Hello gents,

Local toy store has a new model Walther PPK/s 22 on the shelf.  I realize it's not an all steel pistol - and it has a heavy double action trigger pull - just like my 380's - , but can anyone tell me more about this pistol  ?   Is it reliable  ?  

I have a small collection of the PP series in 32 and 380 and thought this might be a nice addition.

What say you  ?

Thanks ! !

I have one of the early ones and have fired about 2,300 rounds through it. It has proved to be a decent plinker. It is not the gun the originals were, but it is a heck of a lot cheaper. The magazines are more affordable and IMO superior to the older mags. I wish they put a white dot front sight on the pistol - but that is really my only complaint.

It has nothing to do with the real Walther.  It is another Umarex pot metal POS.

I just picked up a PPK/S and it so far has been flawless with 20 rounds of Eley subsonic and my Sparrow on the end.  Yea, not the longest torture test ever, but it looks cool with the can on it.

It the pistol people love to hate - but mostly by those who don't own one.  They hear "pot metal" from someone on the internet and automatically write it off.  

If you're expecting it to be a $1300 Walther PP in .22 LR, it's not, but for the money it's a decent .22LR pistol that shares the same basic design as the full size PPK/S and offers excellent reliability.

The sub assemblies are made a little differently, in line with price, but it's the same Walther design and operating system.   The major difference is that it uses a barrel liner inside a barrel shroud held in place with a nut on the end, like the Walther P22.  The barrel shroud however is press fit into the frame like the PP series barrels.   The bolt face and barrel face are steel, and are quire durable.







The frame and slide are made from a Zamak alloy, and while most people consider it to be "pot metal", it's a bit of a misstatement.  Low grade pot metal used for casting a variety of low cost items is well known for dimensional instability and cracking, but that's caused by impurities in the zinc alloy.  Zamak alloys are held to very high purity standards and don't display the same cracking and dimensional instability issues.  The Henry .22 lever actions have a Zamak receiver under the cover and they seem to hold up well as did the Ithaca lever actions that preceded them, and the Umaraex/Walther PPK/S should hold up just as well.  

The lightweight Zamak alloy in the slide allows the slide to have a full PPK/S profile, but they make up some of the weight by filling in the area under the grips, which makes it feel much more like the .380 PPK/S.   The standard grips are consequently thinner and can't be interchanged with the PPK/S grips.  the standard black plastic grips are not all that exciting, but there are some very nice aftermarket grips for it.

The magazine extends below the grip into the grip extension so the finger grip magazine is the only option - no flush floor plate mags are available (yet?).  There is also no loaded chamber indicator and the hammer is consequently not grooved to enable you to see it.  




I've put a couple thousand rounds through mine and it's been very reliable and is about as accurate as you'd expect from a short barrel, short sight radius pocket pistol, giving about 3" groups at 12-15 yards.  The double action trigger pull is typical PPK/S heavy, plus another pound or two, but it's reasonably crisp and clean and the single action pull is ok and represents the PPK/S fairly closely.

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Another option is an FEG AP22.  They show up now and then in the $300-$400 price range and they are an all steel pistol using the Walther design.  The slide however is thinned to reduce the weight so the profile is a little smaller.  They are however very well made pistols.

Thank you sir ! !

GREAT pics and write-up.  Maybe I'll have to tell Mrs. Santa

BTW - I do have a FEG AP-22.  Still in the box with two mags - never fired.  Can't remember when or where I picked it up.  

How can this be?? As mentioned by another poster above, it's made out of pot metal!! It must be junk and in constant danger of cracking and disintegrating in your hand!! Ack!! This makes no sense!!! Oh wait, sure it does, they aren't made of "pot metal" afterall despite that classification by various internet armchair metallurgists.  Are they of the quality that you would get from steel or aluminum? No, hence the price difference, but they aren't the crack-a-matics that you'll hear folks assume they are.  Excellent post DakotaFAL!

I have a Walther P22 that is also made from Zamak.  It has been a great little gun and very accurate after a break in period.  Do I expect it to last as long as my other guns? No, but then it cost much less and and I see it lasting longer than I do so I can't ask much more than that from it LOL.  If it does crack and come apart in my hand I will revise my position.

My wife is petite and very recoil-shy. I saw one of these at my LGS today and thought this might make a good trainer for her w/the possibility of her carrying it later on (no caliber wars, please, I'd rather she carry a .22 than nothing at all). However, I, too, have been bitten by the "Made by Umarex" bug and wonder if you actual owners believe this might be suitable for what I've outlined. Thx!...
Tomac

I only have about a 100 rounds through mine.  It's a fun little gun to shoot.  I did replace the grips, b/c I didn't like the plastic ones at all.

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I've had mine for about a month, running range-purchased Aguila Interceptor.  No complaints, love the pistol.

I now have about 500 rounds through it of Eley subsonic and Gemtech and its been flawless.