Two Walther PP pistols.
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:00 pm
Having a problem with a boat maintenance problem I couldn't finish today I decided to do something else. I took out my two Walther PP pistols and thought I'd do a short examination.
One of the pistols is a .22 caliber Walther PP made in Zella-Mehlis Germany before WWII and sometime long before the war. An American soldier brought it home when he returned from Europe. It had suffered some hard knocks. The grip on one side shows some strange wear, perhaps by contact with something hot. It's been in my family for as long as I can remember. The other is a 7.65 Manurhin PP made under license to Walther sometime after 1952. It has an additional number engraved on the frame that looks as though it may have belonged to some organized service...maybe police.
They look almost identical in design upon first look. But a closer inspection finds a few differences besides the engraving and caliber.
Manurhin played a large part in getting Walther going again after the war. The original German Walther plant was in the Russian occupation zone right after the war and they were out of business. The French were the only ones making Walther's guns under license, for a while. By 1986 when Manurhin stopped making the PP and PPK's Walther was back again and in business in Ulm. It was a good deal for both Manurhin and Walther. Now days I think all PP's and PPk"s are made in the US by Smith and Wesson.
One of the pistols is a .22 caliber Walther PP made in Zella-Mehlis Germany before WWII and sometime long before the war. An American soldier brought it home when he returned from Europe. It had suffered some hard knocks. The grip on one side shows some strange wear, perhaps by contact with something hot. It's been in my family for as long as I can remember. The other is a 7.65 Manurhin PP made under license to Walther sometime after 1952. It has an additional number engraved on the frame that looks as though it may have belonged to some organized service...maybe police.
They look almost identical in design upon first look. But a closer inspection finds a few differences besides the engraving and caliber.
Manurhin played a large part in getting Walther going again after the war. The original German Walther plant was in the Russian occupation zone right after the war and they were out of business. The French were the only ones making Walther's guns under license, for a while. By 1986 when Manurhin stopped making the PP and PPK's Walther was back again and in business in Ulm. It was a good deal for both Manurhin and Walther. Now days I think all PP's and PPk"s are made in the US by Smith and Wesson.
