walther problem

[williamlayton]

i have a walther ppk(.380) and i like it. been carrying it about 15 years. I have to shoot ball ammo because it will not eject hollow points effectively some of the time. anything i can do to correct this? when i bought it the folks said no, it was just the way it was. I am new to the forum and have researched this spot to see if this had already been answered but could not find anything. if i have ask a question with a previous ans. please direct me. blessings

[Mr. 16 gauge]

What type of hollow points have your tried?  The reason I ask is that I have tried the "high end" hollow points from a couple of different manufacturers (Speer gold dot, Federal Hydra-shok) in my Walther PPK/s and they have fed & ejected without a problem.  Haven't tried HUNDREDS of these (I haven't had the gun that long), but maybe it is the type you were using previously...just a thought.

[KN]

Do you really mean wont eject, or do you mean they wont feed? If its an ejection problem I would think it could be fixed. If its a feed problem, try all the different brands before you give up. Alot of 380s seem to be "hollow point sensitive" when it comes to feeding. From my experience theres not a lot you can do about it.  KN

[williamlayton]

well hyrdashok seems to be a culprit. what is happening is the spent brass does not clear and hangs about 1/3 out of the ejector opening--the devil of a time clearing it. i have tried others with about the same results. i never use anything but high end ammo.  hope this helps you to help me find the answer--if the answer is not what i was told in the begenning--in fact i was told it probable would not do any good to send it back(american walther-pre s/w obviously).

[williamlayton]

the consincious of opinion is that walther does not eat hollow points well. talked to some folks including a smith to reach the conclusion.
next mission is to purchase several different kinds, as suggested by those talked too, and see if mine will injest any.
blessings

[Mikey]

William:  does your PPK feed and eject ball ammo properly?  If it does, then your problems are ammunition related.  The Walther is an excellent pistol but, it is set up to specifications regarding recoil and pressures.  If the ammunition you are using, the hydra-shoks, do not provide sufficient recoil or pressure to drive the slide all the way to the rear so that the empty shell casing, held in place by the extractor, does not impact on the ejector sufficiently to cause it to eject properly through the ejection port, you have the basis there for your problem.  

You said you have had this pistol for about 15 years and have always had this problem.  How much have you shot this pistol?  has she seen any serious range time or have you sort of 'puttered' with a box or two here or there.  Even a Walther may need some fine tuning, such a 'throating' to ensure proper feeding with different bullet types or possibly even some 'honing' on the rails to ensure a smooth fit and function.  

I have had and seen PPKs, PPK/Ss, and PPs that have eaten anything you could load into them.  I've also seen them in serious need of gunsmithing to smooth them out.  I saw one fellow once whos PPK/S jammed at least twice in every magazine.  Never the first or the last shots, just a couple in the middle.  I advised a couple of new magazines but it seemed to be such a problem for the guy to go back to the dealer where he got the gun to order up a couple of new mags that he felt it wasn't necessary.  He figured that since it wasn't the first two or three that jammed he would be alright if he had to use it.  I would have purchased a couple of new mags and taken the thing to a 'smith' for smoothing out.

If yo do not have a 'smith' in your neck of the woods who works on Walther pistols and/or if the dealer who originally sold you the pistol is of no help, to avoid jams I would use ball ammo until you can locate a 'smith' who can help you further.  I fully realize that the hydra-shoks and others of that ilk promise a lot on the receiving end but I have always advocated straight ball ammo for those type handguns.  I use Sellier and Bellot as it is inexpensive and made in europe to european specifications.  Some American manufacturers have their own ideas about ammunition.

Hope this helps.  Let us know how you make out.  Mikey.

[Original Ken]

I think Mikey is on the right track about the Hydra-Shok ammo.  It does pack more punch than stock ammo but they also tout it to be much less recoil and more control.  Less recoil and possibly a limp wrist will cause ejection problems.  While I don't have a PPK or PPK/S (cause Mikey hasn't tossed one my way yet!!!) I have noticed the same thing in my 9mm.  I have had a few feed problems with the hollowpoints in my Kel-Tec 9mm but not with hardball or full jackets.  I would take the PPK to a good smith if you can find one and have him tune it up for you as PPK's are supposed to eat about anything you can feed em.  (except Mikey).  I am sending my Kel-Tec back to factory for fine tuning on feeding and lighter trigger.  Hell they guarantee em for life so let em do the work.  

[williamlayton]

thanx for the post guys. both the ppk and ppk/s eat all hard balls-no problem. like i said it's the hp's. others i have talked too have the same problem.
that is the process right now-i've got two different types i'm going to try tomorrow.
no- to the question about a lot of rounds thru it and from another post here that could be a problem also. the real mystery is why it can't be fine tuned to eat the suckers. originally, when i bought the gun, and discovered the problem the answer from, and i think he was a smith but maybe not, that it was a characteristic of this weapon.
i would love to take the one i carry to a smith but i don't know of one in houston. i was going to post the question on the gunsmithing section and am trying to find out from gunnut if a pistol question is appropriate for this part. what i would like for someone too tell me is yes or no and help me find a smith down here--probably can find one in the book--but i prefer to work off refrences.  
blessings

[Mikey]

Hay Gosh Ken:  you can feed me that Kel-Tek - I'll jes gulp it right down and let ya'll know when I'm finished playin' with it.  And that's only after I shoot it and shoot it and shoot it.  One nice thing about a smaller automatic is that when it fits, feels and functions right  that they are a blast to play with.  Honestly, when I head out for the range with a range-bag full of stuff to shoot, I plan on havin' fun and I find the smaller sized guns are the most fun to play with.  

When I'm certain no one is looking to see how often I miss before I connect, I have a real blast skipping cans with my Beretta 21A.  Another fella showed up with one of the older Beretta 950s in 25 auto - said his didn't work right.  I cleaned the chamber and loaded up his magazine and proceeded to unload the magazine without problem.  After a few minutes of cleaning instruction and aiming principles, he was skipping cans right along with me.  Now, his box of 50 centerfire 25s cost 4 times what my box of 22 lr did but he was having so much fun that he only had enough rounds for one magazine to carry on home with him.  

Ken, I sure hope you get that Kel-tek fixed right for ya'll, 'cause ya'll kin shor hav a buncha fun wif it.  An, ov corse, ya'll kin allas send it right out here to me so I kin make shor it werques jes rite fer ya.  Doancha no?  

Now, for williamlayton - You might be able to find a reference to a Walther qualified 'smith' on this forum - the GBO rather, but there should be someone in the Huston area who can provide you with that service.  Most often I wind up calling different shops to ask if their 'smith' can or is qualified to work on Walthers.  It should not take much - possibly a bit of 'throating' to assure positive feeding with hollow-points, maybe some stoning on the trigger bar but mostly I think your difficulties stem from ammunition problems and the fact that even after 15 years, your Walther is, from a functional standpoint, still brand spankin' new and needs to be really broken in.  And Ken made a very important statement - he noted that some ammo manufacturers promise higher velocities with less recoil - that is an indication to me that the pressures may not be sufficient to fully cycle your particular pistol.  Also, when you talk about different boolets, a 95 grain ball at 950 feet per sec may generate more felt recoil energy than an 88 grain hollow-point at 1025'/sec, which is why your particular Walther may not like those holler-points.  

In fact, I'll make ya'll the same offer I made to the Original Ken - jes ship it right out here to me and when I'm finished playing with it ya'll kin bet it will work right, even if you're shooting wadcutters, semi-wadcutters, peanut logs or pine trees.  I'll save ya one of the peanut logs fer pruuf.  This be Mikey.   :-D

[williamlayton]

well i will try to post again---thanx for the offer, you might get taken up on it---posted on the gunsmithing portion, lets see what they offer.
thanx againg for the interest shown--bunch of good guys--really mean that :oops:  :oops: ..
blessings

[williamlayton]

apologies made--accepted, i hope--all is well with the little girl-she is eating and digesting well--no explantions as no understanding exist.
blessings

[deerhunter]

I have one of the first Stainless PPK models to come out after Interarms started to meke them here.

I have 100% success with all Ball ammo and with Winchester Silvertips.  the Silvertips were the first hollowpoints that I tryed and they worked well and were accurate, so I stuck with them.

I have never tried Federals, although I hear that they are the best stopper in .380

I have put about 300 rounds of Silvertips thru and I only had 1 stoppage, and it was because of an aftermarket magazine that I tried slid down about 1/10th of an inch, the first and last time I tryed it.  Only use factory mags in the PPK.

[jerry6stl]

I only carry factory FMJ in my 1970's era PPK/S.

While it does feed Winchester and Remington HP's pretty well, the FMJ is typically going to feed most reliably.  There is very little statistical evidence that .380 HP's are more lethal than FMJ's.  Either is ample for most civilian self-defense needs -- unless one hangs near drug houses, in biker bars, or public housing projects.

[williamlayton]

or they come to your house. this is houston. you don't have to hang out in the wrong place. :grin:
blessings