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At least Bond got his: Walther Ends Production on PPK, PPKs, and PP Pistols

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Firearms giant Walther this week announced it was beginning a “multi-year pause of production” on its most iconic pistol lines.

As part of Walther’s “long-term product vision,” the PPK, PPK/S, and PP models will no longer be produced as the company enters into a “multi-year reengineering and modernization program.” Walther officials stress this initiative aims to enhance performance, integrate advanced manufacturing technologies, and elevate the user experience – all while preserving the iconic look, feel, and spirit that have defined these pistols for generations.

“This is not the end of the PPK story,” said Tyler Weigel, VP of sales for Walther Arms. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter. Our goal is to honor the heritage of these iconic firearms by bringing them into the future without compromising what made them classics.”

PPK slides on the assembly line in Ulm, Germany
We saw PPK slides on the assembly line in Ulm, Germany, last year. Little did we know they would be some of the last – for now. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Related: Home of the PDP and PPK: Factory Tour of Walther’s German Plant

The original PP (Polizeipistole or “Police Pistol”) was introduced in Weimar-era Germany by Carl Walther in 1929. Originally chambered in .32 ACP, the pistol has evolved over the years into more compact PPK and import-compliant PPK/s variants with other calibers such as .22 LR and .380 ACP added to the mix.

The Walther factory, shifted from Zella-Mehlis in Soviet-occupied East Germany to Ulm in West Germany after World War II, eventually resumed production on the PP/PPK just in time for it to become a staple of international espionage movies during the Cold War.

While Sean Connery’s Agent 007 was issued a Walther in the first 10 minutes of 1962’s “Dr. No” to replace his favored .25 ACP Beretta, it would continue as his standard through his six-film run and go on to be picked up off and on by successive generations of Bonds.

You can bet that collectors will now be moving in on the new old stock PP series pistols that remain on shelves – before they disappear like a spy into the mist.

Paging Mr. Bond: The PPK in .32 is Back (and it finally works)

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Walther has reached into the vault to bring back one of its most classic designs, now refined and ready for a new century. Like a spy in from the Cold, the PPK in .32 ACP has returned unexpectedly, and we have the debrief.

The background of the gun is well established. In a nutshell, Fritz Walter, the heir to the famed Carl Walther rifle works, moved in the early 1900s to expand the company into handguns with a line of simple blowback pocket pistols to compete with models like the Colt Vest Pocket and Pieper Bayard. Moving to more advanced designs using a workable single-action/double-action trigger system by the 1920s, the Polizei Pistole, or PP series, soon became a smash hit, despite it being twice as much as the company’s earlier models.

While not the first DA/SA handgun on the market, the PP was much more successful, and soon an abbreviated version pitched as a detective’s gun, the Polizei Pistole Kriminal, hit the catalog in 1930. With a 3.25-inch barrel and offerings in not only .32 ACP (the original PP’s bread and butter) but also spicier .380 ACP, which was then and still is seen as big medicine for European LE types, the sleek, almost Art Deco, PPK soon filled holsters and desk drawers.

The Walther PP/PPK has some serious history to it. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

A huge driver for the gun came from pop culture. While the Walther PP series appeared on screen in films as early as 1938, it was the James Bond film franchise that kicked the pistol into the stratosphere. Sean Connery’s Agent 007 was first issued a Walther in 1962’s “Dr. No” to replace his favored .25 ACP Beretta.

It would continue as his standard through his six-film run and go on to be picked up off and on by successive generations of Bonds.

The pistol is iconic, and in many cases can be a work of art, as shown here at the Walther factory in Ulm, Germany.

By 2013, with the market demand for the .32 waning in favor of the .380, Walther put the models chambered in the smaller caliber to bed.

Now, with improvements in bullet and propellant design leading to the resurgence of 9mm over .40 caliber, and .380 seen as the new 9mm, and .32 seen as the new .380, the stubby little round is much more popular these days.

So, it should be no surprise that Walther is bringing the “old” caliber back for both the PPK and the PPK/S, in stainless and black variants. We have been testing one for the past couple of months.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Q Approved: The 7.65 PPK Returns

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When the Walther PPK was introduced in 1931, billed as a smaller version of the company’s PP series meant for use by plain-clothed detectives (the PPK stands for Polizei Pistole Kriminal), it was in chambered in 7.65x17mm Browning Short, which we know over here on this side of the Atlantic as John Browning’s .32 ACP.
This was soon augmented with variants offered in .380 ACP and, by 2013, Walther discontinued the .32 version of both the PPK and PPK/S.

Some 31 years after the PPK was introduced, MI6 armorer Major Boothroyd, or Q, would famously issue CDR James Bond, RN, one in lieu of his .25 ACP Beretta, describing it as: “Walther PPK. 7.65mm with a delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window.”

Now, with improvements in bullet and propellant design leading to the resurgence of 9mm over .40 caliber, and .380 seen as the new 9mm, and .32 seen as the new .380, the stubby little round is much more popular these days.
And so, it should be no surprise that Walther is bringing the “old” caliber back for both the PPK and the PPK/S, in both stainless and black variants. All models have the classic Walther styling coupled with a hammer drop decocking safety, fixed sights, and a wave cut atop the slide to reduce glare.

The standard PPK, which is shorter at a pocketable 3.8 inches high, has a 7+1 shot capacity while the taller (4.3 inches high) PPK/S has an 8+1 capacity. All models share the same 3.3-inch barrel length and 6.1-inch overall length.

Circa 1974 Walther PPK/s, You Say?

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Drink in this PPK/S that was brought into the country by Interarms while Jerry Ford was in office. A Manurhin-produced gun with Walther of West Germany rollmarks and the antler/stag stamp of the Ulm proof house, it is marked “9mm kurz,” which of course is .380ACP over here.

For reference, the blade is a German Puma Medici swing guard from the same era. I’m a sucker for pairing guns and knives. 

Today, tested with a good defense load and a modern holster, this gun could still clock in for EDC as needed.

One thing for sure, when visiting the range, the PPK continues to turn heads and sparks interest. Although it has very small sights, they are workable, and the gun is almost surprisingly accurate– surely due to its fixed barrel design.

Guns like these are not only collectible, shootable, and useable, but are a great device for bringing new people into the shooting community. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “I always wanted to shoot one of those,” when the old Walther comes out of the safe for a breath of fresh air.

Bond Guns Go Missing

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London’s Metropolitan Police have issued a call for the public to be on the lookout for five guns recently stolen that have been used in a number of 007 films.

In a statement, the Met reported that officers were called to a property in Aldersbrook Avenue, Enfield, on the evening of March 23 to a report of a burglary in progress. By the time the bobbies had arrived, however, the suspects had left the scene after being disturbed by neighbors.

The suspects, who drove away in a silver vehicle, are described as “three white males with Eastern European accents.” The men reportedly broken into the premises and stole five deactivated firearms used in James Bond films, believed to be worth more than £100,000 ($124,000).

Perhaps the greatest loss is the swag AF Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum, serial number N60304, featured in Live and Let Die.

The 1973 film has Sir Roger Moore as Agent 007 traveling around the globe with stops in New Orleans and Jamacia, where he uses the hogleg along with a beautiful shoulder holster and tactical turtle neck during the rescue of Solitaire (Jane Seymour).

You remember Solitaire, right?

Anyway, more on the firearms in my column at Guns.com. 

Who wouldn’t want a 12mm Rocket Launcher at their side?

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Invented about the same time as The Jetsons were a hit TV show, nuclear weapons researcher Bob Mainhardt and arms designer Art Biehl came together to form MB Associates (after their initials) to explore rocket projects. In addition to a reasonably popular handheld flare projector, they also looked to produce a series or rocket-firing weapons with an eye towards military contracts.

I give you, the Gyrojet Rocket Pistol, which is a real thing that actually saw some limited use in Vietnam.

Gyrojet Mark II rocket pistol

Pop…Whoosh!

More in my column at Guns.com