Umarex Walther PPK/s

The Original pistol and history

The Walther PP series of semi-automatic pistols were developed by German arms manufacturer Carl Walther. The “PP” stands for “Police Pistol”. Its development started in 1935 and is still running.

The PP and the PPK were among the world’s first successful semi-automatic pistols. They are still manufactured by Walther and have been widely copied. The design inspired many other small pistols, among them the Soviet “Makarov” where strong similarities can be seen.

As can be seen above, the three models, PP, PPK & PPK/s are all very similar, the most prominent differences are around the muzzle and at the base of the grip where the magazine sits. The PPK/s was developed for the US where import laws restricted firearms of a certain length & weight – the result was that the PPK was made slightly heavier and the PPK/s was born. The “s” variant was created by combining the PP frame with the PPK barrel and slide – the added couple of ounces of weight was enough to allow imports to the US.

TV & Film

The PPK and PPK/s is probably one of the most used, making appearances in well over 100 films, most notably the James Bond series where a PPK in .32ACP was used but described as a 7.65mm, it was his favoured carry after having his Beretta confiscated by M for jamming in use.

Other appearances of note were Die Hard, The Professionals (TV), The Eagle Has Landed and even the original Dr Who tv series!

Specifications

• Calibre: PPK & PPK/s – 7.65x17mm, 9x17mm, .32ACP, .22LR
• Capacity: PPK – 7 rounds, PPK/s – 8 rounds
• Weight: PPK – around 600g, PPK/s around 650g
• Length: 155mm

The Replica

Supplied by the well known replica company Umarex, the CO2 Walther PPK/s is a wonderful little pistol. Being an avid James Bond fan, the first thing that struck me was just how tiny this pistol really is. It fits in the hand, not just the grip but the whole gun! You can see how easy this could be concealed in the pocket etc.

The replica is based solidly on the real PPK/s apart from the little curve provided by the magazine which is more like the original PP model. The realism is stunning, it is even stamped as 7.65mm calibre which is pretty rare for a replica as they are usually marked 4.5mm or .177″ to indicate BB or pellet use.

The top slide is fully functional, it’s a single action pistol so needs the slide racking to load the first cartridge. The slide is full blowback in use and will also lock back when the magazine runs out – just like the real firearm.

The thin “stick” type magazine holds 15 BB’s, I only ever use steel BB’s in my replicas. It’s a little fiddly to load but not terribly so.

CO2 loading is easy – pull off the left grip, slot in a 12g CO2 and tighten the screw with the key provided. In use the pistol is great fun, pretty poor accuracy but that is mostly caused by its tiny size, it is however more than capable of smashing tin cans and you can’t help getting a little bit of that “James Bond” feeling 🙂

Specifications

• Calibre: 4.5mm BB
• Capacity: 15 BB’s
• Length: 155mm
• Weight: 580g
• CO2 Usage: Up to 60 shots