James Bond's Walther PPK may be Bond's signature pistol, but is it a real man stopper? Experts claim it isn't, while Bond's original 25 Beretta doesn't make the cut.
The PPK is a svelte lightweight pocket pistol engineered by the German Walther Arms Company in the 1930's, which started as the model PP, but was shortened to a handier sized version, the PPK. It broke new ground in modern pistol design because it was double action-that is, a bullet could be chambered into the breech, after which one could push a lever that set the trigger in a position so that the gun could not be fired without undertaking a long hard trigger squeeze. Double action refers to a single squeeze of the trigger both cocking the hammer and firing the pistol although later pistol designs from companies such as Kahr Arms and Glock would replace the external hammer with internal striker mechanisms. With the PPK one could also elect to pull the hammer back and fire the piece with an easy pull in single action mode thus accomplishing one action by pulling the trigger-tripping the hammer, which has already been cocked by the shooter, upon the cartridge's primer. The gun's inherent design is very safe since it cannot possibly go off unless the shooter pulls the trigger.
During and after World War II, the German
military chose the much more powerful 9mm Parabellum for its service
pistols for the most part. The much smaller and lighter PP and PPK
models were sometimes used by officers but were more commonly used by
the German police, particularly by the Gestapo and other undercover
policemen.
A few years ago there were two designs of the PPK on
the commercial market. There was the original PPK from Germany in
calibers .22, 7.65 mm, and .380 auto and the slightly larger American
PPK/S. PPK's are no longer manufactured in Germany. Recently Smith and
Wesson became the sole manufacturer and distributor of the PPK/S in the
U.S. through a licensing agreement with Walther. Smith and Wesson does
not produce the more compact PPK and its PPK/S is currently available in
380 auto only. Prior to Smith and Wesson's involvement, a company called
Interarms imported German made Walthers and subcontracted their
manufacture here in the U.S. through a company in Alabama. But quality
was not up to German standards and Interarms wound up going belly up.
Luckily mine is a pristine German-made PPK in .380 auto, which has a
lustrous aftermarket black chrome finish, considered to be more durable
than the pistol's original bluing.
The opinion of "gun experts"
on the 380 auto's man-stopping ability is divided into two camps. Some
consider the .380 auto to be the absolute minimum as a reliable stopper
for self-defense whereas many consider it to be inadequate. But nearly
everyone who has even a modicum of knowledge about guns deems Bond's
first pistol, his beloved .25 Beretta, to be worse than a .22 as a
stopper. Keep in mind though that Bond's PPK was chambered in 7.65 mm or
what is also known as .32 A.C.P., not 380 auto, a bullet that develops
roughly 30 percent more muzzle energy than the .32.
In spite of
its deficiencies as a reliable man stopper, the PPK made quite a name
for itself for many years. Its lines are trim and seductive, which is
probably why Flemming chose the PPK for his suave James Bond character.
Its sleek lines combined with relatively low weight made it ideal for
concealed carry. Quality of manufacture ensured a reliable weapon that
its owner could be proud to carry. And if mine is any indication of most
PPK's, its trigger in single action mode is smooth and light compared to
most double action semi autos regardless of caliber.
It's a
beautiful gun, but the question is, can James Bond do better as he
tackles the 21st century? Two likely contenders for Bond's weapon of
choice are the Seecamp .32 and the Kahr P-9.
The Kahr P-9 is
virtually the same size as the PPK, yet its Polymer frame allows it to
weigh in at just 17.7 ounces to the PPK's 21. Of supreme importance is
the P-9's chambering in 9 mm which depending on ammo develops anywhere
from 350 to 450 foot-pounds of muzzle energy to the .380 Walther's 200.
But Bond didn't use a PPK in .380, using instead the even less powerful
.32 A.C.P., which develops around 150 foot-pounds at the muzzle.
Which brings up the Seecamp in .32 A.C.P. Seecamp is a small family run
operation that has decided not to crank up its production to meet public
demand for its excellent little weapon. One can easily wait up to one
and a half years for a Seecamp in .32 caliber. I've seen them only once
at gun shows and I immediately snapped one up. I've encountered them
much more often in .25 auto, which would leave one as poorly armed as
James Bond at the start of his career, who should have been called James
Bum for carrying the .25 Beretta in the first place. Only 4 and 1/8th
inches long and weighing just 10.5 ounces, the Seecamp is virtually the
same size and weight as Bond's hapless Beretta.
Hailed as the
absolute finest small last-ditch close defense pistol ever produced, the
principle behind the Seecamp design is that even the most powerful
handgun is useless unless its owner has it available when the moment of
truth arrives. The Seecamp is so small and unobtrusive, one could carry
it to the beach in his swim trunks, hardly noticing it or being noticed
carrying it. It doesn't have sights, which can snag in a pocket. It
fires in double action mode only, which means a hard long trigger pull,
which makes it very safe to carry. There are no external safeties to
complicate things or snag in a jacket or pants pocket. And although the
.32 A.C.P. is not a .45 or a .357 magnum it's still the same cartridge
that Flemming arms Bond with his PPK. The Seecamp is designed around a
single hollow point bullet, the 60 grain Winchester Silvertip, which the
company guarantees as the only cartridge the Seecamp can fire reliably
and this bullet hits more than twice as hard as any .22 or .25
automatic.
Due
to its short sighting radius and absence of sights the Seecamp cannot
begin to shoot with either the PPK or the Kahr P-9. Its strong suit is
it's the utmost in conceivability, a fact dramatized when two police
officers once searched my pickup truck for weapons. I had my Seecamp
rolled up in my pajamas lying on the floor of the truck. The police
officers never found the Seecamp.
The
Seecamp is therefore a specialized weapon one has no excuse for not
carrying along when one is uncomfortable with carrying larger handguns.
So how does the 9-mm Kahr stack up against the PPK?
The PPK at
first appears to be a much more finely machined pistol than the much
more powerful Kahr P-9. Moreover, its sexy lines are prettier than the
blocky Kahr. My Kahr has a parkerized slide riding on a polymer
(plastic) frame whereas the Walther's black chrome finish is impeccable.
Worse, the Kahr fires in double action only which would seem to favor
the Walther with its smooth light single action option at the range. But
the Kahr shoots the piss out of the PPK. One would think the PPK shoots
well for a pocket pistol until one shoots the Kahr. Although the Kahr is
double action only, Kahr's double action pistols are the smoothest
around. The Kahr also benefits from excellent white high contrast sights
that line up quickly and efficiently. In fact, the Kahr is so good, it's
competitive with many big name full sized pistols, guns considered far
easier to shoot accurately because of their heft and longer sight
radius. It's the kind of pistol a shooter can shoot well at twenty-five
yards, a distance considered to be outside the range of nearly all
pocket pistols.
Although it's only been in existence for a few
years, Kahr Arms sales have made it one of the forerunners in modern
pistol design. Its P-9 9 mm pistol is roughly the same size as a PPK,
yet weighs significantly less. Kahr technology has ensured that it's
stone reliable and if the P-9 isn't small enough for an over the hill
Bond, who might be tempted to go back to his pitiful 25 caliber Beretta,
Kahr has recently introduced an even smaller and lighter version of its
P-9. But face it, Bond's getting old, and rumor has it that he's
going for even younger and more beautiful women. With girls as
attractive as our Roxys Bomb girl around, it is likely that we will find
Bond going around more scantily clad than ever. If James Bond ever
clamors for that .25 Beretta again, there's the Seecamp, at the same
size and weight, which is much safer to carry, and just as powerful as
his old PPK.
We hope you enjoyed the article which I have published here in its entirety.
I have omitted here several or the racier pictures of Taylor. To get the entire article
of "The Roxys Bomb Girl and 007's
Walther PPK",
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