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Polish Mauser
Please Folks, no Pollock jokes in the comment section!
Poland has always been a hard luck country in may ways. What with being caught between Russia to the East and Germany to the West. Making it a kind of speed bump between the two.
Yeah I know too soon!
All right already, we get the picture! Move on!
So not being stupid. The Poles once they regained their independence after WWI. Quickly started up their own arms industry. Having looked around to see what was out there.
Wisely, they settled on the Mauser Bolt Action system. But as a relatively poor country. It could not match either Germany or Russia in military might. So you can guess the rest of the story.
I actually doubt that the Poles charged Tanks with Lances.
Moving right on. These are a very hard gun to find as they really got dragged thru WWII. As the Germans were more than happy to take these rifles into their army.
But if you can find one. They will make a great addition to anyone’s collection.
Here is some more information about these forgotten Guns!
The Polish Mauser from Wiki
The Karabinek wz.29 (Kbk wz.29; Polish: carbine model 29) was a Polish bolt-action short rifle based on the German Kar98AZ.
Identifying attributes include a 98/05 style mast bayonet lug ending directly beneath the front sight and winged protective ears to either side of the front sight blade.
Cavalry models featured a turned-down bolt handle, and early versions had a stacking hook near the end of the stock on the right side.
Design history
After regaining independence, the Polish Army was armed with weapons left over from the nations that occupied Poland during the Partition Era.
Including Russian M91 Mosin–Nagants, Austrian Steyr-Mannlichers, and German Gewehr 98s.
French Berthiers and Lebelsfrom the soldiers of the Blue Army were also on hand, as well as guns from Great Britain such as the Lee–Enfield and Japanese Arisaka.
As a result, at the end of Polish-Soviet War in 1921, the Polish army was armed with approximately 24 types of guns and 22 rifles firing different ammunition.
Since no armies ever have desired multiple types of firearms in multiple calibers for the same role due to the training, maintenance, and logistical nightmares involved.
The Polish Army sought to adopt a single type of rifle. Conveniently, the Treaty of Versailles, having established the Free City of Danzig, gave the Polish access to the tooling and machinery at the Danzig Arsenal.
Facilitating the choice of the Mauser 98 action as the basis for any new Polish military rifle. The Mauser was also arguably one of the best bolt-action rifles at the time and the best available to Poland.
Production of the wz.98 began in July 1922, after the Danzig machinery was moved to Warsaw to create the National Rifle Factory in Radom.
Two years later, production of the wz.98 rifles was stopped. The military sought to adopt an intermediate-length rifle.
Such as the Lee–Enfield, M1903 Springfield, and the German Karabiner 98a. Due to conclusions drawn from combat experience in World War I and the Polish-Soviet War.
It was based on the German Karabiner 98a. Polish K98a rifles differed from the German K98a only in minor technical details.
Field use of the K98a rifles showed that as an infantry weapon, and not a weapon for auxiliary or special troops as originally purposed, the design was inadequate.
The greatest flaw was the weak bayonet mount (the bayonet lug would break off when hitting hard objects). The K98a also used a small-ring Mauser action, which complicated production and parts interchangeability.
Following the postwar shift to large-ring carbines with 600 mm barrels and Gewehr 98-style bayonet lug/muzzle lengths, such as the Czech vz. 24, the decision was made to develop an intermediate model rifle for the Polish Army.
The design was finalized in 1929. The new wz.29 rifle was based on the old wz.98 rifle.
But with a shortened stock and barrel, stronger alloys for the receiver and barrel, a reinforced chamber, and increased dimensional tolerance in the action. This allowing for easy interchangeability of parts.
There were two versions of the rifle: Infantry models had straight bolt handles, while cavalry models had curved handles. Since both variations used the same stock, infantry models had a cutout in the stock for the curved handle.
Production of new weapons began in 1930 at the National Arms Factory in Radom. Despite wz. 98a long rifle production beginning in 1936, wz.29 production continued until September 1939, with a total of approximately 264,000 rifles produced, including rifles for export to Spain and Afghanistan.
During the September Campaign, wz.29 rifles were used by the Polish Army in the defense of Poland, against German troops using the similar Karabiner 98k.
After the defeat of Poland, they were used by the guerrillas of the Polish Underground. Captured wz.29 rifles were also used by the Wehrmacht as the Gewehr 298 (p).
Technical overview
Carbine wz.29 was a bolt-action rifle, with typical Mauser-action lock, with two large main lugs at the bolt head and a third safety lug at the rear of the it.
Ammunition was supplied from a fixed, two-row box magazine holding five rounds.
A three-position safety catch was attached at the rear of the bolt, securing the firing pin.
The sights consisted of an open post-type front sight, and a tangent-type rear sight with a V-shaped rear notch; the rear sight was a rear tangent sight was graduated 100 to 2000 meters at 100-meter intervals.
The weapon was equipped with a knife-type bayonet wz.29.
Operators
Afghanistan – 100
Nazi Germany: some captured in 1939, rest produced under Occupation of Poland
Palestine – 1.697
Republic of China – 12.450
Saudi Arabia – 13.000
Second Polish Republic – around 250.000, standard-issue rifle
Soviet Union: some captured in 1939
Spanish Republic – 95.894, without Polish markings,
Spanish State: captured from Republicans
Around 10.561 were exported to unknown customer, probably Spanish Republic or Spanish State.
“Competition Breeds Excellence” is more than a fanciful quote. To the guys at CZ Custom in Mesa, Arizona, those three words fuel the fire of creativity and drive them to build better and better handguns.
It also has the founder of the company, Angus Hobdell, traveling to IPSC matches the world over to prove it’s more than a motto. 
Innovation and Excellence
I am most fortunate to have for review the latest brilliant innovation from CZC, the CZ-75 Bull Shadow. My sample gun (a pre-production unit) was shipped to me only one day before I took it to compete in a steel challenge match.
While I enjoy the challenge of competing with guns I have never fired before, when that start timer sounds, it can be nerve-wracking for any manufacturer whose confidence in their guns is less than 100%.
It is well known that I “show and tell” what happened like it happened, and not every gun performs well.
SPECS
- Type: Hammer-fired pistol
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 15+1 rds.
- Trigger: 3.5 lbs. (SA); 7 lbs. (DA)
- Overall Length: 8.5 in.
- Barrel Length: 4.8 in.
- Weight: 40 oz.
- Width: 1.6 in.
- MSRP: $1,495 –$1,650
- Manufacturer: CZ USA
However, the CZC Bull Shadow is, in my mind, the perfect blend of CZ USA technology and CZ Custom know-how. These two entities have combined what is arguably the most ergonomic frame ever created with the first use of a Bull Barrel in a CZ handgun!
I am a CZ-75 fan and while I started shooting IPSC/USPSA with an Ithaca 1911A1 (before these games had divisions by gun type) within a year or so I had moved on to my first of many CZ-75 “clones.” I put many, many rounds through Springfield P-9s and Tanfoglio parts kit guns; I always loved the “feel” yet suffered from the lack of reliability.
That was decades ago. But today, with CZ-USA and more importantly CZ Custom on the scene, one can now have it all: reliability, accuracy, an incredibly smooth trigger and that oh-so-wonderful ergonomic connection between hand and handgun inherent in the CZ-75 grip frame.
If you only take away one lesson from this article, take this one statement to heart: this CZ Custom Bull Shadow is one of the top 3 handguns I have reviewed.
Considering that I have tested and reviewed over 30 handguns in the competitive arena alone, that statement is not proffered lightly.
The 4-1-1 on Bull Barrels
What is a bull barrel and why might you want one? Custom pistolsmiths have been tweaking and tuning competition handguns since we have had handgun competitions! Bullseye, Bowling Pins, Metallic Silhouette, Bianchi Cup, IPSC or IDPA or USPSA – each and every discipline has its devotees and its custom hardware.
And in all of them oversized, match-grade, heavy weighted, hand fitted “Bull Barrels” have been employed. Check the photos to see the difference between a stock CZ-75 barrel and is Bull Shadow counterpart. Now that is putting the “bull” in bull barrel.
The benefits observed in using bull barrels in self-loading “Browning style” tilting barrel handguns is due to their weight.
Not only is there more weight at the muzzle-end of the gun where it can reduce muzzle lift, there is also greater initial mass that must be overcome during the recoil cycle. Increasing that mass reduces recoil as some of the energy must be used to move the combined weight of the heavy bull barrel and slide.
My particular sample gun was built by CZC’s Master Maker (aka Head Gunsmith), and a man of many talents, Eric Zinn. Zinn’s attention to detail even in this rushed-to-me project was evident in his most excellent fit of the Bull Barrel and truly superior trigger work.
Fitting a bull barrel is more labor intensive than a “traditional” unit and the fire control components more complex. For Zinn to make this all come together in near perfection in just a few hours is simply amazing! Oh…and he is also the man who shot, signed and provided the enclosed test target that I show in the video.
Article Continues Below
From Box to Match
Let’s do some shooting! Unless a deadline is pressing I try to shoot review guns twice through a match and that generally nets me 300+ rounds in actual competition.
The event I competed with this pistol required more than 400 rounds to complete. Not quite satiated at the end of the match I continued to pour another couple hundred through it later that day.
I shoot these guns right out of the box with nothing more than a field strip, bore check and lubing. Any mechanical device can fail and guns are no exception.
While I was delighted with the 3.5-pound, single-action trigger, I was concerned that the wonderfully smooth 7.5-pound, double-action trigger would not be able to reliably ignite factory ammo primers.
Many competition shooters rely on the easier to light Federal primers in their own reloads when running DA trigger pulls in this weight class. Despite my pre-match concern, however, I am happy to report that this CZ Custom Bull Shadow never failed to go bang on my asking.
A Few Issues
Not everything was perfect with this pre-production CZC Bull Shadow. During accuracy testing, I found that the beautiful set of fixed sights were regulated to place bullets 6 inches above the aiming point at 25 yards.
Perhaps that accounted for one or two of my misses at the match, but it was sure apparent when I was holding hard on one bull during accuracy testing and hitting the one above it. The other less-than-perfect item was noticed during field stripping.
The recoil spring guide rod bushing is fit so tight in the slide that it must be pressed or tapped out. That unnecessarily complicates the takedown process and can lead to frustration. I immediately shared these issues with the good guys in Mesa, Arizona, and was assured that these two issues will be resolved well before release. These are set to be released in January 2018.
Lasting Impressions
That said, overall I am quite impressed with this masterfully assembled yet rushed to me pre-production gun bearing a brand new USA made slide and barrel.
Not only did it run flawlessly over the course of 700 rounds fired, it demonstrated superior accuracy as well! I shot a total of 50 rounds for accuracy at 25 yards off of a pair of sandbags. Those 50 rounds were comprised of 10 rounds of each of five kinds of ammunition.
The average of all 50 shots was 1.68 inches. I wish I would have had time before the deadline for this article to take this fine shooter out to 50 yards, where I am sure it would shine. And I don’t say that about many handguns.
Check out our review of the CZ Shadow 2 in 9mm.
Beyond this innovative competition pistol, the CZ Custom shop builds many guns built for use by us good guys that carry daily. Compact CZs of all stripes, 1911 and Browning Hi Powers just to name a few. Each built with the care and knowledge that any one of their creations could be called upon to defend life and limb.
Looking for something unique? Something with a personal flair? Perhaps a gift or something to show-off to your gun buddies? CZ Custom has you covered as all manner of high-end artistry is available.
Here’s an example of some other CZ Custom options.
This gun was meant to be used, and while it was pretty enough to be the “queen of the gunsafe.” It was lubed, loaded and ridden to two match wins.
Then I continued to hammer it both before and after my accuracy testing. So as you check out the photos, remember they are “post-Patrick” and I added those competition character enhancements myself.
The CZ Custom Bull Shadow is in my mind a USPSA Production Division masterpiece. It is truly a pleasure to shoot, wicked accurate and the trigger is outstanding. Over the course of the 700 rounds downrange it never even hinted at a malfunction.
Thank you, CZ Custom Shop for “lending” me this beautiful ballistic tool … but you ain’t getting this one back. I just paid the invoice in FULL.
To learn more about Federal ammunition, click here.
For more information about CZ USA Custom shop, click here.
To purchase a CZ Shadow 75 on GunsAmerica, click here.
6 April 2018
12:48 CEST+02:00
12:48 CEST+02:00
Stock photo: George Frey, Getty Images North America/AFP
A new platform composed of left-wing politicians, police officers and psychiatrists is pushing for Switzerland to follow the European Union in tightening controls on guns.
Representatives of the Social Democratic Party (SP), the Swiss police officers association VSPB/FSFP and the Swiss federation of psychiatrists and psychotherapists FMPP joined forces on Thursday ahead of a debate on the issue in parliament, the Tribune de Genèvereported.
The EU parliament approved a revised gun law last year designed to close security loopholes and introduce tighter controls on blank-firing and inadequately deactivated weapons like those used in the Paris terror attacks.
On March 2nd the Federal Council issued a message on a “pragmatic implementation” of the EU legislation in Switzerland in response to the terror attacks in Europe.
It said the focus was on limiting access to semi-automatic weapons with a large magazine capacity and improving the exchange of information in the Schengen area that includes Switzerland.
The government’s message will now be debated by the two chambers of parliament.
While supporters of gun ownership in Switzerland oppose the proposed tighter legislation and have threatened to call a referendum, the new platform backs even stronger controls on guns.
In particular it wants to limit access to fire arms in order to reduce their use in domestic crimes where the victims are most often women.
Max Hoffman of the police officers association told news website Watson police were campaigning for the EU legislation to be adopted in Switzerland as “violence is becoming ever more brutal” in the country.
The EU parliament approved a revised gun law last year designed to close security loopholes and introduce tighter controls on blank-firing and inadequately deactivated weapons like those used in the Paris terror attacks.
On March 2nd the Federal Council issued a message on a “pragmatic implementation” of the EU legislation in Switzerland in response to the terror attacks in Europe.
It said the focus was on limiting access to semi-automatic weapons with a large magazine capacity and improving the exchange of information in the Schengen area that includes Switzerland.
The government’s message will now be debated by the two chambers of parliament.
While supporters of gun ownership in Switzerland oppose the proposed tighter legislation and have threatened to call a referendum, the new platform backs even stronger controls on guns.
In particular it wants to limit access to fire arms in order to reduce their use in domestic crimes where the victims are most often women.
Max Hoffman of the police officers association told news website Watson police were campaigning for the EU legislation to be adopted in Switzerland as “violence is becoming ever more brutal” in the country.
I am just surprised it wasn’t Spam instead of hot dogs!
by JORDAN MICHAELS
A new report from the FBI has found that of the 50 “active shooter incidents” in 2016 and 2017, individuals with valid firearm permits successfully stopped four of them.
While that may not sound like a large percentage, concealed carry holders actually outperformed their representative segment of the population. The three million Americans who carry a handgun every day represent only .9 percent of the people living in the U.S., but CCL holders stopped 8 percent of the active shooter situations in the past two years. If a greater percentage of the population carried a firearm for self-defense, more incidents like these might have been cut short.
SEE ALSO: Suppressed CDC Survey Indicates Over 2 Million Defensive Gun Uses Per Year… in 1998
The FBI defined “active shooter incidents” as when “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” The feds didn’t include gang- or drug-related incidents, and analysts relied on official law enforcement investigative reports (when available), FBI holdings, and publicly available resources when gathering data.
Here’s a brief description of each incident in which a CCL holder stopped the suspect:
- On September 28, 2016, at 1:45 p.m., Jesse Dewitt Osborne, 14, armed with a handgun, allegedly began shooting at the Townville Elementary School playground in Townville, South Carolina. Prior to the shooting, the shooter, a former student, killed his father at their home. Two people were killed, including one student; three were wounded, one teacher and two students. A volunteer firefighter, who possessed a valid firearms permit, restrained the shooter until law enforcement officers arrived and apprehended him.
- On September 24, 2017, at 11:15 a.m., Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, armed with two handguns, allegedly began shooting in the parking lot of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee. After killing one person, the shooter entered the church and shot six people. A citizen who attempted to subdue the shooter was pistol-whipped. During the altercation, the shooter accidently shot himself. While the shooter was preoccupied, the citizen, who possessed a valid firearms permit, retrieved a handgun from his car and held the shooter at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived. One person was killed; seven were wounded. The shooter was apprehended by law enforcement.
- On November 5, 2017, at 11:20 a.m., Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, armed with a rifle, exited his vehicle and began shooting outside the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. He then entered the church and continued shooting at members of the congregation. The shooter exited the church and was confronted by a citizen who possessed a valid firearms permit. The citizen shot the shooter twice, causing the shooter to drop his rifle and flee the scene in his vehicle. The armed citizen, together with the owner of a pickup truck, pursued the shooter. The chase ended when the shooter’s vehicle struck a road sign and overturned. Twenty-six people were killed; 20 were wounded. The shooter committed suicide with a handgun he had in his vehicle before police arrived.
- On November 17, 2017, at 4:30 p.m., Robert Lorenzo Bailey, Jr., 28, armed with a handgun, allegedly began shooting in the parking lot of Schlenker Automotive in Rockledge, Florida. The manager of the auto repair shop and an employee, both possessing valid firearms permits, exchanged gunfire with the shooter. One person was killed; one was wounded. The shooter, shot twice during the exchange, was held at gunpoint by the manager until law enforcement arrived and took him into custody.
The FBI recorded another incident in which the CCL holder forced the suspect to flee, but the suspect began shooting at a different location soon after.
SEE ALSO: New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik, “Guns, however, have an almost entirely symbolic function. No lives are saved. No intruders are repelled. The dense and hysterical mythology of gun love has been refuted again and again.”
The study only reports one incident in which an armed citizen was wounded while attempting to intervene, which works to discredit the argument that CCL holders always end up getting shot when they try to stop a suspect.
These incidents represent only a small fraction of the millions of defensive gun uses each year, but they nonetheless suggest the good that armed law-abiding citizens can accomplish. If 20 percent of Americans carried a handgun every day rather than .9, perhaps all or most of these mass casualty events could have been averted.
Categories
Walter PPK
So I like Sean Connery as James Bond, Guilty as charged okay?
But let us move on to the gun itself. Now I have only fired this twice in my life. So let us begin with the good news first. It is a very well made and designed gun that would make a good backup gun or belly gun*.
Also the 380 acp or 9mm Kurz is better than having no gun at all.
Now for the bad news
They are not cheap or easy to find. Also the recoil, small barrel & report will not allow most folks to hit anything beyond 20 feet realistically.
The other problem is that if you have a beefy hand. One runs a great risk of having the slide cut you pretty bad.
Also the ammo is not real cheap any more. 
But it is a very sexy looking gun and it will be around for a very long time after I am gone and buried.
So if you want a well built and always going up in value gun. Then you could do a whole lot worse!
*a Belly Gun is a small easily concealable gun. That will really not makes somebody’s day. When it’s shoved into their guts and a round or two is then fired off in anger.
Here is some more information about this fine German Pistol
Attachments area
Walther PP
| Walther PP | |
|---|---|
Original Walther PP pistol.
|
|
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Germany[1] |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1935–1992 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Carl Walther Waffenfabrik |
| Designed | 1929 |
| Manufacturer | Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen |
| Produced | 1929–present |
| Variants | PPK, PPK-L, PPKS, PP-Super, PPK/E, PP Sport and Walther TPH |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 665 g (23.5 oz) (PP 9×17mm Short/.380 ACP) 660 g (23 oz) (PP 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 675 g (23.8 oz) (PP .22 LR) 590 g (21 oz) (PPK 9×17mm Short/.380 ACP) 590 g (21 oz) (PPK 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 560 g (20 oz) (PPK .22 LR) 635 g (22.4 oz) (PPK/S 9×17mm Short/.380 ACP) 630 g (22 oz) (PPK/S 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 645 g (22.8 oz) (PPK/S .22 LR) 480 g (17 oz) (PPK-L 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 450 g (16 oz) (PPK-L .22 LR) 780 g (28 oz) (PP-Super) |
| Length | 170 mm (6.7 in) (PP) 155 mm (6.1 in) (PPK) 156 mm (6.1 in) (PPK/S) 155 mm (6.1 in) (PPK-L) 176 mm (6.9 in) (PP-Super) |
| Barrel length | 98 mm (3.9 in) (PP) 83 mm (3.3 in) (PPK, PPK/S, PPK-L) 92 mm (3.6 in) (PP-Super) |
| Width | 30 mm (1.2 in) (PP, PPK/S, PPK-E) 25 mm (1.0 in) (PPK) 35 mm (1.4 in) (PP-Super) |
| Height | 109 mm (4.3 in) (PP) 100 mm (3.9 in) (PPK) 110 mm (4.3 in) (PPK/S) 113 mm (4.4 in) (PPK-E) 124 mm (4.9 in) (PP-Super) |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | 7.65×17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) .22 Long Rifle 6.35×15mm Browning SR (.25 ACP) 9×18mm Ultra (PP-Super) |
| Action | Straight blowback |
| Muzzle velocity | 256 m/s (840 ft/s) (PP 9×17mm Short/.380 ACP) 320 m/s (1,049.9 ft/s) (PP 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 305 m/s (1,000.7 ft/s) (PP .22 LR) 244 m/s (800.5 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S 9×17mm Short/.380 ACP) 308 m/s (1,010.5 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S/PPK-L 7.65×17mm Browning SR/.32 ACP) 280 m/s (918.6 ft/s) (PPK/PPK/S/PPK-L .22 LR) 325 m/s (1,066.3 ft/s) (PP-Super) |
| Feed system | Magazine capacity: PP: 10 (.22 LR), 8 (.32 ACP) 7 (.380) PPK: 9 (.22 LR), 7 (.32 ACP) 6 (.380). |
| Sights | Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade |
The Walther PP (Polizeipistole, or police pistol) series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the German arms manufacturer Walther.[2]
It features an exposed hammer, a traditional double-action trigger mechanism,[3] 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. Since 1971, the Walther TPHpocket pistol is a miniaturised PPK identical in handling and operation.
Various PP series are manufactured in Germany, France, and the United States.[4] Since 2002, the PPK variant is solely manufactured by Smith & Wesson in Houlton, Maine, United States, under license from Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. In the past, this particular model has been manufactured by Carl Walther in its own factory in Germany, as well as under licenses by Manurhin in Alsace, France, and by Interarms in Alexandria, Virginia.
The PP and the PPK were among the world’s first successful double action semi-automatic pistols and were widely copied, but are still made by Walther. The design inspired other pistols, among them the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63, the Polish P-64, the American Accu-Tek AT-380 II, and the Argentinian Bersa Thunder 380. The PP and PPK were both popular with European police and civilians for being reliable and concealable. During World War II, they were issued to the German military, including the Luftwaffe, as well as the police.[1]
Contents
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PP series[edit]
Walther PP .32 made in Germany in 1968
The original PP (Polizeipistole) 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]
PPK[edit]
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. The smaller size made it more concealable than the original PP and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work. It was released in 1930.
“PPK” is an abbreviation for Polizeipistole Kurz (Police Pistol Short), “kurz” referring to the police Pistol with a shorter barrel and frame. Adolf Hitler shot and killed himself with his PPK (a 7.65mm/.32 ACP) in the Führerbunker in Berlin.[5] South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee was shot and killed by Kim Jae-gyu, using the Walther PPK. The Walther PPK pistol is famous as fictional secret agent James Bond‘s gun in many of the films and novels: Ian Fleming‘s choice of the Walther PPK directly influenced its popularity and its notoriety.[6][7]Fleming had given Bond a .25 Beretta 418 pistol in early novels, but switched to the PPK in Dr. No on the advice of firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd.[7][8][9]
Singer Elvis Presley owned a silver-finish PPK, inscribed “TCB” (“Taking Care of Business”).[10]
PPK/S[edit]
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.[11] 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.[3] 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 United States 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”),[12] 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 “hotter” cartridge loads. The PPK/S is made of stainless steel.[3]
The PPK/S differs from the PPK as follows:
- Overall height: 104 mm (4.1 in) vs. 100 mm (3.9 in)
- Weight: the PPK/S weighs 51 g (1.8 oz) more than the PPK
- The PPK/S magazine holds one additional round, in both calibers.[12]
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.
PPK-L[edit]
A Walther PPK-L manufactured in 1966
In the 1960s, Walther produced the PPK-L, which was a light-weight 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.
PP Super[edit]
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.[13]
PPK/E[edit]
A Walther PPK/E
A Stainless PPK made under License by Ranger Arms
At the 2000 Internationale Waffen-Ausstellung (IWA—International Weapons Exhibition) in Nuremberg, Walther announced a new PPK variant designated as the PPK/E.[14][15] 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.
Manufacturing[edit]
Walther’s original factory was located in Zella-Mehlis in the “Land” (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. 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. This license was eventually canceled. Starting in 2002, Smith & Wesson (S&W) began manufacturing the PPK and PPK/S under license until 2017 when Walther began producing them again at their new US manufacturing plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In February 2009, S&W issued a recall for PPKs it manufactured for a defect in the hammer block safety.[16]
Users[edit]
Bangladesh: Special Security Force.[17]
Burkina Faso: PP variant.[18]
Central African Republic: PP variant.[18]
Chad: PP variant.[18]
Republic of the Congo: PP variant.[18]
Denmark: PPK variant. Danish Police used a 7.65mm version.[19]
East Germany: A close copy was produced after World War II.[20]
France: All Walther PP and variants were produced after World War II by Manurhin until 1986.[20]
Guyana: PPK variant.[18]
Hungary: A close copy was produced locally after World War II. A Hungarian version called the PA-63 (9×18mm Makarov) is still in service.[20]
Indonesia: PPK variant is used by Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces group.[21]
Madagascar: PP variant.[18]
Mali: PP variant.[18]
Mauritius: PP variant.[18]- Nazi Germany[20] (origin)
Niger: PP variant.[18]
Romania: A close copy was produced locally after World War II.[20]
Senegal: PP variant.[18]
Seychelles: PP variant.[18]
South Korea: PP variant.
Sweden: Walther PP. Was in use by Swedish Police until early/mid 2000s.,[22][23]
Togo: PP variant.[18]
Turkey: A close copy Kirikkale 7.65 was produced locally after World War II.[20]
United Kingdom: MI6 and the Royal Air Force – L66A1 .22 LR and L47A1 7.65mm Walther PP.[3]
United States: Produced locally and used by various police forces. Kentucky State Police issued the stainless PPK/S as a backup gun and each pistol had the agency logo engraved on the slide
