Shooting the 7.65 / .32 ACP Walther PPK.

I had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to shoot a Walther PPK in .32 ACP. The particular specimen was a PPK produced in approximately 1936 or '37.

I don't have a picture of the actual specimen, but here is a photo of a .32 PPK:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons/www.adamsguns.com).


A friend of mine had picked it up at a local pawn shop. It had some minor rusting and pitting on the slide. The bore and barrel were in good shape. The mottled brown bakelite grips had a few small cracks around the screw holes. Otherwise, it was in great shape.

This was an impromptu shooting session. My friend had not told me about the gun, and we had only gotten together to do some "plinking." Unfortunately, he had only brought out a partial box of .32 to shoot.

I have shot .380 (9 x 17 mm, 9 mm Short, or 9 mm Kurtz) PPKs before, and, for some reason, thought that the .32 version was the same size. Nope. Much smaller--a true pocket pistol.

Shooting it was a real pleasure. Recoil was minimal. The trigger was smooth. Although it had fixed iron sights, they were right on for this particular pistol. It pointed naturally for me, meaning that the sights were on target just by the act of pointing the pistol. Obviously, this probably depends on the size of the hand and how a person points, and may not be true for everyone. However, this pistol was head and shoulders above other small semi-auto "mouse-guns" that I've shot.

Our target was a laundry detergent jug (the 185 fl. oz. size) set out at 40 to 50 yards away and slightly above us on a hillside.  (Like I said, we had only intended to go "plinking"). We shot off-hand. My friend was able to hit the jug cleanly with 2 out of his 7 shots. (He did better on subsequent magazines). My first time handling or shooting the gun, I was able to hit the jug with 5 out of the 7 rounds. I wish we had had more ammunition to give it a real workout. However, within the few rounds we fired, there were no malfunctions.

I had always discounted the PPK before because, only handling the .380, I thought it was too large and heavy to make a good concealed carry gun, especially given the cartridge it used. The .32 version, however, would be a good gun for concealed carry license holder who, for whatever reason, needs a small gun, or as a backup to a larger handgun.

The primary issue with using a .32 of any make is the size and power (or lack thereof) of the .32 cartridge. I prefer hits--even diminutive ones--to noisy misses, so I think this gun is definitely worth consideration if you are looking for a true pocket pistol.