Walther Ppk/s Operative Airsoft Pistol Kit

Dr. No was the first James Bond movie simply the sixth book. In it Bond (James Bond) begrudgingly exchanges his .25 ACP Beretta for a Walther PPK chambered in the much more powerful .32 ACP, described every bit having "delivery like a brick through a plate glass window." [Click here for the clip.] The PPK was bachelor in .380 as well, but that wasn't a popular or well-known caliber in Europe. Although the Mossad are nonetheless fractional to .22 for shut range wet work, one assumes virtually people would buy a pistol chambered in the relatively small caliber for newbie instruction, target shooting, and plinking fun. Walther's PPK/Due south .22 allows you to practice this with 007 style . . .

New for 2013, the Walther PPK/South in .22 long rifle is very much like the centerfire PPK in almost every way, from controls to weight and size to machining, fit, and end. With millions of casual 007 fans out at that place, I must say that I think information technology was a great thought to offer the PPK in this chambering, which makes the pistol and the shooting more than affordable and likely more fun. It'southward certainly better for introducing new shooters to the sport, as recoil from a direct blowback .380 tin exist pretty stout.

In The Box

The /S version was created past Walther to run into the new 'sporting purposes' importation requirement under the 1968 Gun Control Deed. 'South' stands for Sport, and the frame is taller – i.eastward., the grip is longer – than the standard PPK. That really makes the pistol a chip more pleasant for target shooting and plinking, as your otherwise-dangling pinky has a home. Probably a good choice for the .22 version, which I'd assume won't be a popular CCW option where the extra size or weight would be less desirable.

In the blackness plastic Walther case, forth with the PPK/S, is a 10-circular mag, a gun lock, an possessor'southward manual, warranty carte du jour, an NSSF safety pamphlet and a ziplock baggie with some parts and tools in it. Included are two replacement front sights – one taller and one shorter than the sight installed on the gun – for adjusting point of bear upon for elevation, a thin punch for pushing out the pin in the front sight, an Allen wrench for adjusting the rear sight for windage, and a wrench for removing the barrel nut. All in all pretty good kit, although I wouldn't listen a second mag. They're available online for effectually $28.

Although it has been quite a while since I've handled a centerfire PPK, it's my understanding that the controls on the /S are identical. The magazine release is a thumb push button high on the left side of the frame backside the tiptop of the trigger baby-sit. The slide-mounted safety flips up for 'burn down' and down for 'prophylactic.' That'due south the opposite of nearly guns with frame-mounted safeties, but is the norm for guns with slide-mounted safeties – neither the location nor the operation is something I'm used to.

The safety is also a decocker, and pushing down on it safely drops the hammer. Unlike a lot of pistols, the slide can be racked with the condom engaged. Doing then automatically lowers the hammer as the slide comes forrad. Oddly enough, upon doing this or upon decocking, the trigger remains in the more rearward, single activity 'staged' location even though the hammer is now down, and then the trigger springs forrard to its double action position as you flip the safety up to 'burn down.' Some complicated German language lockwork must be going on inside in that location.

The slide locks back on empty, but at that place's no external slide lock/release control. You'll accept to insert an empty magazine if you lot want to lock the slide back. To release the slide, either squirt the magazine and then pull back and guide the slide forwards, or insert a full magazine and slingshot information technology (which will sleeping room a round, of course).

Fit and finish on my nickel-plated version is quite expert, with my merely nitpick existence the font and/or sharpness of the roll marks on the slide. Information technology isn't the same as on the centerfire version here. Slide-to-frame fitment is decent, machining and apparent parts quality (hammer, sights, safety, trigger, etc) are all very good, peculiarly for a .22. Lots of metal, and very little plastic other than the grip panels. It feels similar a real pistol, rather than like a reduced size, reduced quality, more plastic, lighter weight .22 version of a real pistol, of which plenty options exist.

With that said, I don't know what the slide or frame are really made of except that I'm fairly sure it isn't steel due in role to the impression I get just from feeling and tapping it and from the fact that it doesn't concenter a magnet (and I don't believe it to exist stainless steel). The breech cake insert appears to be steel, equally do virtually of the minor parts and controls mentioned above. No further conjecture from me and I take not heard of any immovability bug, but I bring it up due to some folks' business over zinc alloys and "pot metal" slides corking in some .22 pistols. Then far so skillful here, only I only have merely under 300 rounds through my example at this point – mainly due to trying to conserve my dwindling .22 reserves.

Field stripping is accomplished just like Bail'due south PPK. Pull downwards on the hinged trigger guard, pull the slide all the way to the back and elevator it up at the rear, so guide it off the forepart of the frame. The recoil spring uses the fixed barrel as a guide rod. That'due south it! Field stripped.

At the forepart of the barrel, a nut tin exist unscrewed in order to remove the butt from the frame. However, a more mutual reason to remove that nut would be to install a thread adaptor. For instance, to effectively extend the barrel out the front end of the slide and provide 1/2×28 threads for mounting some sort of muzzle accessory like a compensator, faux suppressor for the easy secret amanuensis wait, or real suppressor to more fully satisfy your inner Bond. Thread adapters for Walther's P22 fit the PPK/S just right! I just picked upward a Tactical Innovations one at my local gun shop where I and so shot the video beneath, but these guys also have some cool offerings.

On The Range

In the video above, you'll see that it had a few hiccups correct off the bat. My PPK/S apparently wanted a fiddling bit of a burglary menstruum and also benefitted from some lube – it came pretty darn clean of anything from the factory. You can actually run into it getting amend and better during that starting time range outing, and a couple hundred rounds later it cycles more than reliably than it did then. That said, information technology however definitely prefers more powerful ammo (100% reliability then far) to weaker bulk box stuff (still has some failures to squirt or to fully bike the slide far enough back). With a suppressor, it ran the Winchester bulk with most perfect reliability whereas it would still suffer well-nigh 1 stoppage per magazine without the can. I believe that a lighter mainspring (hammer leap) would also cure it of its dislike for weaker ammo while nevertheless providing solid primer strikes.

Now, some of it was my fault. Or, if I really felt like information technology, I suppose I could try to blame it on the pattern of the gun, but it was actually more of a training event. You lot see, the slide is quite alpine and has 'skirts' that cover the sides of the frame all the manner down to right along the top of the trigger guard and along the top of the grips. Information technology's lower, as compared to the mini beavertail frame extension, than I'm used to. Basically, the only exposed frame is in forepart of and behind the grip panels (front- and backstrap, mostly).

All of this meant that I sometimes rode the slide a picayune bit, whether it was with a thumb or two on the side – a thumbs-forward grip does not piece of work here unless you 'fly' them off to the side – or with the web of my shooting paw on the underside of the cycling slide. Although I never suffered painful slide bite, I could tell that it was contacting or rubbing on my correct hand. With weaker ammo that was barely cycling already, any friction on the slide was a deal breaker. I actually think this gun might exist shot best with a single hand, making certain non to hold information technology also high upward on the grip due to how low the sides of the slide really hang.

Bated from struggling to call up to modify my normal shooting grip, shooting the PPK/S .22 was a real pleasure! Recoil is minimal and absolutely controllable due to the weight and structure of the pistol, but it still offers enough kick and feedback to be a lot of fun to shoot. I have some heavier, all-steel .22 LR pistols that barely move when y'all burn down them, and the PPK/Due south gives you more of the sensation of shooting a 'existent gun' than those exercise.

P1020065

Despite the short butt and short sight radius, the pistol was very accurate for me for plinking purposes. The steel sights are precipitous and there is plenty of light around the front blade to help with quick conquering. If the forepart blade had a dot or was otherwise not the aforementioned solid blackness equally the rear sight, my rested target accuracy would have been better. I found the factory-installed front end sight to hit right where I wanted it and the rear sight required no adjustment either.

The trigger in single action is pretty good. It's adequately short with simply a piffling creep earlier the interruption and, every bit far as DA/SA guns go, I'd say it's up there in the good+ to almost-very-proficient category. In that location'due south a couple millimeters of slack that you don't have to repeat if you ride the reset, which gives enough of a 'click' feel that doing so accurately is pretty easy. Walther states 6.6 lbs for the single activity pull simply I was consistently measuring much closer to 5 lbs. The overall shape and contour of the trigger works well for me. I really wouldn't modify anything in the SA trigger pull category here at all.

The trigger in double activity is crazy heavy. It's super heavy in the centerfire PPKs also. Walther says it'southward 17.5 lbs. DA and I measured that corporeality exactly once. Information technology was between 17 and 20 lbs on other tests. I believe the gun was consequent, simply I but struggled to concur the darn thing still and continue the gauge on the same spot on the trigger each time while pulling that hard.

There's the verbal aforementioned amount of slack in DA equally in SA (possibly it's moving a firing pin block out of the way if it has 1, merely I'thou not diving into the mechanics of this gun), and the overall DA pull is consistent – no stacking. It's a bit gritty, simply not horrible and I'd expect it volition polish out with time (bold you ever pull the trigger in DA).

Bottom line: it isn't actually physically difficult to pull the trigger with your finger – at least not for me – and it certainly ups the safety cistron if you lot chose to carry the gun in DA with the safety disengaged. My accuracy in DA was just fine and I attribute that to the consequent pull right upward to the break.

I idea the location of the mag release would exist weird only it wasn't an outcome at all. That and the prophylactic work but fine. The safety has dainty, positive clicks at either end and smooth travel in between. The decocker function is easy to operate. The magazine drops free, empty or total, and loads easily even without ane of those thumb push things that you see on many .22 LR pistol mags.

The lack of an external slide lock is not an effect for me as I have get quite used to my Beretta Nano, which is my EDC tun and has no external controls whatsoever other than a magazine release. I could see this being slightly annoying if you're using the PPK/S to introduce new shooters to pistols, nonetheless. You'll need to go on an empty mag handy or yous won't exist able to lock the slide back on command.

Conclusions

Bottom line: this is a really fun gun at the range. A skilful trigger, first-class accuracy, proficient reliability with quality/stronger .22 ammo (solid primer hits, btw), skilful ergos and overall solid, quality feel and heft make it a pleasure to shoot. It's definitely a nice looking gun, likewise – anybody tin can identify it as the James Bond gun. "Cool factor" is there in spades, simply in a caliber that's piece of cake to shoot, afford, and enjoy.

I believe there are a couple of .22 LR pistols in the same price range that are more reliable and accurate, but they don't more often than not operate the same mode every bit a centerfire or look much like a 'normal' pistol. For case, a Ruger Mark Iii or 22/45 with their internal bolts. Bully guns, but I find it easier to teach new shooters on something a little more 'standard.' Assuming our number one goal here is fun, I'd put the PPK/Southward .22 near the pinnacle of the listing.

My personal experience with semi-auto .22 LR pistol reliability when the whole slide reciprocates isn't great – I typically await at least some ammo sensitivity. The PPK/Southward appears to cycle better than average now that it's been broken in and I have learned to proceed my grubby mitts off the slide. While plenty of other options compete on toll and reliable cycling, the real deal steel feel of the PPK/S and the James Bail cachet requite it something extra. Especially with a can on the front!

P1020097

Specifications:

Length: vi.ane"
Butt Length: iii.3"
Pinnacle: 4.9"
Width: 0.98"
Weight: 24 oz
Capacity: 10 rounds of .22 long burglarize
Trigger Pull Weight: 17.5 lbs DA, six.half dozen lbs SA (as stated past Walther. SA ~five lbs every bit measured)
MSRP: $449 Black End, $469 Nickel Finish. Typical retail price $346 and $376, respectively (come across GrabAGun, KYGunCo, etc)

Ratings (out of 5 stars):

Accuracy: * * * *
Given the pocket-sized size, brusk sight radius, and black front sight I was much more than accurate with this pistol than I expected to be. The fixed butt certainly shoots straight, and I think the mechanical accurateness potential of the thing is way higher than I could go out of it.

Ergonomics: * * * *
Frame fit and angle are nice. Trigger is overnice. Controls are fine, although I'grand not a fan of slide-mounted safeties. Easy to manipulate the slide. Overall, comfortable and very good ergos for a sub-meaty.

Reliability: * * *
3 stars (average) in comparing against my experience with directly competitors, significant sub-$400 semi-machine .22 LR pistols with reciprocating slides. Some distaste for calorie-free-loaded ammo. 100% reliable with stronger stuff. Overall, I think it'southward virtually boilerplate for .22 of this sort.

Customize This: * *
Every bit far equally I can tell, the only aftermarket option that exists are thread adapters that are technically sold for the P22, only fit the PPK/S .22 perfectly. These would give you the ability to mountain compensators, wink hiders, fake silencers, existent silencers, and other silliness onto the butt. Normal PPK/S grip panels won't fit, and I tin't seem to find aftermarket options. Same for sights. At least non yet… (I believe the gun has been on the market for near 8 months). Nearly holsters for the PPK should work.

Fun Factor: * * * * *
I'1000 James Bond, beotch!

Overall: * * *
A fun-to-shoot .22 selection. Decent gun to teach first timers, but interesting and accurate enough that you won't get bored with it either. I wish information technology ran cheap-o ammo amend. If it did that, cost a bit less, or was made of steel/aluminum instead of zinc alloy this would be an "above average" iv star rated pistol.