Is a Walther PP in .32 acp desireable?

[HighValleyRanch]

One of my local gun shops has a nice example of a Walther PP in .32 acp.
It's larger than most .32's but super thin. Looked to be in excellent shape, although at the time I wasn't interested enough to check it out.

They wanted 550.00 for it, and being in CA, you don't see these much these days.

Anything one needs to know about these if interested?
I've owned a PPK before so familiar with the platform.
Are these ammo sensitive in the .32 like my Seecamp?

[Ricklin]

If I choose to pack my 03 Colt it's always with FMJ. .32 is marginal so I opt for penetration.

Besides my wife won't let the Colt out of her sight. She does seem to like the new LCP more. I told her to not make goo goo eyes at it till she has fired it on the range for a good session. I suspect that trip shall reserve the LCP for me.

The PP is sweet. I don't know what they go for currently but I don't think you would get hurt @ 550.00 if in nice condition. Sounds like it is.

[PSP]

Depending on the year and where made a Walther PP may be worth much more than $550. Another look may be wise.

[ligonierbill]

I have a Walther PP, and it's probably my best shooting 32 (collect 'em, and yes, I have a Colt). Extremely accurate. Value can be all over the map, depending on where and when it was made, but for sure it's a good pistol. Ammo sensitive? Mine is not.

[Auto5]

My favorite old .32 is the FN Browning 1910, but I remember in years past (was it really that long ago?) a flood of police trade in Walther PP .32s from Europe as various departments upgraded to modern 9mms . They sold cheap because American shooters preferred the .380.

[xcc_rider]

I have a post war Manhurin (Walther) PP in 32 acp and it is very reliable. Shoots any ammo I feed it including lead cast reloads.

I can't comment on the price. I got mine when they were importing surplus PP's for less than 2 bills.

[ballardw]

I've wanted one for awhile but budget considerations...

[Ibmikey]

The Walter PP in .32 app (7.65 mm) was the first DA/S.A. pistol to go into mass production and has been in production since 1932. Even after WWII the French company Manuhrine (SP?) tooled up and produced the pistol under license of Walther. After Walther was once again running they received pistols from France, rolled their logo on them and sold the pistols as their own. That situation only lasted until Walther could actually machine the pistols themselves.

The PP in .32 is a very easy shooting pistol and every collection of firearms should have one, if only for it’s historical interest. For a decent condition .32 $550 is a little high but the cost of these neat little pistols is definitely not going down. In the US the .32 PP/PPK has taken a distant back seat to the .380 and being a blow back pistol .380 is a handful when it goes off.

[carguychris]

Originally Posted by HighValleyRanch

Are these ammo sensitive in the .32 like my Seecamp?

I have a 1944 production Zella-Mehlis 7.65 PP and it absolutely will not cycle Winchester White Box reliably; I've heard this complaint from other PP users and it's popularly attributed to the truncated cone bullet shape. Curiously, the gun runs fine with Hornady Critical Defence JHP. It has intermittent jams with Aguila but runs like a top with PMC, Geco, Fiocchi, PPU, and S&B.

Another curious aspect of the pistol is that some vintage West German Walther mags I bought on GB are hard to insert, but it has no problem with recent-production Smith & Wesson stainless PPK/S mags. (I don't use the original "banner" mag it came with because it's so valuable that I don't want to damage it.)

Needless to say, my PP is a shooter. It's a 7.65 with Nazi commercial proofs and no special military or police markings, which is the most commonplace WWII-vintage PP variant, and its finish can be generously described as "patina."

Originally Posted by PSP

Depending on the year and where made a Walther PP may be worth much more than $550.

Yup. There is a very active Walther collector community, and a comprehensive discussion of all PP, PPK, and PPK/S variations and their values would fill a medium-sized book. Also, although collector interest used to focus on the prewar to WWII-era military pistols, it has now grown to encompass the commercial pistols imported by Interarms and even the Manurhin-badged pistols sold in the 1980s.

Bottom line: it's impossible to judge whether the $550 asking price is fair without knowing the condition and markings of the pistol in question.

[Jim Watson]

I kind of wish I had bought the European police surplus - I think Swedish - PP a few years ago. But it was a lot less than $550. But that was then and this is now, and I wasn't in California, either. Everything affects dollar value, especially the collector interest c. talks about.

[Onward Allusion]

Is a Walther PP in .32 acp desireable?

As a collectible? Sure.

For personal defense, not so much.

[ScaryWoody]

James Bond dispatched hundreds of nare do wellers with his .32ACP. Earlier in the 20th century Military and Police carried the .32ACP or equivalent. I don't think humans have developed more bullet resistant skin in that short time. Only downside for me on 32ACP is that it is expensive. 9MM is just way cheaper.

[kymasabe]

Option #2:
https://www.aimsurplus.com/product.a...&groupid=11520
It's not a Walther but it's. 32acp, half the price, and still a nice gun.

[Ibmikey]

My gad, I have a Zastava mod. 70,88 and two 57’s so don’t get me wrong but suggesting the OP buy a mod 70 instead of a PP is akin to selling him a Yugo over a Mercedes Benz

[HighValleyRanch]

I called yesterday, and the PP was gone.
But now I know and will pay more attention when I am looking!
They still have the sig 230 and 232 I was looking so.....

[gc70]

The Walther PP in .32 is beautiful, historic, and collectible. It is also expensive to shoot, the only gun that has ever "bitten" my hand, and its recoil is out of proportion to its caliber.

[T. O'Heir]

"...As a collectible? Sure..." Depends on when and where it was made to be a collector's piece at all. Collector grade PP's start at more than double $550. So the value of HighValleyRanch's example depends on when and where it was made. PP's were made in Germany, France and the U.S. An American made PP is not worth what a German made pistol is worth. Unless you want one as a shooter/big kid's toy.
Oh and the word Seecamp does not belong in the same sentence as the word Walther. snicker.

[FITASC]

Which Walther? Is it one of the French-made ones ? (EXCELLENT guns, btw) When I had one, it was GREAT to shoot as far as pointability and accuracy, but trying to find those expensive 32 brass casings was like trying to find Waldo.........60 gr. Gold Dots ran well as did the FMJ (??71 gr??) using Bullseye, Unique and Universal.

[RKG]

Originally Posted by Ibmikey

The Walter PP in .32 app (7.65 mm) was the first DA/S.A. pistol to go into mass production and has been in production since 1932. Even after WWII the French company Manuhrine (SP?) tooled up and produced the pistol under license of Walther. After Walther was once again running they received pistols from France, rolled their logo on them and sold the pistols as their own. That situation only lasted until Walther could actually machine the pistols themselves.

The PP in .32 is a very easy shooting pistol and every collection of firearms should have one, if only for it’s historical interest. For a decent condition .32 $550 is a little high but the cost of these neat little pistols is definitely not going down. In the US the .32 PP/PPK has taken a distant back seat to the .380 and being a blow back pistol .380 is a handful when it goes off.

Concur 100%. Picked up a LNIB, with the box, for about $100 in the early 80s.

Round of choice is a 71 gr. Rem. RN-FMJ, with a diminutive charge of either Bullseye or Unique.