Walther PPK/S Reviews

by **JustBen** » Wed May 04, 2011 7:47 pm

Limp wristing is a problem with several guns I have and caliber appears to be of no consequence. I have a Walther P22 that is really sensative to limp wristing, and also my Glock .40 when using range ammo.

Proper grip and stance has a lot to do with it also. Go to www.tdiohio.com and click on media. These guys have some good videos on gun handling, stance, grip, etc... I have learned a tremendous amount from these guys.

by **JustBen** » Wed May 04, 2011 7:50 pm

We should all remember that it was a .22 round that almost killed President Reagan. Hit location trumps caliber, but it is nice to have lots of caliber too. Especially for us guys that want everything :-)

by **Odiwankenobi** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:39 pm

I bought a Walther PPK/S last year. Not Super Impressed with it like I was with my Ruger P95. The Walther is a neat lil carry gun but seems to have jamming problems out of the box. Maybe I need to run 500-1000 rounds thru it to solve this but out of the box, Jamming every few rounds was not a great impression. Also, I would love any information anyone has on rubber grips (not wraparounds) for this gun. The Plastic grips that probably cost 3 cents was another huge turnoff for this Pistol. at $525.00 I think rubberized plastic would have been a bit nicer. The Pistol shoots nice & very smoothe when it doesnt jam. For the size it is very accurate at 5-25 yards. It is probably one of the best looking Pistols I have, being all Stainless & very low maintenance. Cleaning/Field stripping is simple & requires no tools.

All in All, This is a very good Pistol, but it does have a few flaws that I would like to see corrected from the Manufacturer. The cheap plastic grips could be upgraded, The jamming could be addressed and the sights could use a little upgrade. I would be willing to spend the extra money for this gun and feel very confident carrying it were these upgrades made. I think it is the perfect size for a Carry, very comfortable, just needs to be a little more reliable in Dire Need situations.

by **JustBen** » Fri May 27, 2011 12:34 am

Odi:

A few posts down there are some nice wood grips mentioned on Grips4Guns.com

Also, I took a dremel tool to mine in a big way. Polished every part of the slide, barrel and frame that came in contact. Plus I polished the heck out of the feed ramp and a little into the chamber. What a huge difference. No more jamming. I would also only use a light oil and no grease. Hope it improves for you.

by **lee___radio** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:36 pm

such helpful info! thanks guys a novice like me would have never guessed.

by **SittingMooseShaman** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 7:57 pm

...good ol' Dremel. I've stated it B4... ...an' I'll state it again... Dremel's a pocket-size milling machine...

by **MightyFoFaad** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:04 am

@ Odiwankenobi

I've been an NRA Certified Rifle & Pistol Instructor for 38 years. That's right, I'm an old coot. As you may well imagine, I've seen many shooters that have feeding & ejecting problems ... that aren't always the fault of the gun ... but rather the fault of the shooter.

Now without seeing you or your gun, I can't make a definitive diagnosis, but, the PPK/S is not known for feeding & ejection problems. So ... let's consider a few other factors. Sometimes, just changing your brand or type or weight of bullet will eliminate your jamming or stove piping. Feeding problems can also be caused by a defective magazine that's holding onto the rounds too hard, or a weak spring or grabby follower may too be a problem.

Finally, "YOU" may not be holding onto your pistol with a firm enough grip. If you are letting the pistol rotate in your hand (it doesn't take much) you are in effect dissipating the the spring & recoil forces necessary to cleanly feed & eject your ammo. Verifying this is easy. Sit down at the shooting bench, & with a two hand grip, hold the gun down on the bench & fire off a full magazine. If suddenly, you have no jams (don't feel bad) the problem is you!

You'd be amazed how often this clears up the problem. On the PPK/S, another indicator of a loose grip is if you find the hammer coming back & biting the webbing between your thumb & pointer finger. Good luck.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:22 am

To Dremel, or not to Dremel ... what was the question?

Yes, a Dremel in skilled hands attached to a knowledgeable brain can be a wonderful tool. In inept hands attached to an empty head ... well, let's just say those REPLACEMENT PARTS can be quite expensive.

by **lee___radio** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:12 am

@MightyFoFaad

love the tips! what do you mean, "hold the gun down on the bench?" and also, how do you fix a "grabby follower?" thanks.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:20 pm

@ lee___radio

What I mean is to rest the gun on the bench, preferably with the barrel over the forward stop which often has a "V" notch to rest the barrel; especially at indoor ranges. The idea is simply to immobilize the gun during recoil so there is no upward movement (or rotation) of the gun during recoil.

Don't worry about aiming the gun. You just want to see if the gun still has feeding problems when movement is eliminated.

Next ... everyone (hopefully) gives their new gun a thorough cleaning before using it. But you'd be surprised how few people bother to clean the magazine as well. It too comes greased up & often with dirt and/or metal shavings which aren't necessarily visible to the naked eye.

Take the magazine apart & give it a thorough cleaning, just as you would with your gun. Even if that grease doesn't give you a problem initially ... it soon will as grease is a magnet for dirt of all kinds.