70 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
WALTHER PPK
a sleek, double-action semi-automatic used by German
military and police under the Third Reich. It was the rst
successful semi-automatic enabling both double-action and
single-action operation. This was accomplished by way of a
safety lever that served double-duty, providing not only a
safe mode, but also simultaneously de-cocking the ham-
mer with a ring pin block that allows the hammer to drop
without ring the gun.
The external hammer is cocked by either thumbing it
back or when the slide is pulled rearward to chamber a
round. Pushing the safety lever downward releases the ham-
mer and rotates the ring pin block into position to separate
the hammer and spring-loaded ring pin. Moving the safety
lever upward takes the gun out of safe mode and allows the
pistol to be red double-action by simply pulling the trigger.
The slide moves rearward with the energy of the cartridge
case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by
the ignition of gunpowder. This blowback action ejects the
empty case and re-cocks the hammer to allow the following
shots to be red in single-action mode. The slide remains
open with the last shot red. The reliable PP quickly became
popular with European police and civilians alike.
The PP was originally chambered for the 7.65x17 mm
(.32 ACP), providing a muzzle velocity of 948 f.p.s. A xed
barrel ensured accuracy and acted as the guide rod for the
recoil spring. A loaded-chamber indicator in the form of
a signal pin protruded through the rear of the slide when
contacting a chambered round. By glance or feel, the user
would know if the gun were loaded. The PP accommodated
a single-stack magazine, holding eight rounds, and, unlike
most contemporary pistols of that period with heel-catch
magazine releases, it featured a frame-mounted, push-
button magazine release. The overall length was 6.8", with
a barrel length of 3.35" and an overall weight of 24 ozs.
Takedown is accomplished by rst removing the maga-
zine and making sure the gun is unloaded. The trigger
guard is hinged at the rear and is pulled downward from
the front and secured against the frame. The slide is then
pulled fully rearward to disengage it from the frame and
then lifted upward, allowing it to move forward and off the
barrel. The recoil spring is then slipped off the xed barrel.THE PPK INTRODUCTION
A year later, in 1930, Walther released a smaller ver-
sion of the PP, which it called the PPK (Polizeipistole
Kriminalmodell or “Police Pistol Detective Model”). It
featured a shorter grip, barrel, slide, frame and reduced
magazine capacity. The PPK was more concealable than the
original PP and more suited for plainclothes police, intel-
ligence agents and undercover work.
During World War II, PPKs were issued to the German
military, the Luftwaffe and various police agencies includ-
ing the SS and Gestapo. But perhaps the most historic feat
that the PPK ever accomplished was ridding the world of
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler when he used his personal service
pistol, a shiny gold-plated PPK, to end his life in 1945.
A PPK also ended dictatorial rule in South Korea in 1979Takedown of the unloaded PPK is accomplished by pulling down
the hinged trigger guard from the front. The slide can then be
pulled rearward, which disengages it from the frame and allows it
to slide forward and off the barrel. The recoil spring can then be
slipped off the xed barrel.Prior to the Gun
Control Act of 1968,
the PPK was imported
into the United States
without restriction.
The gun came in a
sturdy cardboard box
embossed with a faux-
lizard-skin surface,
which also included a
factory target showing
a ve-shot group, an
owner’s manual, a spare
magazine and a brass
cleaning rod.