THE Walther PPK/SBB Pistol

Guns Magazine, July, 2001 by J.I. Galan

With a 15-round magazine and a working slide mechanism, this look-alike airgun is an enjoyable backyard plinker.

Walther's PPK is undeniably one of the world's most recognizable handguns. Made famous by novelist Ian Fleming's immortal secret agent, James Bond, the handy PPK has become a tremendously popular sidearm with plain-clothes law-enforcement personnel and VIP-protection specialists, as well as with law-abiding civilians wanting a compact semi-auto for lawful concealed carry and home defense.

Since its appearance in 1931, the Walther PPK has been produced in such mundane calibers as .32 ACP, .380, .22 LR, and even in .25 ACP, with the .380 being by far the most commonly encountered version on our side of the Atlantic.

In recent years, Walther was bought by another German company called Umarex. Umarex has been a major producer of [CO.sub.2]-powered pellet pistols that are almost exact replicas of world-renowned handguns, including Walther's own P-88, SIG Sauer P-225, Beretta 92FS, Colt 1911 Gov't. Model, and Smith & Wesson 586/686 revolvers.

With that impressive track record, it was only a matter of time before Umarex decided to produce a [CO.sub.2]-powered copy of the always-popular PPK/S. In 1999 they did just that.

Just Like The Real Thing

An interesting twist to all of this is the fact that the Umarex-produced PPK/S fires regular steel BBs instead of lead airgun pellets, and is a true semi-auto, incorporating a reciprocating slide, just like its gunpowder-driven cousins, Unlike the cartridge-firing PPK/S, however, this outstanding BB shooter does not have a double-action-on-first-shot capability, having instead a single-action-only mechanism. This means that the exposed ring hammer of the BB-firing clone must be cocked first in order to shoot. This is, however, a minor divergence from the traditional DA operation of the PPK/S.

Another difference is the absence of a hammer-drop safety mechanism. Although the decocking/safety lever appears to be in its proper place on the left rear part of the slide in the BB version, it is only a dummy non-moving protrusion that's a solid part of the cast zinc alloy slide.

The real manual safety is a small sliding catch on thc right side of the frame, directly behind the trigger and operated easily -- after a bit of practice -- by the trigger finger of a right-handed shooter. This decidedly different manual safety (for a PPK) actually disengages the trigger instead of blocking it, as in so many air and [CO.sup.2] pistols.

Putting It All Together

At 6.3" long and 5.5" high, the BB-spitting PPK/S is definitely a tad bigger than the original. The height difference cannot be avoided, given the fact that the 12-gram [CO.sup.2] cartridge is housed in the grip, and its piercing mechanism--including the beefy thumb-screw -- adds a bit to the length of the grip. Checkered black plastic grip panels, complete with the Walther logo, are supplied with the BB PPK/S as well.

The frame is also constructed of cast zinc alloy, with a matte black finish. In the weight department, this BB pistol is also extremely realistic. The gun tipped the scales at 25 ozs. with a magazine full of BBs, plus the [CO.sup.2] cartridge in place. This is the same weight as an original German-made PPK/S -- empty.

Of course, this thoroughly nifty BB spitter does not have the customary chamber-loaded indicator found in the cartridge-firing PPK/S, either, but that's also an insignificant difference.

The Poor Man's James Bond

The BB PPK/S is one of the greatest backyard plinkers to appear in recent times. The entire 15-BB magazine can be emptied in about three seconds flat, in rapid fire. The highly realistic recoil generated by the reciprocating slide makes this pistol not only great fun to shoot, but eminently practical as well in the role of a serious firearm trainer. Incidentally, this pistol fieldstrips exactly like its centerfire counterpart, enhancing even further its value as a training tool.

Extensive testing revealed that the BB-firing Walther PPK/S could generate a muzzle velocity in the range of 250 to 260 fps. While not exactly a hair-raising blaster, that level of power is entirely acceptable for relaxed plinking in a lot of places, even in areas where the use of a more potent airgun might be objectionable. Just remember that the shooter, as well as persons nearby, should wear eye protection against ricocheting BBs.

Featuring the same basic fixed sights as the centerfire PPK/S, the BB version produced groups averaging 2" to 3" at 15 feet. Again, that kind of accuracy is quite adequate for plinking applications and, combined with this pistol's quick semi-auto firing capability plus peppy recoil action, puts the fun factor way, way up there.

Incidentally, this pistol is a real miser as far as [CO.sub.2] consumption goes. The gun fired about 90 shots per [CO.sub.2] cartridge, which is quite amazing, especially given that some [CO.sub.2] is utilized in cycling the slide with every shot.

Another important reason why this BB semi-auto is destined to become a gigantic seller -- even among die-hard firearm pistoleros -- is its stunningly affordable retail price of around $70. Spare BB magazines are available in packs of three for about $10. We would strongly recommend buying several extra mags, because once you get your hands on this awesome BB-spitting replica of the Walther PPK/S, you'll be totally hooked -- and while you're at it, lay in a good supply of [CO.sub.2] cartridges and BBs as well.