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Old September 3, 2010, 02:40 PM   #1
RNG
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Walther PPK 7.65mm(.32) Info

Greetings,
I just received a Walther PPK from my Dad and believe it to be early to mid-1940's vintage. Other than the cracked grip(and a smaller piece broken off the grip on the left side) it seems to be in fairly good condition. My grandfather gave it to my Dad in the late 50's or early 60's. Not sure where he got it though. I was hoping that someone here may know a little about this model that they wouldn't mind sharing.(date/place of mfg, who it may have been issued to, etc)
Many thanks in advance for any info provided.
Cheers,
Richard



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Old September 3, 2010, 06:14 PM   #2
S&W Kinda Guy
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You might ask a mod if he can move it to the Handgun section, you might get more replies.
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Old September 3, 2010, 07:13 PM   #3
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Will do.
Thanks.
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Old September 3, 2010, 07:36 PM   #4
Jim Watson
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Manufactured sometime between 1940 when the Nazi proofmarks came into use and 1945 when they lost the war.

Made in the town of Zella Mehis, free state of Thuringia, Germany; near Suhl, the firearms capitol of Germany up through WW II. Walther and some other companies bailed out when the Communists took over and made that area part of East Germany.
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Old September 3, 2010, 08:16 PM   #5
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Some of the PPK pistols (in .22 and 7.65) were made with alloy frames. These command a premium. Any Zella Mehlis PPK is a nice thing to have.
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Old September 3, 2010, 08:45 PM   #6
James K
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That gun was made in 1943. Unless there are other markings not shown on the gun or the magazine, it is a standard PPK of that period. It was not military issue, though it may have been carried by a German officer, soldier, or police officer. It is a standard steel frame, not an alloy or special treatment of any kind.

In spite of common belief, production of guns for authorized German civilians continued well into the war (Jews were not permitted to own guns, of course).

Some folks might object, but I would have no hesitation in replacing those grips with either current Walther PPK grips (I think they would fit) or with good quality reproductions. They would detract less from the value than broken grips.

For some reason, estimates of value on ordinary PP and PPK pistols have gone through the roof, even though the actual sale prices have not. That has tended to raise the hopes of owners, hopes that are usually dashed. I would estimate the value at $400 tops in that condition.

Jim
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Old September 4, 2010, 01:58 AM   #7
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Replacement grip panels for your PPK.
http://vintagegungrips.net/ao-w14a.html
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Old September 4, 2010, 05:28 AM   #8
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Thanks for the quick replies. Plenty of good info that gives me a better idea of the history of the weapon.

Thanks again,
Richard
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Old September 6, 2010, 12:25 PM   #9
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Hello Richard,

the production of this particular PPK (Polizei Pistole Kriminal) started at 1940 with SNo: 270100K and ended 1945 with SNo: 424619. As your SNo: begins with 40xxxxK I would guess it has been made later than 1943.
These PPKs can be seperated according to their finish and their additional markings.
Yours seem to have the very rough military finish, so I would say your pistol had been used in the german military.
Do you have additional markings that are not being located on frame or slide?
Do you have a serial number on the buttom of the magazin as well?
Would be interesting to know. If so, maybe additional information could be found.

Cheers,
Alan
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Old September 6, 2010, 12:38 PM   #10
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P.S.
Some "very" original grips a currently on sale at a german auction platform.
If you are interested send me a PM and I can figure out for you whether the offerer will send them to the US or not.
http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=2933589
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Old September 6, 2010, 01:45 PM   #11
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I would think that a pistol used by the Wehrmacht would have a Waffentamt stamp, though a police pistol would not.

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Old September 6, 2010, 01:51 PM   #12
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Hello Alan,
Thanks for the information No additional marks on the PPK that I can see. Pics of the magazine below.

Thanks again,
Richard







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Old September 7, 2010, 02:12 AM   #13
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Okay, according to this information I have to admit that I was wrong, sorry.
The missing acceptance stamp as well as the magazin indicate, that this is the commercial version of the PPK. So, Jim was right.
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Old September 11, 2010, 07:35 PM   #14
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An outfit called CDNN from Texas often advertises replacement grips for the PP and PPK.
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Old October 31, 2010, 09:03 AM   #15
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Nice Richard. Yours looks exactly like mine. I have S/N 27xxxx.
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