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I think there is some confusion between the PPK/S and the PPS.
The PPK/S is the same as the PPK except for grip length and grip structiure.
The original Polizei Pistole (PP - Police Pistol) has a 3 7/8" barrel and a steel backstrap. The Polizei Pistole Kriminal* has a 3 1/4" barrel, a shorter frame, and a plastic grip that wraps around to form the backstrap. Both are pocket size pistols, made in .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP. Most WWII and pre-war pistols were in .32 ACP (7.65mm).
When the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed, the predecessor of the ATF set some import standards, which banned from import pistols below a certain size. That included the PPK. So Walther simply put the PPK slide on the PP frame (with a few modifications) and called it the PPK/S, the S standing for "States" or U.S. The PPK/S is the same barrel length as the PPK, but has a steel backstrap. Later, Interarms, the Walther importer, had the PPK/S made in the U.S. under license.
Now that the PPK is being made in the U.S. by S&W under Walther license, S&W has been able to go back to the original type of PPK grip, but has made a few minor changes, including extending the grip tang.
The PPS is an entirely different, and newer pistol, in 9mm Parabellum.
*"Kriminal" doesn't mean what it seems to - it is the German word for detective.
Jim
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