Walther PPK and SA Hellcat

D

DRM

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Messages
493
Well, I’m going to make the leap over to the handgun world.

I’ve been researching them online, and had composed a short list. This afternoon I went to Bass Pro to check them out.

Much to my disappointment, none of them felt that comfortable in my hand; so I checked out some of the other offerings in the display case.

Much to my surprise, the Walther PPK and SA Hellcat were extremely comfortable.

Does anyone have experience with these? Thoughts?
 
I have a PPK/S in .380 which I purchased about 40 years ago. Nice gun. Reliable. Shoots well. It's at least as accurate as I am. But I find that the blow back action gives it a sharp recoil. I think I've never shot more than 50 rounds through it at a time, and it's OK doing that. I think I'd likely not want to spend a long day at the range with it, though. I find it less comfortable to shoot than my Glock 19.
 
To add to that, some people (myself included) tend to experience various degrees of slide bite on occasion when firing a PPK.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DRM
My issue with my older Interarms PPKs been with the safety. There is precious little grip surface on that slide and what little there is has a safety switch in the middle of it. I have accidentally tripped the safety on the range more than once.

N2s
 
I'm a big Walther fan, but not much of a fan of the PPK. If you're buying your first handgun, I'd focus on something more versatile. Is there a reason you are focusing on micro pistols? Larger options, with a longer barrel and more grip area, are generally going to be a lot easier to shoot. I'm not saying you have to go with something really large, but even a pistol in the "compact" size range, with a 3.7-3.9" barrel, with a full 4-finger grip, will be a huge improvement in shootability, while still being easy to conceal (if that's one of your goals).
 
My Hellcat has been with me daily for the last 3 years and is very comfortable (for me) IWB appendix carry. I have owned and fired several different 9mm pistols and this one paired with 147gr ammo is my favorite 9mm platform.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DRM
As others have mentioned, the ppk and ppk/s feel good, look cool, and conceal easy but the recoil from the straight blowback action is ridiculous for the amount of energy generated by the .380 ACP (plus .380 ammo is twice as much as 9mm). The safety also needs to be carried off or you will never get it disengaged in a self-defense scenario.

Better than no handgun but not a great choice as a practical self defense tool. I lean towards S&W J frames for conceal carry, or the Ruger LCR line, but I much prefer large frame revolvers and autos.

I have friends that really like the Hellcat and Echelon from Springfield, but i have never owned these guns so don’t have an opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DRM
The PPK is a cool pistol but it's nearly a century old. Pistols have been on a huge improvement curve since the wonder nines started showing up.
 
I have an "old" PPK (below/1942 police) - but haven't handled the SA Hellcat. I very much appreciate the history/engineering of the PPK - but my PPK is the handgun that's jammed the most on me and so I would trust the least of the ones I own. Available calibers and cost of related ammunition as mentioned above are another matter indeed. (Mine's 7.65mm/.32 ACP)

The fit/ergonomics of a handgun are understandably influential - but then there's the aspect of how the firearm behaves in your hand when being shot. I became acutely aware of that after buying a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Casull (it almost "left" my hand). I would suggest visiting one of your local ranges that rents handguns - so you can try shooting some. There's a range close to me that for $10 you get to choose one of their rental handguns and they'll give you 10 rounds of ammunition and 10 minutes on the range to check it out.

For whatever it's worth, firing a full-size GLOCK 21 .45 Auto accurately is effortless for me (*not the SF/Short Frame, and I prefer Gen3). I let an older female friend of mine try it who had never fired one, and the first time she shot it, she was able to make a can dance. To me, it incorporates an ideal balance of weight vs recoil. Much better (for me) than a GLOCK 19 9x19mm I once owned. Not ideal for concealed carry however.

I hope you can try some out to find a perfect fit for you (and if you take a liking to handguns, maybe end up with a collectable historical piece you might appreciate as well...)



 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DRM
The Sig 230/232 has the same recoil issue as the Walther PP series since it is blowback.

Also, the Sig 230/232 is discontinued and magazines are hard to find and absurdly priced.

If you must get a .380 consider any locked breech version (Ruger, Sig, Glock 42), but I think any quality 9mm is a much better choice for lots of reasons.

I also forgot to mention, due to the design, Walther PP series guns usually have terrible double action trigger pulls and you can’t really fix them to be lighter.
 
Last edited:
I'm planning on getting a micro 9mm, and part of me wants to get a Hellcat simply because it goes to eleven, but I expect I'll end up with a SIG P365 like so many others.
 
15 Rounds plus 1...
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3875[43819].jpg
    IMG_3875[43819].jpg
    543.4 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_3874[43818].jpg
    IMG_3874[43818].jpg
    261 KB · Views: 10
  • IMG_3873[43820].jpg
    IMG_3873[43820].jpg
    555.8 KB · Views: 10
  • Like
Reactions: DRM
I’m a big fan of the original PPS. My friend bought a Hellcat. I was jealous of the extra capacity, but in Mass we are limited to 10 anyway. After shooting both I’ll stick with my Walthers.View attachment 2519175

With that said, I tend to carry J frames more. All black centennials. 442 or 340pd. View attachment 2519174

.357 from an Airlight J frame is no joke.
 
Last edited:
DRM said:
Much to my surprise, the Walther PPK and SA Hellcat were extremely comfortable.
Click to expand...
SA Hellcat, S&W Shield Plus, SIG P365 are all in the same class, all very small. None of them feel all that comfortable to me, maybe you have small hands. However most of them had different magazine options- the shortest magazine would make the gun overall smaller, the longer magazines will be more comfortable.

Hellcat Pro and P365 XL are slightly larger and more likely to be comfortable. They are in between the size of the Hellcat and something like the Glock 19. There are a lot of good choices when You get up to the size of the Glock 19. If you are buying based on comfort only most people have to get up to the size of the Glock 19 for that.
 
Greg Ellifritz has reported about having witnessed many dramatic failures of Springfield XDs in his classes. He's said nothing about similar occurrences with S&Ws or SIGs; that right there would turn me off the Hellcat, Echelon, or similar derivatives despite what I think is SA's much better sight picture out of the box.
 
IMHO the PPK/PPKS aren't really a great choice in the 21st Century. Nothing wrong with them and they are classics, but there are just so many better choices out there at less cost and a less steep learning curve. I wanted a PPK so bad I could taste it for many years...until I got to take my friend's gun to the range and put almost 100 rounds through it. It was a newer model with the extended tang so no slide bite, but I got a nice little bruise where that thing would impact every shot. The recoil was manageable but more than I thought it should have been from a steel gun (read that "heavy") and it only held six rounds in the magazine. I could carry my Glock 26 loaded with 147 gr JHPs for about the same weight and get five more rounds! If I need a super concealable .380, I'll stick with my LCP - it still kicks a lot, but its half the size, a quarter of the weight and hides a bit easier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top