The Walther PP series pistols include the Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/S. They are blowback-operated semiautomatic pistols manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen in Germany and under license from Walther in France and the United States ^[1]. These pistols feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the gun's single recoil spring. In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A 30-round STANAG magazine. ... With regard to firearms, the term iron sights refers to the open unmagnified sighting system which comes as standard with most weapons. ... Blowback is a system in which automatic or semi-automatic firearms operate through the energy created by combustion in the chamber and bore acting directly on the bolt face through the cartridge. ... Walther P99, a semi-automatic pistol from the late 1990s A semi-automatic firearm is a gun that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired, unlike a single-action revolver, a pump-action firearm, a bolt-action firearm, or a lever-action firearm, which require the... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen is a German arms manufacturer. ...

Overview

The most common variant is the Walther PPK. Its German acronymous name stands for Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell (Police Pistol Detective Model - implying it was more concealable than the original PP model and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work).^[2] Sometimes, the backronym Polizeipistole Kurz (Police Pistol Short) is given, but this interpretation is incorrect. Nevertheless, it is a smaller version of the PP (Polizeipistole) and has a shorter grip and barrel as well as a lower magazine capacity. A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ...

The PP was released in 1929 and the PPK followed in 1931. Both pistols were popular with European police and civilian shooters. The pistols were reliable and easy to conceal. During World War II both variants of the pistol were issued to German military police, Luftwaffe, and other support personnel, as well as officials of the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler used his PPK to kill himself as Soviet forces closed in on the Führerbunker in Berlin. The PPK pistol is the trademark gun of fictional secret agent James Bond, having been chosen by Ian Fleming for his novels and used in most films. Use of the PPK by Fleming had a direct influence on sales. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP, originally known as the DAP (this changed in 1920) and commonly known as the Nazi Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945 that was known as the German Workers Party before the name was changed in 1920. ... Hitler redirects here. ... “CCCP” redirects here. ... This is a reconstruction of the layout of the Führerbunker. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... “007” redirects here. ... Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was a British author, journalist and Second World War Navy Commander. ...

The PP and PPK were some of the world's first successful double action semiautomatic pistols and not only were they widely copied, but they are still produced by Walther. The Walther design has inspired several other pistols including, but not limited to, the Soviet Makarov and the Czechoslovakian CZ50. Although it was an excellent automatic pistol, the Walther had competition in its time. The Mauser HSC pistol and the Sauer 38H pistol (a.k.a. model "H"), were both successful in their own right. Sauer pistol production ceased at war's end, but the refined SIG P230, and later the P232, owe much to the earlier Walther weapon. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen is a German arms manufacturer. ... The Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova, muh-KAR-uhv, Russ: Пистолет Макарова ПМ) is a semi-automatic pistol designed in the late 1940s, by Nikolai Fyodorovich Makarov, and was the Soviet Unions standard military side arm. ... Motto (Czech) Truth prevails Anthem Czech Republic() – on the European continent() – in the European Union() [] Capital (and largest city) Prague Official languages Czech (de facto)1 Demonym Czech Government Republic  -  President Václav Klaus  -  Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek Independence (formed 9th century)   -  October 28, 1918   -  January 1, 1993  Accession... The Vz 50 (also incorrectly known as the CZ 50) is a Czech semi-automatic pistol. ... Image:Mauser HSC.jpg Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mauser HSC The Mauser HSC is small pistol made in Germany prior to and during World War II and in various places after the war. ... Image:Sauer 38H.jpg Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sauer 38H The Sauer 38H is a small pistol made in Germany prior to and during World War II. It feature a shrouded hammer, double-action trigger, single-column magazine, and a spring surrounding the barrel. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

PPK versus PPK/S

When the Gun Control Act of 1968 became United States law, the PPK pistol was deemed too short and too small (by a few millimeters of overall height) for legal importation into the U.S., the pistol's largest market (Hogg 1979:164). The two-fold solution: The Gun Control Act of 1968, Pub. ...

1. First, Walther created the PPK/S model, combining the PP's frame with the PPK's barrel and slide to create a 104.14 mm-tall pistol legally importable into the U.S. (Josserand & Stevenson 1972:301 [photo]).
2. Second, because Federal law allowed domestic production, vice importation, the PPK was licensed to Ranger Manufacturing, Gadsden, Alabama, in 1978, and distributed by Interarms in Alexandria, Virginia. Smith and Wesson makes a licensed, improved version with a longer grip tang, better protecting the shootist from slide bite, i.e. the rearward-travelling slide's pinching the firing hand, which was a problem with the original-model PPK pistol.

The PPK/S differs from the PPK in: Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County, northeastern Alabama, United States, approximately 60 miles northeast of Birmingham. ... Smith & Wesson is Americas largest manufacturer of handguns, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. ... Hammer bite is a term used for firearms, and in particular semi-automatic pistols. ...

• overall height of 104.14 mm
• weight—the PPK/S weighs 1.8 oz (51 g) more than the PPK
• the PPK/S magazine holds one round more, in both calibres

The PPK/S and the PPK are chambered for 32 ACP (with capacities of 8+1 for PPK/S and 7+1 for PPK) or 380 ACP (PPK/S: 7+1, PPK: 6+1). The . ... The . ...

PPK

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 756 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (758 × 601 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 756 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (758 × 601 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

Notes

1. ^ WaltherAmerica.com - customer support page
2. ^ Both Walther America's and Walther GmbH's websites features a history section in their About page however the origins of the name Kriminalausführung, which is a synonym for Kriminalmodell is not explicitly explained.

References

Hogg, Ian V. (1979). Guns and How They Work. New York: Everest House. ISBN 0-89696-023-4.  Ian V. Hogg (1926 - 2002 March 07) was a notable author of books on firearms, artillery, ammunition, and fortification, as well as biographies of several famous general officers. ...

Josserand, M.H.; Stevenson, J.A. (1972). Pistols, Revolvers, and Ammunition. New York: Bonanza Books (A division of Crown Publishers, Inc.). ISBN 0-517-16516-3. 

See also

• Carl Walther GmbH
• BERSA Thunder 380
• Makarov PM

Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen is a German arms manufacturer. ... Introduced in the late 1990s by Argentinian firearms manufacturer BERSA, S.A., the Thunder 380 is a small semi-automatic pistol that has enjoyed popularity due to its reputation for reliability, light weight and concealability, accuracy at short to medium range, and relatively low price. ... The Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova, muh-KAR-uhv, Russ: Пистолет Макарова ПМ) is a semi-automatic pistol designed in the late 1940s, by Nikolai Fyodorovich Makarov, and was the Soviet Unions standard military side arm. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Walther PPK

• Smith & Wesson's American Walther Site
• Unofficial Walther Home Page
• Photos of the Walther PPK
• Modern Firearms
• Walther PP during the Second World War