Walther is again producing the elegant and well-made PP and PPK for the American market, in their original .32 ACP. Likewise, they are also available in the much snappier recoiling .380 ACP. I am especially glad that the .32 ACP models are back.
The Walther PPK .32 ACP Makes a Comeback
In 1929, Fritz Walther revolutionized personal defense autoloading pistols with his patented single-action/double-action trigger mechanism. It allowed for the speed, safety, and instant readiness of a double-action revolver on the first shot. Likewise, it also enhanced the accuracy of a single-action autoloader’s short, light, trigger pull for all subsequent shots.
The first Walther to feature this signature design element was the Model PP (Polizeipistole, translated as police pistol). It was followed in 1931 by the smaller PPK (Polizeipistole Kriminal, translated as police pistol criminal) intended for deep concealment by undercover detectives.
Personally, I didn’t realize how much I liked the .32 ACP Walther PPK and its bigger, older brother, the PP, until they were gone. By the 1980s, the once-common wartime guns that made their way to America in G.I. dufflebags, and later by dribs and drabs, thanks to the efforts of surplus importers, were rapidly rising in price.
Experience has taught me that once a firearm’s collector value exceeds its practical value as a tool, it quickly shifts from the holster to the display case. So it was with military PPK pistols. Although there were some post-war PPK options, the Gun Control Act of 1968 blocked their importation.
The Ironic Origin of the PPK
Ironically, the Gun Control Act of 1968 actually led to the introduction of the PPK/S. The PPK/S combined the PP pistol’s longer grip frame with the short PPK slide. This hybrid was importable and certainly resembled the PPK enough to tap into America’s James Bond fixation. However, as a concealed carry pistol, where the concealment part is paramount, it wasn’t the equal of the PPK.
Eventually, Walther PPK pistols were manufactured in America for our deep-concealment market. But before establishing the present Fort Smith, Arkansas-based Walther Arms manufacturing facility, availability was intermittent and quality control sometimes wanting.
In retrospect, I suspect it didn’t cost Walther too many sales. The growing concealed carry market was largely male and increasingly enamored with the newer polymer frame autoloader technology that offered lighter weight, higher magazine capacity, and bigger calibers.
When I compare the 9mm Springfield Armory Hellcat (11-shot magazine) to my old Browning Hi-Power (13-shot magazine), the progress of technology is striking.
That said, when you compare the 7-shot magazine, .32 ACP, Walther PPK to a 10-shot magazine, 9mm, SIG P-365, you may wonder if the all steel, 22-ounce, hammer-fired, blowback-operated, fixed-sight PPK is still relevant for personal defense.
Under certain circumstances, I believe the answer is yes for the same reasons they were successful in the first place.
.32 ACP for Defensive Carry?
The PPK was originally designed for .32 ACP. Although it is significantly less powerful than .380 ACP, it is still a lethal round. At least through the 1940s, .32 ACP was the world’s most popular chambering for automatic pistols.
Unlike the snappy .380 ACP version, the PPK in its original chambering is soft-shooting. As a result, it is easier to control in recoil and get back on target in rapid fire. In the 22-ounce PPK, .32 ACP is really a delight to shoot and isn’t going to intimidate a novice.
.32 ACP doesn’t discriminate. Any shooter, big or small, strong or weak, can handle its mild recoil and report. It’s also accurate, and especially so in a fixed-barrel handgun like the PPK. However, the gun’s smallish sights work against you.
The PPK is compact and easy to conceal and carry. Nobody ever picked up a PPK and said, “Oh, it’s too big and heavy!”
It’s barely more than an inch thick at its widest point. Depending on whether you use the flush fit or pinky rest seven-shot magazine, it stands either 3.9 or 4.58 inches tall. (Walther ingeniously accomplished this by redesigning the PP grip frame to be shorter with an internal backstrap and wrap-around grips.)
The PPK has been popular for so long that you will never have a problem finding a holster for it. For example, a survey of leather PPK holsters available from TripleK.com showed fourteen different models from shoulder to ankle.
Carrying the PPK .32 ACP
Maybe you don’t want a holster at all. The PPK is a pocket-sized pistol designed to be carried without a holster in the pocket or purse. You can carry it with the manual safety off and the hammer down over a loaded chamber.
The heavy, revolver-like, double-action trigger pull, in this case measuring between 15-16 pounds, is a safety feature. You aren’t going to accidentally pull it like you might with a modern striker-fired autoloader. The finger/hand strength to pull the PPK trigger in double-action mode, as well as the ability to rack the slide against its comparatively heavy recoil spring, are critical caveats in determining if a PPK is suitable for you.
Though its manual of arms is dated, the PPK is only slightly handicapped by its slide lock in rapid reloading. It doesn’t automatically release when a fresh magazine is inserted. The slide must be pulled slightly to the rear to disengage the lock before going into battery again.
Most violent encounters don’t last long enough to require a reload. So, this is not as big a flaw as it might seem. On the positive side, the gun’s exposed hammer, large slide-mounted manual safety/de-cocker lever, and prominent loaded chamber indicator leave no doubt about its status at any given moment, even when you can only feel it in your coat pocket.
Shooting the Pocket Pistol
I know a lot of people—primarily new self-defense concealed carry gun owners that are untrained with little or no inclination to get trained—who could shoot a PPK more accurately and effectively than they could any larger caliber micro or compact .380 or 9mm autoloader, or even a double-action snub nosed revolver. That is assuming they can be motivated to read the instruction booklet to learn the manual of arms.
The new PPK pistols from Fort Smith are all made of stainless steel. This gives them better resistance to rusting from sweat. The matte black finished gun I tested is even better protected because of the hard Melonite/nitrocarburized surface treatment. It’s not as beautiful as a pre-war rust blue, but it’s a lot tougher.
I did my accuracy testing from the bench at 25 yards in good light to get the most from the sights. In their time, they were better than average, with a low profile and shaped to resist snagging. They also have a small cavity in the front and rear to hold a dab of red paint that helps to get them lined up. However, the front sight is so short that it is easy to lose track of it in rapid fire or poor light.
The most accurate load tested was inexpensive aluminum cased CCI Blazer 71 grain ball. Five shot groups averaged 3.73 inches. I had one stove pipe jam out of a box of fifty rounds. I noticed that bullets passing through a steel-clad entry door lost their energy quickly in the dirt behind it and fell out the bottom slightly deformed but fully intact.
Feeding the PPK
I tested two 60-grain JHP self-defense loads: Hornady Custom with the XTP bullet and Speer with the Gold Dot bullet. Both had what seemed like a disproportionately large cavity that gave them a somewhat fragile look. Their velocities were essentially identical, averaging 65 feet per second faster than the 71-grain ball round.
At least one of these hollowpoints—a Gold Dot—penetrated the door and fell out at the bottom. It was split virtually in half and expanded into a ragged hunk of sharp metal. It would have made a terrible wound in human tissue. However, I could not say these conventional hollow points wouldn’t get plugged up when passing through heavy clothing.
Reliability was perfect with the Gold Dot, but with the Hornady, I had one stovepipe jam and one misfire. Because the Walther is SA/DA, I instantly gave the misfire a second try by just pulling the trigger again. Test any ammunition you intend to use defensively to ensure it functions reliably and shoots accurately in your gun.
The Speer Gold Dot load averaged 4.68-inch groups, and the Hornady Custom load averaged 5.23-inch groups. Both are respectable showings for a pistol with a 4.4-inch sight radius at 25 yards. However, I would lean toward further testing of the Speer due to its better accuracy and apparent reliability.
The Walther PPK: Withstanding the Test of Time
As a classic and time-tested design, the PPK will always have a following. Its sleek elegance and high quality are from an earlier age. This makes it increasingly appealing in our present era of plastic, clunky, rectangular guns.
I can argue convincingly that modern guns are better. However, that doesn’t make me want a .32 ACP PPK any less, despite its mechanical anachronisms. It’s still an effective weapon for personal defense. If its high-class image encourages owners to carry it consistently, so much the better.
The PPK has an MSRP of $1,149.00 and includes a tasteful, fitted, velvet-lined, Walther logo, imported Negrini case.
Walther PPK .32 ACP Specs
| Caliber | .32 ACP |
| Capacity | 7+1 rounds (two magazines included) |
| Action | blowback |
| Trigger | DA/SA 15.5 pound DA/5.25 pound SA |
| Material | stainless steel |
| Finish | matte black Melonite/nitrocarburizing |
| Barrel Length | 3.25 inches |
| Overall Length | 6.26 inches |
| Height | 3.90 inches with flush fit magazine, 4.58 inches with pinky rest magazine |
| Width | 1 inch across the safety |
| Weight | 21.7 ounces empty |
| Safety | manual safety/de-cocker lever, loaded chamber indicator |
| Sights | fixed |
| Accessories | fitted case, flush fit and pinky rest magazine |
| MSRP | $969 |
Performance
| CCI Blazer (aluminum case) | |
| Bullet Weight & Type | 71 FMJ |
| Velocity | 776 |
| Best Group | 3.60 |
| Hornady Custom | |
| Bullet Weight & Type | 61 XTP JHP |
| Velocity | 845 |
| Best Group | 3.50 |
| Speer | |
| Bullet Weight & Type | 61 Gold Dot JHP |
| Velocity | 840 |
| Best Group | 3.80 |
Performance was tested with a series of five-shot groups fired at 25 yards from bench rest with a Competition Electronics Pro-Chrono Digital Chronograph set 15 feet from the muzzle. Bullet weight is in grains, velocity in feet-per-second and the group size in inches.
