Arms. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Walther PP and PPK self-loading pistols (Germany)". Jane's Infantry Weapons. Janes.com. 28 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Walther Arms Announces the Return of a Legend: The New Walther PP". The outdoor wire. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Walker, Robert E. (2012). Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-4665-0206-2.
- ^ p. 115.
- ^ Hogg (1945), p. 164.
- ^ a b "PPK/S Pistol .380ACP". Smith & Wesson. Archived from the original on 11 September 2008.
- ^ "Walther PP Super". Modern Firearms. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "If Reliability Counts...The New Walther PPK/E" (PDF). Carl Walther Sportwaffen GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Popenker, Maxim (22 October 2010). "Walther PP & PPK". Modern Firearms. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Walther PPK PPKS Safety Recall". Smith & Wesson. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Customer Support". Walther America. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "About Walther". Walther Arms. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ "Walther PPK". Walther Arms. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ "East Germany Calling: Zella Mehlis P1001-0". Archived from the original on 28 October 2021.
- ^ https://www.forgottenweapons.com/east-germanys-secret-walther-clone-the-pistole-1001-0/
- ^ https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-walther-copied-by-hungary-for-egypt-the-walam-48/
- ^ http://www.hungariae.com/Walam.htm
- ^ Mikko & Bailey (2019), p. 7.
- ^ Wiener, Friedrich (1987). The armies of the NATO nations: Organization, concept of war, weapons and equipment. Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3. Vienna: Herold Publishers. p. 428.
- ^ https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-279044
- ^ https://museumofcommunistterror.com/pistol-as-used-by-the-romanian-secret-police/
- ^ Fischer (2008) p. 47, "...Günsche stated he entered the study to inspect the bodies, and observed Hitler ...sat...sunken over, with blood dripping out of his right temple. He had shot himself with his own pistol, a PPK 7.65."
- ^ Valsts policija (6 March 2018). ""Walther" policijas pistole". Facebook (in Latvian). Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Association, National Rifle. "An Official Journal Of The NRA | Behind Enemy Lines: Guns of Vietnam's SOG Warriors". An Official Journal Of The NRA. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d Walter, John (2022). Walther Pistols PP, PPK and P 38. Osprey Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1472850843.
- ^ "Weapons used by NSW Police". Australian Police. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Slee, Max (1988). Service arms of the South Australian Police : 1838 to 1988, the first 150 years. Norwood: Antique & Historical Arms Association of South Australia. p. 98. ISBN 0731640780.
- ^ Urrisk, Rolf M. (1990). Die Bewaffnung des österreichischen Bundesheeres, 1918-1990 (1. Aufl ed.). Graz: H. Weishaupt Verlag. ISBN 978-3-900310-53-0.
- ^ "O Museu de Polícia Militar de São Paulo". Armas On-Line (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 June 2017.
- ^ "wiw_sa_brazil - worldinventory". 2 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016.
- ^ "The use of police firearms in Denmark" (PDF). Politi.dk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Walther PP, Swedish Contract". Panchogun.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Walthers udda studsare". Jakt & Jägare (in Swedish). 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ Low, Valentine. "Princess Anne's bodyguard relives night he was shot foiling her kidnap". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Marchington, James (2004). The Encyclopedia of Handheld Weapons. Lewis International, Inc. ISBN 1-930983-14-X.
- ^ "The inside story of the Park Chung Hee killing". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Leroy; MacSwan, Ken (1985). Uniforms of the Soldiers of Fortune. Poole: Blandford Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-0-71371-328-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Jones, Richard D., ed. (2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ^ "Kopassus & Kopaska - Specijalne Postrojbe Republike Indonezije". Hrvatski vojnik (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 22 August 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ "5 Iranian Firearms Seen in December 2019 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction Catalog". Silah Report. 12 November 2019.
- ^ "wiw_sa_peru - worldinventory". 29 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Low, Valentine (10 February 2020). "Princess Anne's bodyguard relives night he was shot foiling her kidnap". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "wiw_sa_argentina - worldinventory". 24 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Military and police handgun cartridges of Brazil. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ Hartink, A. E. (1996). The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers. Lisse: Rebo. p. 368. ISBN 978-9-03661-510-5.
- ^ a b "James Bond's Walther PPK". CIA Museum. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Time Out: The Guns of James Bond". BBC. 16 September 1964. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ Macintyre, Ben (2012). For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond. A&C Black. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4088-3064-2.
- ^ "Entertainment: The King of all auctions". BBC News. 6 September 1999. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
Bibliography
[edit]- Fischer, Thomas (2008). Soldiers of the Leibstandarte. Winnipeg, Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0-921991-91-5.
- Hogg, Ian V. (1979). Guns and How They Work. New York: Everest House. ISBN 0-89696-023-4.
- Mikko, Don; Bailey, Steve (2019). Battlefield Forensics for Persian Gulf States: Regional and U.S. Military Weapons, Ammunition, and Headstamp Markings. New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0429765544.
- 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.
- Henrotin, Gerard (2017). Walther PP pistol explained. Belgium: HLebooks.com.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walther PPK. - "Walther PP spare parts drawing" (PDF). Carl Walther GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2010.
- "Walther PPK/PPK-L spare parts drawing" (PDF). Carl Walther GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2010.
- "Walther PPK/S spare parts drawing" (PDF). Carl Walther GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2010.
- "Walther PPK/E exploded view" (PDF). Carl Walther GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2010.
- McCollum, Ian (18 November 2020). "British L66A1: A Pistol for Northern Ireland". Forgotten Weapons.
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