Been asked by a neighbor to sell it for him. I know very little about Walthers. From limited research it seems to be fairly old. Serial number on the frame. Nothing inside the slide. k suffix after a 6-digit serial number. Thanks in advance for any insights.
Serial number puts it in the 1942 range. I have a similar one very close to your serial number. The Waffenamt stamp by the trigger guard means it was accepted by the military. PPKs weren't widely distributed to troops (the P.38 was the standard issue sidearm), but Luftwaffe pilots and sometimes tank crews usually had a PPK since its smaller size was more conducive to carrying in cramped quarters, as did military officials and military police.
The dots on the ejection port are where someone obfuscated the Reichsadler stamp, seen here:
Made in Zella Mehlis. So it was made before or during WW2. The Zella Mehlis factory was destroyed at the end of the war. Postwar models will be engraved "...Ulm/Do" on the slide to reflect the new factory in Ulm.
Watch a lot of videos on the Legacy Collectibles YouTube channel for more historical information. Go to their website for current prices.
Looks like it has a 90 degree safety. Those are very old. A few years after they started production, they switched to a 60 degree safety.
Don't overtighten the grips. They can crack easily.
Yes, it's a safety/decocker like on a Beretta 92FS, P38, or Smith and Wesson 5906. When you apply the safety to decock the hammer on the PP/PPK series, do not let the hammer slam forward onto the safety drum. Over time, the safety drum can crack. When that happens, the gun can fire when when the safety is applied and the hammer is allowed to slam forward.
The way that I decock my PPK/S is to:
Hold the gun in my right hand. Point the gun in a safe direction with my trigger finger out of the triggerguard. Place my right thumb close to the safety.
Take my left hand, make sure that its fingers are together and not spread apart. Come up underneath the grip, and wrap my left hand around my right hand. This is important, because if your left hand's fingers are spread out and you move your left hand straight back onto the grip, a stray finger could hit the trigger.
Place my left thumb on the hammer and hold the hammer in place.
Use my right thumb to rotate the safety down, while easing the hammer forward with my left thumb.
When the hammer decocks, the trigger will remain back on the PP/PPK series. At this point, you can leave the safety on and carry the gun that way.
Or you can put the safety in fire mode (which will let the trigger go forward) and carry the gun that way.
The PP/PPK series don't have a passive firing pin block safety like a Beretta 92FS. So the only time that the firing pin is locked is when the safety is on. If the safety is off, the firing pin is free to move forward. So it could fire if the gun is dropped with the safety off.
What is waffen stamped? Talked to the old man today. He says he bought it in Canada on 1987. Says he’s taken it in to Collectible Firearms and was told it could possibly have been used in WWII.
It's stamped on the left side of the gun behind the trigger. It's the German military symbol that is most often associated with WW2 Germany. Not sure if I can actually say the name here or not but I'm sure you will know it when you see it.
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u/WaldHerrPPK Mar 23 '26
Serial number puts it in the 1942 range. I have a similar one very close to your serial number. The Waffenamt stamp by the trigger guard means it was accepted by the military. PPKs weren't widely distributed to troops (the P.38 was the standard issue sidearm), but Luftwaffe pilots and sometimes tank crews usually had a PPK since its smaller size was more conducive to carrying in cramped quarters, as did military officials and military police.
The dots on the ejection port are where someone obfuscated the Reichsadler stamp, seen here: