PPK Identification/First timer help

[Cutwater]

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Hey there, I just bought my first PPK in .32 ACP, I was told that it was all original and all German. Well it looks to be somewhat German, though it lacks any import marks. And unfortunately, there's a bunch of surface rust on the insides making for a rough and gritty trigger pull. I'm pretty bummed because I was hoping to use this as a CCW, but now I don't know...

The slide has a very rich and high polished bluing while the frame has a duller look to it.

The gun has a 68 marking on the barrel and the serial is 111xxxLR.

Here's a picture


Also, what should I do about the rust? Should I just send the gun off to be reblued? Should I start looking for replacement parts? Does rust ruin the reliability?

[James1]

The 68 marking means it was proof tested in 1968. It was probably imported into the USA before import markings were required, which midway into 1968. That is why it has no import markings. It is a German made PPK. I would consider the pictured gun to be pretty desirable, and the external finish looks nice to me. I would not try to refinish it. If the internals have some rust I would clean that off; it might need to be disassembled to do a good job. You might be able to do a good job by using a spray cleaner to sort of blast into the guts of the gun. Unless the internal parts are so rusty as to be falling apart from rust, that won't be a reliability issue. Given how nice the outside looks I don't see how that is possible. The more polished slide and less polished frame is how Walther made the PP series guns. You sound a little disappointed with your purchase. I don't know what you paid, but to me it looks like a very nice example of a gun that is on the rare side in the USA. I would be happy to own it. I would probably be reluctant to carry it because the exterior finish is nice, and carry damages the exterior finish, in my experience.

[MGMike]

James1's points are all well taken. It makes no sense to me either how a gun that looks so nice outside (and it appears to be the original blue) could be seriously rusted inside, or how that could affect the trigger pull, of all things.

I am also a little puzzled about the serial number. I can't make it out in your photo, but if in fact it has an "LR" suffix, then the frame was originally a .22LR, not a .32, which would mean the slide and barrel are replacements. It seems to me that that's a conversion going in the wrong direction....

M

[BROBS]

i think he is saying the hammer/trigger mechanisms in the frame are rusted?

[halfmoonclip]

I'm sharing Mike's puzzlement. It's pretty hard to rust the inside of a gun while the outside remains pristine. Is it possible that it is simply very dry or dirty, or has the residue of some ill-chosen lubricant?
See what a thoro' clean and lube does; if you aren't comfortable detail stripping it, remove the grips and toss the gun in mineral spirits for a couple days, and blow it out with air.
It is too nice to carry. Save it for a range toy, as carry is hell on blued guns. If you want to pack a PP-series, look for a stainless one.
Moon

[Cutwater]

Thanks for the input James1. Yeah I was sorta disappointed in the rust, but the outside looks amazing. I'm in the process of detail stripping it and I have been blasting it with some CLP. I'm stuck on the barrel, though. I can't seem to remove that pin holding it in.

Expanding on what I said about trigger pull. It looks like the hammer has rust on the contact point of the sear, so when I pull the trigger in double action (or just cocking the hammer with my thumb) it feels really gritty.

MGMike, I'm almost 100% positive that it has an LR at the end...it's definitly an L-something, the serial numbers are pretty worn. But the second letter does sort of have a top of the R that is visible, what I mean is, it's got to be LR, LB, or LP. Sorry if that seems confusing or if I'm not explaining it right.
If it is a former .22LR frame, what does that mean for me?

I appreciate all the insight so far! Thanks!

[MGMike]

Originally Posted by Cutwater

...I'm stuck on the barrel, though. I can't seem to remove that pin holding it in....
...
If it is a former .22LR frame, what does that mean for me?

...

LEAVE THE BARREL ALONE BEFORE YOU WRECK THE GUN.

ALSO DO NOT REMOVE THE RIVETS HOLDING THE SEAR TO THE FRAME.

Both of the above well-meaning attempts to "clean" things have resulted in destroyed frames. Neither the barrel nor the sear are intended to be removed except for replacement. If you don't know exactly what you are doing, you can easily cause expensive, if not irreparable damage.

M

[Cutwater]

Alright, no worries, I didn't do too much to try and remove the gun from the barrel. I was just using a punch so I don't think I did too much damage. And as for the sear, I'm not quite there yet, but I guess I won't be removing it now.

Any ideas on the LR frame?

[searcher451]

Originally Posted by Cutwater

I'm almost 100% positive that it has an LR at the end...it's definitly an L-something, the serial numbers are pretty worn. But the second letter does sort of have a top of the R that is visible, what I mean is, it's got to be LR, LB, or LP.

Is it possible that you can post a couple of close-up photos showing the area in question?

[MGMike]

Somebody converted the pistol from .22 to .32. I seriously doubt that the Walther factory used a .22 frame to build a .32 pistol. The frames themselves are identical except for the serial number, but the question that is always raised in my mind when I see any such conversion is whether it was competently performed.

M