In 1929, German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen (later Waffenfabrik) introduced the PP (Polizei-pistole/police pistol). The PP later became the more concealable PPK but eventually ran into importing issues in the United States. For this reason, Walther combined the PP and PPK, creating the PPK/s pistol, which was importable.
Walther PPK/s Pistol Lineage: The PP
The PP was semi-automatic, with a recoil-operated blow-back action, and had some unique features. Most small pistols of this era had a single action mechanism and were hammer or striker-fired.
If the pistol was carried cocked, with a cartridge in the chamber, the user had to rely on a manual safety and perhaps a grip safety. Some users were uncomfortable with this arrangement and left the chamber empty. This necessitated working the slide to load a round before firing.
The PP had a double-action/single-action, hammer-fired mechanism and could be fired by pulling the trigger, like a double-action revolver. As a result, the user could safely carry a round in the chamber. Then, after the first shot, the pistol reverted to single action for the remaining shots.
To enhance safety, it had an automatic hammer block and a safety/de-cock lever on the left side of the slide. Likewise, it had a loaded chamber indicator above the hammer.
The PP was an instant hit with the German police and military. The most popular chambering was 7.65mm (.32 ACP). However, when it was produced, it was available in 6.35mm (.25 ACP), 9mm Kurz (.380 ACP), and .22 Long Rifle. The PP had a 3.9-inch barrel, 6.7-inch overall length, 4.3-inch height, and weighed 23 oz.
Introducing the PPK
In 1931, Walther introduced a second version called the PPK (Polizei-Pistole Kriminal). Kriminal meant it was for Kriminalamt or what we call detectives. It was made smaller, with a 3.3-inch barrel, 5.9-inch O/A length, 3.9-inches in height, and weighed 18.7 oz.
While the PP had an 8+1 cartridge capacity in .32 ACP, the PPK held 7+1. Besides being the preferred sidearm of British agent James Bond 007 beginning in the novel Dr. NO, it was very popular in the United States.
However, in 1968, with the passing of the Gun Control Act, the PPK was no longer eligible for importation. To meet the ATF “import points” requirement, Walther mated the PP frame with the PPK slide/barrel and called it the PPK/s.
Today’s PPK/s
In years past, the PPK version was manufactured by Walther in its own factory in Germany. It was also manufactured under licenses by Manurhin in France, Interarms in Virginia, and Smith & Wesson in Maine.
Beginning in 2018, PPK and PPK/s models were built at the US-based subsidiary Walther Arms, Inc. factory in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The most popular calibers for the PPK/s in America have always been the .380 ACP and .22 LR. However, recently, Walther Arms decided to reintroduce the PPK/s in .32 ACP.
For the first half of the 20th Century, this cartridge was very popular and considered sufficient for defensive use. This seemed to change in the 1960s and 70s as all the .32 handgun cartridges went into decline.
Now with the .32 H&R Magnum and .327 Federal Magnum, the .32’s are again on the rise. New, high-performance ammunition is being made for the .32 ACP, a topic we’ll cover later. So, maybe this old cartridge will see a resurgence?
Concealed Carry in .32 ACP
Back to the new Walther. Two versions of the PPK/s are now being made in .32 ACP. One is stainless steel, and the other is carbon steel with a black finish. I asked for a test sample in the black finish.
It had a white pasteboard box as outer packaging, which contained the owner’s manual, safety padlock, and warranty registration. The pistol itself is housed in a hard, hinged carrying case, secured by luggage snaps, with a foam rubber and velvet liner that has cut-outs for the pistol and extra magazine. An 8-round magazine with a finger-rest base and an 8-round magazine with a flat base are included.
Pistol specifications are much the same as enumerated above. The overall length is now 6.1 inches due to the beaver-tail extension on the backstrap of the grip frame. If you have shot an older PPK/s, you know about the “hammer bite” you can get from the pistol’s little ring hammer. This extension eliminates that. It also adds some weight, bringing that figure up to 19 oz. empty.
The minuscule fixed sights are the same but now have red dots on the front sight and just below the rear sight notch. Between the sights, atop the slide, is a flat rib with wavy serrations to reduce glare.
Handing the PPK/s
Just below the rear sight is a shiny pin that protrudes when a round is in the chamber. On the left side of the slide is the hammer drop/safety. When rotated to the “down” position, it locks the trigger. In the “up” position, a red dot is exposed, and the pistol is ready to fire. If the hammer is cocked, rotating the lever down will safely drop the hammer, even with a loaded chamber.
The round, checkered magazine catch is on the frame, just below the slide, at the top left corner of the grip panel. The two-piece, black plastic grip panels are checkered and have the Walther banner logo.
Trigger pull weight per factory specs are 13.4 pounds double action and 6.1 pounds single action. The 0.25-inch wide, smooth-faced trigger helps somewhat, but that initial DA pull is stiff.
With the PPK/s, take-down for cleaning is a snap. Make doubly sure that the pistol is unloaded and the magazine removed. Pull down on the trigger guard and move it slightly to the left so that it catches on the frame. Then, pull back on the slide, and when it is fully retracted, lift it up and off the frame/barrel. You’ll note the barrel acts as a guide rod for the recoil spring.
Reassembly is in reverse order.
Feeding the Pistol
As mentioned, today’s owner of a .32 ACP pistol is not limited to the traditional loading that carries a 71-74 gr. FMJ bullet at a velocity of about 984 FPS. Several ammunition manufacturers are now making “performance ammo” for the cartridge John M. Browning invented in 1899.
Federal is making a Personal Defense load in .32 ACP with a 68 gr. Hydra-Shok Deep bullet. Its “crimped-nose” hollow point looks like a 6-pointed star, and beneath it is the lead post typical of the bullet.
In the Critical Defense line, Hornady is offering a 60 gr. FTX load, with its hollow-nosed bullet capped with a red synthetic plug.
MagTech makes a load with a more conventional-looking 71 gr. JHP bullet. Then there’s the Speer Personal Protection Gold Dot, which has a 60 gr. Gold Dot HP bullet. Winchester is still making its Silvertip load with a 60 gr. plated JHP bullet. The box I had on hand was in the vintage Super-X packaging. The Federal and Speer cartridges have nickel-plated cases; the others are brass.
Holstering the PPK/s
I wanted a classy-looking leather holster to carry the PPK/s, and DeSantis had just what I wanted. The company’s pancake-style OWB Speed Scabbard is an open-top, high-ride model that is form-fitted to the Walther PPK/s. For added security, it has an adjustable tension screw in the covered trigger area.
Three slots accommodate belts up to 1.75 inches wide and offer two different tilt levels. It has a burnished tan finish and even has the Walther banner stamped on the outside.
To carry the extra magazine on my belt, I used DeSantis’ Pegasus brand Quantico Single Mag Pouch. It features dual tensioning devices, Kydex construction, and fits up to 1.5-inch belts (I got the optional 1.75-inch belt adapter). Slight adjustments to the pouch can be made for height and cant.
For more information, please visit DeSantisHolster.com.
Range Workout
The first thing I did at the range was load up both magazines with some .32 ACP cartridges that I had loose in a zip-lock baggie. These old FMJ loads are probably older than me. I shot them at a target 7 yards down range as fast as I could. They all went “bang” and ran just fine.
Next was my chronographing session to get bullet velocities out of the PPK/s 3.3-inch barrel. I used the new Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. That data can be found in the performance table (below).
Ransom Steady Rest
For my accuracy potential evaluation, I brought along a recently acquired Multi Cal Steady Rest from Ransom International. It is machined from solid, American-made aluminum, with a heavy-duty base, rugged V-Block that’s elevation adjustable, a leather pad on the base for shooter comfort and firearm protection, and a leather cover on the V-block to cushion and protect the firearm.
My rest also came with adjustable rubber feet on the bottom and machined threads to allow installation on most standard tripods and monopods. Seated on the range’s bench, it provided a solid shooting platform.
For more information, please visit RansomRest.com.
Running the Walther PPK/s
I sent the oval bullseye targets down to the 10-yard line and shot three 5-shot groups with each of the .32 ACP test loads. The sights were minuscule but well-regulated as far as point of aim/point of impact. I held in the middle of the orange target center and was rewarded with good-centered groups—when I did my part. The SA trigger has some take-up but breaks clean.
My tightest group measured 1.08 inches and was made using the Speer Gold Dot cartridges. Second place went to Federal’s Personal Defense load with a 1.51-inch group. Group averages ranged from 1.34 to 2.04 inches. Pretty impressive for a pistol of this size, caliber, and sight setup.
I also found that it was a pleasure to shoot. The 19 oz. weight soaked up the insignificant recoil produced by the .32 pills.
I do have to mention that I had a couple of feeding problems with the Hornady cartridges. There were failures of the slide to go completely into battery. A “tap” (as in tap, rack bang – IYKYK) on the butt fixed those stoppages.
Rapid Fire Evaluation
To evaluate reliability in rapid fire and how practical it would be in a self-defense situation, I shot a 30-round combat qualification course. This required shooting at 3, 7, and 15 yards.
For this exercise, I used an FBI Q-type target. The course consisted of shooting instinctively using the strong and support hand only at 3 yards. Then, a series of double-taps and a “failure” or body armor at 7 yards. Finally, barricade shooting at 15 yards.
The PPK/s magazines were loaded with six rounds, and magazine changes were made as needed. Each stage began with the pistol holstered and the pistol in the DA mode. Then, when the shooting was finished, a 360° threat assessment was made. The hammer was lowered with the safety/hammer drop before the pistol was worked back into the holster.
Performance Assessment
I went through this 30-round course twice. The first time through, I used the rest of the ancient 71 gr. ball ammo. I had one misfire—an old cartridge with a WRA case headstamp. So, it wasn’t attributable to the Walther.
On a positive note, it did cause me to do an immediate action drill to clear the dud round and get back to shooting. This is something that anyone who carries an auto-loader should be able to do without hesitation.
All 30 shots were within the bowling pin-shaped Q silhouette. I had three shots that could have been closer to the main group, and I was disappointed with my two headshots during the ‘failure” drill.
I repeated the course using a mix of the test ammo. The PPK/s ran famously with no hiccups, but I had four shots kind of scattered out from the rest. My headshots improved and would have been in the area known as the “ocular triangle.”
For the few scattered shots, I will blame the stiff DA trigger. Once that first DA shot is off, the rest are easy.
Through both courses, I was pleased with the performance of the DeSantis holster and mag pouch.
Final Shots
My final test involved the .32 ACP test ammunition. I shot each of the JHP cartridges into a bare Clear Ballistics 10% gel block. The block is 16 inches in length.
Unfortunately, none of the .32 ACP bullets made the minimum penetration of 12 inches required by the FBI protocol. The best penetration was 9.75 inches, made with the Magtech round. It expanded but ended up sideways.
Next was the Federal load, with 8.75 inches of penetration and excellent expansion. Then, the Speer Gold Dot, with 8.5 inches of penetration, but failed to expand properly.
The Hornady bullet expanded well, but penetration was limited to 7.5-inches.
Lastly was the Winchester Silvertip; it had the best expansion, but penetration was only 7.25 inches. You might also note the foot-pounds of muzzle energy calculations in the performance table (below).
If you do decide on a Walther PPK/s in .32 ACP, you need to be aware of its capabilities. Of course, the most important aspect is shot placement. A hit in the “boiler room” with a .32 is worth lots more than a poorly placed shot with a .45!
For more information, please visit WaltherArms.com.
Walther PPK/s Specs
| Mechanism | Double action/single action auto-loader |
| Caliber | .32 ACP/7.65mm |
| Capacity | 8+1 cartridges |
| Barrel | 3.33 in. |
| Overall Length | 6.1 in. |
| Empty Weight | 19 oz. |
| Sights | Fixed red dot rear sight, red dot front sight |
| Finish | Black (Stainless available) |
| Stocks | Black checkered plastic |
| MSRP | $969.00 |
Performance
| Federal Personal Def. 68 gr. Hydra-Shok Deep JHP | |
| Average Velocity | 972 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.51 inches |
| Ave. Group | 2.01 inches |
| Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy | 143 FPE |
| Hornady Critical Def. 60 gr. FTX JHP | |
| Average Velocity | 934 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.76 inches |
| Ave. Group | 2.09 inches |
| Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy | 116 FPE |
| MagTech 71 gr. JHP | |
| Average Velocity | 896 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.66 inches |
| Ave. Group | 2.05 inches |
| Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy | 127 FPE |
| Speer Personal Pro. 60 gr. Gold Dot JHP | |
| Average Velocity | 844 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.08 inches |
| Ave. Group | 1.34 inches |
| Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy | 95 FPE |
| Winchester Silvertip 60 gr. JHP | |
| Average Velocity | 857 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.51 inches |
| Ave. Group | 1.99 inches |
| Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy | 98 FPE |
NOTE: Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in feet per second using a Garmin Xero C1 chronograph, and accuracy in inches for three 5-shot groups at 10 yards.
