 The
most famous gun of the Walther® PP series is the Walther® PPK. PPK is a German
acronym meaning Polizeipistole Kriminellmodell (Police
Pistol Detective Model). Sometimes, the acronym Polizeipistole Kurz (Police Pistol
Short) is given, but this interpretation is incorrect. The Walther® PPK is a
smaller version of the PP (Polizeipistole) and has a shorter grip and
barrel as well as a lower magazine capacity. |
Walther® PP pistols were among the most important developments
of the inter-war period. Produced between 1929 and 1945 in
significant numbers, these pistols, along with the smaller PPK, were widely used as police and military
guns in Hitler’s Germany. After the war, production of the PP
and PPK pistols was resumed in France by Manurhin under German
license. Later on, production was returned to the re-established
Walther® factory in the city of Ulm ab Donau (pre-war Walther
factory was located in the city of Zella-Mehlis), and these
pistols have seen widespread use by civilians and police, as
well as for personal defense by many non-infantry officers in
several European armies. Very close copies of the Walther® PP
were manufactured after the war by East Germany, Hungary,
Romania, Turkey and USA. Walther® PP, PPK, and PPK/S pistols are
now manufactured in the USA by the Smith &
Wesson Company under license from Walther.
The Walther® PP is blowback-operated pistol with a fixed barrel,
usually of all-steel construction. A few aluminum-framed PP
pistols were built in Germany before the war, and stainless
steel versions are manufactured in the USA under Walther’s®
license since the mid-1980s. The trigger is double-action, with
an exposed hammer and a frame-mounted manual safety/decocker. The lockwork is somewhat complicated;
it has many small parts and pins. Sights are fixed, with the
rear sight blade dovetailed into the slide. Magazines are
single-stack. The magazine release button is located at
the left side of the frame, just below the slide and in front of
the grip panel. Walther® PPK pistols are fitted with a loaded
chamber indicator, made in the form of a small pin that
protrudes from the rear of the slide (above the hammer) when a
cartridge is in the chamber. The Walther® PPK pistol is made in
7.65mm (.32ACP) caliber and 9mm Kurz (9x17, .380ACP).