The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Dfariswheel · January 8, 2005, 01:43 AM

CrazyTrain
Sorry, I wasn't more clear.
When I wrote about the "PP series" I meant the entire series of PP, PPK, and PPK/s guns.
Interarms never produced the PP in America.

I'm not sure if Interarms made the PPK "AND" the PPK/s in 32ACP, or just one or the other .
Right now I just can't remember if the batch I last saw were PPK or PPK/s guns.

The Walther/Manurhin marked P-38 and PP series were the very early guns made before Walther had the plant at Ulm.
These early guns were usually marked Made By Manurhin "Under License of Walther".

After Walther got their new plant up and running, they moved the production of the P-38 to Germany, but left the PP series in France.

Apparently, they no longer wanted the Manurhin link to be publicly known, so they started finishing out the guns in Germany, so they could be marked as "Made in Germany", and any mention of Manurhin was removed from the guns.

This is why things get confusing.
You have Walther PP and PPK guns marked as being made by Manurhin under License of Walther.

Then you have Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/s guns marked Walther "Made in Germany", that were actually made in France by Manurhin.

Then you have Manurhin made PPK/s guns, marked only with Manurhin markings, and no mention of Walther.

Then you have Walther PPK and PPK/s guns marked Walther, "Made Under License by Interarms, but actually made in Alabama by Ranger.

Last you have Walther PPK/s guns marked "Made under license by Smith & Wesson.

Hows that for a convoluted ancestry?

Guntec:
When Walther moved production to the US, for some reason they only made the PPK/s early on.
Finally, in the mid-1980's they started producing the PPK also.

For unknown reasons, they never produced the PP model or a PP series gun in 22LR here.

The reason they still produce the PPK/s is, it's still VERY popular with many buyers.
You get the steel back strap, an extra round in the magazine, and a bit of extra weight to help with recoil.

Plus, as far as I know, nobody in America ever made production after-market grips for the PPK.
So if you wanted something besides black plastic factory grips, you bought a PPK/s.

I actually preferred the PPK/s, and bought three of them: a Early blued Interarms, a mid-production Interarms stainless, and a Manurhin 22LR made during the "Walther War" with Manurhin.

I used the stainless version for years, until I replaced it with a Kahr K9.

January 8, 2005, 01:43 AM	#20
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	CrazyTrain Sorry, I wasn't more clear. When I wrote about the "PP series" I meant the entire series of PP, PPK, and PPK/s guns. Interarms never produced the PP in America. I'm not sure if Interarms made the PPK "AND" the PPK/s in 32ACP, or just one or the other . Right now I just can't remember if the batch I last saw were PPK or PPK/s guns. The Walther/Manurhin marked P-38 and PP series were the very early guns made before Walther had the plant at Ulm. These early guns were usually marked Made By Manurhin "Under License of Walther". After Walther got their new plant up and running, they moved the production of the P-38 to Germany, but left the PP series in France. Apparently, they no longer wanted the Manurhin link to be publicly known, so they started finishing out the guns in Germany, so they could be marked as "Made in Germany", and any mention of Manurhin was removed from the guns. This is why things get confusing. You have Walther PP and PPK guns marked as being made by Manurhin under License of Walther. Then you have Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/s guns marked Walther "Made in Germany", that were actually made in France by Manurhin. Then you have Manurhin made PPK/s guns, marked only with Manurhin markings, and no mention of Walther. Then you have Walther PPK and PPK/s guns marked Walther, "Made Under License by Interarms, but actually made in Alabama by Ranger. Last you have Walther PPK/s guns marked "Made under license by Smith & Wesson. Hows that for a convoluted ancestry? Guntec: When Walther moved production to the US, for some reason they only made the PPK/s early on. Finally, in the mid-1980's they started producing the PPK also. For unknown reasons, they never produced the PP model or a PP series gun in 22LR here. The reason they still produce the PPK/s is, it's still VERY popular with many buyers. You get the steel back strap, an extra round in the magazine, and a bit of extra weight to help with recoil. Plus, as far as I know, nobody in America ever made production after-market grips for the PPK. So if you wanted something besides black plastic factory grips, you bought a PPK/s. I actually preferred the PPK/s, and bought three of them: a Early blued Interarms, a mid-production Interarms stainless, and a Manurhin 22LR made during the "Walther War" with Manurhin. I used the stainless version for years, until I replaced it with a Kahr K9.