Walther PP The Walther PP ( police pistol ) series pistols are blowback - operated semi - automatic pistol s . They feature an exposed hammer , a traditional double - action trigger mechanism , a single - column magazine , and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring . The series includes the Walther PP , PPK , PPK / S , and PPK / E . The various PP series are manufactured in either Germany or the United States . Since 2002 , the PPK variant is solely manufactured by Smith & Wesson in Houlton , Maine , United States , under license from Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen . In the past , this particular model has been manufactured by Carl Walther in its own factory in Germany , as well as under licenses by Manurhin in Alsace , France , and by Interarms in Alexandria , Virginia . Originally built in 1929 , the Walther PPK remains a popular pistol used today for concealed carry , V . I . P . protection , MI5 , European and American police . Overview . The PP was released in 1929 and the PPK in 1931 ; both were popular with European police and civilians , for being reliable and concealable . During World War II they were issued to the German military and police , the Schutzstaffel , the Luftwaffe , and Nazi Party officials ; Adolf Hitler shot and killed himself with his PPK ( a 7 . 65mm / . 32 ACP ) in the Führerbunker in Berlin . Moreover , the Walther PPK ( also a 7 . 65mm / . 32 ACP ) pistol is famous as fictional secret agent James Bond ' s signature gun in many of the films and novels : Ian Fleming ' s choice of the Walther PPK directly influenced its popularity and its notoriety . The most common variant is the Walther PPK , the " Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell " ( Police Pistol Detective Model ) , indicating it was more concealable than the original PP and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work . Kriminal refers to the police detective ( criminal ) division . Sometimes , the name " Polizeipistole Kurz " ( " Short Police Pistol " ) is used ; however , the accuracy of that interpretation is unclear . The PPK is a smaller version of the PP ( " Polizeipistole " ) with a shorter grip and barrel and reduced magazine capacity . The PP and the PPK were among the world ' s first successful double action semi - automatic pistols that were widely copied , but still made by Walther . The design inspired other pistols , among them the Soviet Makarov , the Hungarian FEG PA - 63 , the Argentinian Bersa Thunder 380 , the Swiss SIG P230 , the German Mauser HSc , the Spanish Astra Constable , the American Jennings J - 22 and Iver Johnson TP - 22 , and the Czech CZ50 . Postwar manufacture . Europe . Walther ' s original factory was located in Zella - Mehlis in the state " ( Land ) " of Thuringia . As that part of Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union following World War II , Walther was forced to flee to West Germany , where they established a new factory in Ulm . However , for several years following the war , the Allied powers forbade any manufacture of weapons in Germany . As a result , in 1952 , Walther licensed production of the PP series pistols to a French company , " Manufacture de Machines du Haut - Rhin " , also known as " Manurhin " . The French company continued to manufacture the PP series until 1986 . In fact , all postwar European - made PP series pistols manufactured until 1986 were manufactured by Manurhin , even though the pistol slide may bear the markings of the Walther factory in Ulm . United States . In 1978 , Ranger Manufacturing of Gadsden , Alabama was licensed to manufacture the PPK and PPK / S ; this version was distributed by Interarms of Alexandria , Virginia . This license was eventually canceled . Starting in 2002 , Smith & Wesson ( S & W ) began manufacturing the PPK and PPK / S under license . In February 2009 , S & W issued a recall for PPKs it manufactured for a defect in the hammer block safety . Walther has indicated that , with the exception of the PP and the new PPK / E model , S & W is the current sole source for new PPK - type pistols . PPK versus PPK / S . The PPK / S was developed following the enactment of the Gun Control Act of 1968 ( GCA68 ) in the United States , the pistol ' s largest market ( Hogg 1979 : 164 ) . One of the provisions of GCA68 banned the importation of pistols and revolvers not meeting certain requirements of length , weight , and other " sporting " features into the United States . The PPK failed the " Import Points " test of the GCA68 by a single point . ( See image of ATF Form 4590 for the complete list of qualifying points . ) Walther addressed this situation by combining the PP ' s frame with the PPK ' s barrel and slide to create a pistol that weighed slightly more than the PPK . The additional ounce or two of weight of the PPK / S compared to the PPK was sufficient to provide the extra needed import points . Because United States law allowed domestic production ( as opposed to importation ) of the PPK , manufacture began under license in the U . S . in 1978 ; this version was distributed by Interarms . The version currently manufactured by Smith & Wesson has been modified by incorporating a longer grip tang ( S & W calls it " extended beaver tail " ) , better protecting the shooter from slide bite , i . e . the rearward - traveling slide ' s pinching the web between the index finger and thumb of the firing hand , which could be a problem with the original design for people with larger hands or an improper grip , especially when using " hotter " cartridge loads . The PPK / S differs from the PPK as follows : , the PPK / S and the PPK are offered in the following calibers : . 32 ACP ( with capacities of 8 + 1 for PPK / S and 7 + 1 for PPK ) ; or . 380 ACP ( PPK / S : 7 + 1 , PPK : 6 + 1 ) . PPK - L . In the 1950s , Walther produced the PPK - L which was a light - weight variant of the PPK . The PPK - L differed from the standard , all steel PPK in that it had an aluminium alloy frame . These were only chambered in 7 . 65mm Browning ( . 32 ACP ) and . 22 LR because of the increase in felt recoil from the lighter weight of the gun . All other features of the postwar production PPK / S ( brown plastic grips with Walther banner , high polished blue finish , lanyard loop , loaded chamber indicator , 7 + 1 magazine capacity and overall length ) were the same on the PPK - L . In the 1960s , Walther began stamping " Made in West Germany " on the frame of the pistol right below the magazine release button . The 1950s production pistols had the date of manufacture , designated as ' month / year ' , stamped on the right side of the slide . Starting in the 1960s , the production date , designated by the last two digits of the year , was stamped on the exposed part of the barrel which could be seen in the ejection port . PP Super . First marketed in 1972 , this was an all - steel variant of the PP chambered for the 9x18mm Ultra cartridge . Designed as a police service pistol , it was a blowback operated , double - action pistol with an external slide - stop lever and a firing - pin safety . A manual decocker lever was on the left side of the slide ; when pushed down , it locked the firing pin and released the hammer . When the 9mm Parabellum was chosen as the standard service round by most of the German police forces , the experimental 9mm Ultra round fell into disuse . Only about 2 , 000 PP Super pistols were sold to German police forces in the 1970s , and lack of sales caused the PP Super to be withdrawn from the Walther catalogue in 1979 . PPK / E . At the 2000 " Internationale Waffen - Ausstellung " ( IWA - International Weapons Exhibition ) in Nuremberg , Walther announced a new PPK variant designated as the PPK / E . The PPK / E resembles the PPK / S and has a blue steel finish ; it is manufactured under license by FEG in Hungary . Despite the resemblance between the two , certain PP - PPK - PPK / S parts , such as magazines , will not interchange with the PPK / E . The official factory photographs do not refer to the pistol ' s Hungarian origins ; instead , the traditional Walther legend " ( " Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm / Do . " ) " is stamped on the left side of the slide . The factory announcement mentions that the PPK / E is made with " new manufacturing technologies " , presumably in an effort to reduce costs . As of May 2008 , the PPK / E bore a suggested retail price in Germany of 441 euros , almost 200 euros cheaper than the PPK and PPK / S models imported from the U . S . The PPK / E is offered in . 22 LR , . 32 ACP , and . 380 ACP calibers .