kempin,
It would seem S&W bought the rights to make the Walther after Interarms quit making them. Not sure what happened to Interarms. I read up on the history and for awhile after WWII it was made in France, then Interarms made it here in the U.S. under Walther and now S&W is making it. The side of the slide has " under license of Walther". I guess after everyone gets their cut of the pie, there isn't a budget to do a little finish work on the edges of the pistol. Still a neat handgun, just a little pricey.
electross,
None of your posts indicate the finish on your PPKS. If it is blued, smoothing edges will obviously remove the finish in that area.
If it is stainless you can do all the "smoothing" you like. When done, use Scotchbrite or steel wool to match the original finish.
I've done this many times on stainless guns and it works great.
I am not a gun-smith but have spent 15 years with a smooth and reliable Interarms PPK, and have shot german ones as well. When I saw the Smith@Wesson version at a gun show last year I was amazed at the obvios fit and finnish deficiancies even from a distance. The reason I was startled was because for years I have been dealing with people telling me that my Interarms was a low quality gun. All the edges are smooth and has no bite. It should be easy to smooth yours up.
I read the article that Norm posted a link to. I have a dummy question: What doe the phrase "practicing double-taps on target" mean? I quoted it from the article, I think they were referring to the strong trigger pull of the p-64 when comparing to the Walther.
Norm, thank you for posting the the comparison web page. One has to wonder what the results would have been had the springs been replaced to those of the Walther or similar poundage, I know what the answer was for me!
G.R.
Gentlemen, Its been awhile since I posted the issue of the sharp edges on my Walther. Well, I polished and worked all edges that would bother my hand while gripping the pistol. I have a Dremel Polishing Kit purchased at Home Depot for about 20.00 bucks. That worked wonders on all edges. The pistol is a keeper. Gunnyrabbit, you mentioned the comparison that is posted on the home page of the forum site, well, I disagree with the results. It favored the PPKS after the comparison. I think it might have been the trigger pull right from the box. The PPKS is not bad. brand new, un-touched. For what little work that you can do to the P64 and have an acceptable trigger, my opinion is that the P64 is a better pistol. Its more accurate, more comfortable, basically I'm of opinion that the P64 is a better pistol. That is putting aside the fact you can have three P64's for one Walther PPKS. So, value comes into the picture as well. By the way in terms of reliability, the Walther has never faultered in 300 rounds. Ammo is .380 ACP and I buy the cheapest I can find for target shooting. With the original hammer springs in my P64 I have never had a problem. When I started changing hammer springs I would get an occasional light strike, went to the heavier 20# hammer spring and that went away. I like'em both but favor the P64. Thats my story and I'm stickin to it! ;D ;D
Fantastic ! I am well pleased to hear such a glowing opinion about my favorite pistol. I like the looks of the Walther ,but, since the P-64 is so close looking, I am quite happy to have a larger caliber in the P-64. So many guns, so little money. I feel way better about my purchase.
I have enjoyed shooting mine as-is from day one.
Anyways, Thanks you for starting this honest and revealing discussion. I am sure most here will agree. There are always good ones and bad ones in any manufacturing process, but, OVERALL the Polish have a great reputation for consistantly producing high-quality craftsmanship in any industrial setting. After all of the comparisons are said and done The P-64 stands high when mentioned in the same sentence as the venerable Walther PPK pistols that are uber famous.
For the P-64 to get so many thumbs-up from so many owners of both brands. Thanks ! G
Here is My Walther PPK and a few other Mouse guns I have. Even an Old Bersa Model 23 in .22 LR I wont part with........S&W Model 40 Centenial in .38 Special, S&W Model 640 Centenial in 9 MM, Taurus 94 in .22 LR and a Wilkinsarms Sherry aslo in .22 LR.
Oh most forgot, a S&W Model 60 3" in .357.
Last edited by sapo on January 31st, 2009, 8:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
