Walther PP | |
---|---|
Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
Place of origin | Germany [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]
It features 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 series includes the Walther PP, PPK, PPK/S, and PPK/E models. The Walther TPH pocket pistol is a smaller calibre pistol introduced in 1971 which is identical in handling and operation to the PPK.
Various PP series are manufactured in Germany, France and the United States. [11] In the past, the PPK version was manufactured by Walther in its own factory in Germany, as well as under licenses by Manurhin in France; Interarms in Virginia, and by Smith & Wesson in Maine. Since 2018, PPK and PPK/S models have been built at the factory of US-based subsidiary Walther Arms, Inc. [12] [13]
The PP and the PPK were among the world's first successful double action semi-automatic pistols. The PPK and PP are still manufactured by Walther, but the PP went out of production between 1999 and 2024 [14] and have been widely copied. The design inspired other pistols, among them the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63, the Czechoslovakian Vz. 50, the American Accu-Tek AT-380 II, and the Argentine Bersa Thunder 380. The PP and PPK were popular with both European police and civilians for being reliable and concealable. During World War II, they were issued to the German military (officers), including the Luftwaffe, as well as the uniformed Ordnungspolizei and plainclothes detectives of the Kriminalpolizei. [1]
The original PP was released in 1929. [1] 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]
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.[ clarification needed ] 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. [15]
"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. [16] [ full citation needed ]
The PPK saw widespread use. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide with his PPK in the Führerbunker in Berlin. [17] A Walther PPK .32 (gun number 159270) was used by Kim Jae-gyu to kill South Korean leader Park Chung Hee. [18] A PPK carried by Princess Anne's personal police officer James Beaton infamously jammed during a kidnapping attempt on the princess and her husband. [19]
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. [20] [21] 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. [22] Although referred to as a PPK in the film adaption of 1962, the actual gun carried by actor Sean Connery was a Walther PP. [21] [22] [23]
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 himself owned a silver-finish PPK, inscribed "TCB" ("taking care of business"). [24]
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. [25] 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"), [26] better protecting the shooter from slide bite, i.e., the rearward-traveling slide's 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, especially when using more powerful cartridge loads. The PPK/S is made of stainless steel. [10] There are also blued examples.
The PPK/S differs from the PPK as follows:
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.
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.
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. [27]
In 1974, the British Royal Army Ordnance Corps purchased some thousand .22LR caliber Walther PP pistols for members of the Ulster Defence Regiment. [28] They were issued as sidearms to be carried by off duty soldiers for personal protection during The Troubles. [28] They had military markings unlike standard Walther PPs. [28] They had black plastic grips and were parkerized.[ citation needed ] In the 1980s, the guns were coated with a lacquer called Suncorite, [28] which was later found to be toxic and is no longer in use.
Walther PPK/E | |
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Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
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. [29] 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. [30] 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.
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States.
Carl Walther GmbH , or simply known as Walther, is a German firearm manufacturer, and a subsidiary of the PW Group. Founded by Carl Walther in 1886, the company has manufactured firearms and air guns at its facility in Germany for more than 100 years. Walther Arms, Inc. is the United States Walther business unit and is based in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The .380 ACP, also known as .380 Auto, .380 Automatic, or 9×17mm, is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge that was developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, for use in its new Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since, seeing wide use in numerous handguns. Other names for .380 ACP include 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, and 9mm Browning Court. It should not be confused with .38 ACP. The .380 ACP does not strictly conform to cartridge naming conventions, named after the diameter of the bullet, as the actual bullet diameter of the .380 ACP is .355 inches.
The Beretta Model 1934 is an Italian compact, semi-automatic pistol which was issued as the service pistol of the Royal Italian Army beginning in 1934. As the standard sidearm of the Italian army it was issued to officers, NCOs and machine gun crews. It is chambered for the 9mm Corto, more commonly known as the .380 ACP.
.32 ACP is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol. It was introduced in 1899 by Fabrique Nationale, and is also known as the 7.65 mm Browning Short.
The SW99 rendition of the popular Walther P99 was the product of a joint collaboration between Smith & Wesson and Walther. The modified receiver used in the SW99 is supplied by Walther and is manufactured in Germany. Smith & Wesson manufactures the slide and barrel of the SW99 in the United States. Though there are slight variations in aesthetic design, the function of the SW99 is identical to its German-made counterpart.
The Thunder 380 is a lightweight, relatively small semi-automatic pistol series chambered in the .380 ACP caliber made by Argentine firearms manufacturer Bersa, S.A.
The Walther P38 is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that was developed by Carl Walther GmbH as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the comparatively complex and expensive to produce Luger P08. Moving the production lines to the more easily mass producible P38 once World War II started took longer than expected, leading to the P08 remaining in production until September 1942 and copies remained in service until the end of the war.
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The HK4 is a pocket pistol, first introduced by Heckler & Koch in either 1964 or 1967. It was distinctive for allowing shooters to swap barrels chambered for different cartridges without tools and for having a durable but light hard-anodized aluminum-alloy frame.
In American English, a pocket pistol is any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol, and is suitable for concealed carry in a pocket or a similar small space.
The Sauer 38H or often just H was a small semi-automatic pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1938 until just after the end of World War II by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, then based in Suhl, Germany. The "H" in the model number is short for "hahn", referring to the internal hammer of the firing mechanism.
The Mauser HSc is a 7.65mm pistol introduced in Nazi Germany during World War II, and manufactured until 1977. The designation HSc stood for Hahn SelbstspannerPistole, third and final design "C". Production was continued in 1945–1946 during the French occupation and, from 1968 to 1977 by Mauser. It has a semi-exposed hammer, double-action trigger, single-column magazine, and a spring surrounding the barrel.
The FN Model 1910 is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium.
Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. was a manufacturer of small arms in the Basque region of Spain from about 1905 until 1997.
The FÉG PA-63 is a semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by the FÉGARMY Arms Factory of Hungary.
The Smith & Wesson M&P is a polymer-framed, short recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol introduced in the summer of 2005 by the American company Smith & Wesson. It uses a Browning-type locking system. While targeted at law enforcement agencies, the M&P is also widely available on the commercial market.
A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long barreled gun which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.
The SIG Sauer P230 is a small, semi-automatic handgun chambered in .32 ACP or .380 Auto. It was designed by SIG Sauer of Eckernförde, Germany. It was imported into the United States by SIGARMS in 1985. In 1996 it was replaced by the model P232.
Manurhin is a trademark used by Chapuis Armes since 1998. It is used to designate the Manurhin MR 73 revolver family, manufactured at Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, France.
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