So I really want a Walther PPQ 5inch....

my buddy just got the 4inch M1 with the paddle release (his first gun) and its pretty awesome

i love the paddle release on my PK380 enough so that I wouldnt want to own a Walther without one.

the problem is that the PPQ 5inch does not come in a paddle release format, it is push button only

so my thinking is that I could buy a 5in M2, buy a 4in M1, swap the frames and then sell the 4inch (the frames appear to be the same size and everything so i dont think compatibility is an issue)

but as i was checking out my buddys 4in, i noticed that the frame, slide, and barrel have the serial number on it

soo how illegal would the swap be? and by that i mean, would i have issues selling the mismatched 4in?

The frame is the gun here in the States. The serials on the slide and barrel really don't mean much.

ok....so I would have an issue selling it? as in shouldnt sell it at all? or as in private sale only, not dealer?

No it would perhaps loose some value as it is a mismatched gun. Just like a wartime Luger that got rearsenaled after the war in Russia. Every number could be different but the frame number is the one that counts. The others by law are of no concern to the law.

awesome! thank you for the input. the loss of value would be expected...the whole project is not cost effective but I would really like the 5in with paddle so it seems worth it haha

Yeah, perfectly legal, just some people don't want to buy guns with mismatched numbers.  I have a couple of glocks with mismatched numbers through wanting to sell a Gen 3 frame, but keeping the top end which had been NP3'd.

Use your buddies gun to make sure that the top ends will exchange before you buy one though.  Sometimes the manufacturer makes a small change in design and the won't interchange.

I dont think you have any problems either.  I put a Walther P-1 barrel and and it accompying fat slide on a WII steel frsame and all is fine.  Even had some one try to run it's serial numbers just for grins but no hits.  All Is good