Difference Between PPK and PPK/S

PPK vs. PPK/S

Are you fond of guns? If so, please don’t toy with them in the least. With regards to gun quality, there is a particular brand that often comes to the mind of avid gun lovers. This is the Walther PP pistols. These guns are mostly semi-automatic in nature. PP pistols are the fixed barrel type, and its magazine is single column. Some of its more specific guns are the PPK and the PPK/S.

Among the two, the PPK class is the most common, at least back then. Completely known as the Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell, it is otherwise dubbed as the common police pistol, or detective pistol. It is called as such because its size makes it more suited for undercover operations, because it can be hidden better under one’s plain clothing. It is smaller than the PP pistol, and its grip is short as well. With this, its magazine capacity is somehow decreased.

The PPK pistol was created and released back in 1931. Because of the gun’s rich historical background and oozing fame, it has been used in films like the popular James Bond feature series as the trademark gun of Bond himself. It was also the gun used by the Nazi’s military police force. Infamously, it was the gun used by Hitler in his suicide.

The PPK/S pistol is basically the same as the PP, but with a PPK slide. It was developed at a later time than both the PP and PPK. It was made after the ratification of the 1968 Gun Control Act (U.S.A.). This Act has banned or barred other pistol classes that do not meet the ‘standard’ guidelines for pistols. Hence, the PPK was one of those types which were slowly being wiped out. It failed to pass the import points test by just one point. Due to this, Walther merged the qualities of the PP and the PPK to create a new gun. By combining the frame of the PP with the barrel (and the slide) of the PPK, Walther has developed the PPK/S version. The result is a gun which was actually a little bit heavier than its two predecessors. However, this added weight (1.8 oz heavier) is the factor that made the PPK/S pass the import test; thus becoming the new pistol standard by Walther.

Current versions of the PPK/S, especially the ones manufactured by Smith & Wesson, have some minor alterations to its original design. Now, it boasts of better protection for the shooter by lengthening its grip tang. This shields the user against slide bites (a common trouble encountered with the original PPK/S).

1. The PPK/S is a little heavier than the PPK pistol.

2. The PPK/S is a newer gun model compared to the PPK.

3. The PPK/S passed the import point test required in the U.S.

Overall height: 104 mm (4.1 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.
As of 2007[update], the PPK/S and the PPK are offered in the following calibers: .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).

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