[Squall67584]

So I took my S&W PPK/S to the range a week ago and was just getting around to cleaning it when I found this little bugger that shouldn't have been there.

Here's a look at the same "rip" from the other side.

And another look at it.

I instantly called Walther America and they're sending a shipping label, though obviously I think that they're going to have to replace the entire frame. In June I had to send it in to have them machine the pistol so that the slide could come off. I guess they machined it a little too much. The metal in that area feels about as thin as an aluminum can. I'm just glad that the pistol didn't explode or something while I was firing it.

 

[153]

I'll bet that was an attempt to remove excess material from the frame, to make the pistol more lightweight!!!

Seriously .... I am sorry to say that this is a crystal clear example that S&W quality with respect to their Walther knock-off's is not what it should be.

This will be the pistols second trip to the factory? Sorry to say I would retire it!!!!

 

[Squall67584]

I rarely shoot the pistol in the first place, and after the gun returns, I probably won't shoot it much, if at all.

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

Did they have their local Safeway butcher work on it?
Totally new gun is in order.

 

[David S]

id ask for a refund...

 

[Deputy]

Holy shit!!!

New frame for sure.

 

[153]

Deputy,

When you swab out that PPK be careful how hard you work that toothbrush around!!!

 

[Deputy]

Deputy,

When you swab out that PPK be careful how hard you work that toothbrush around!!!

Ha Ha very funny.

This DOES worry me a bit.

 

[banddr2]

So I took my S&W PPK/S to the range a week ago and was just getting around to cleaning it when I found this little bugger that shouldn't have been there..

I am speechless! Only because a vowed to myself not to knock S&W on the forum anymore

 

[Hickok]

Squall, I realize this has nothing to do with your problem, but did you have your feed ramp worked on or did it come from the factory that way?

My Interarms was a pure jamamatic when I got it. The metal on top of the feed ramp was nearly 1/16" away from the bottom of the barrel, unlike yours where the feed ramp tapers flush into the chamber. It would jam rounds halfway before going into "Battery." The metal was removed and polished and now she works just fine.

 

[Hickok]

Squall, I realize this has nothing to do with your problem, but did you have your feed ramp worked on or did it come from the factory that way?

My Interarms was a pure jamamatic when I got it. The metal on top of the feed ramp was nearly 1/16" away from the bottom of the barrel, unlike yours where the feed ramp tapers flush into the chamber. It would jam rounds halfway before going into "Battery." The metal was removed and polished and now she works just fine.

Just an add-on, in other words, my feed ramp was almost straight up when I bought the pistol. It has now been corrected.

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

"Just an add-on, in other words, my feed ramp was almost straight up when I bought the pistol."

I must be misreading this. Do you mean it was almost 90 degrees vertical from the factory, not sloped?

 

[Hickok]

"Just an add-on, in other words, my feed ramp was almost straight up when I bought the pistol."

I must be misreading this. Do you mean it was almost 90 degrees vertical from the factory, not sloped?

Not quite vertical, but not far from it. I could not get through a full magazine without three or more jams. I tried three different brands of FMJ and Gold Dot hp and PMC HP. The HPs were totally hopeless. It was pretty much a single shot pistol.

Now that the feed ramp has been reworked, it runs perfect.

 

[MGMike]

I see the "tear" in the side of the mag well, which I presume is the reason you're sending the gun back. But what is that black spot on the feed ramp itself? Is that a carbon deposit, or is there a crater there?

The "tear" looks like hell, and says nothing for the QC Department, but it's not dangerous. The sidewall is very thin at that point, and contributes nothing to frame strength (the area supporting the barrel boss is forward of that tear); the usual fix in the absence of a warranty is to just cut it out so it doesn't jam the trigger bar or peel into the mag well. The resulting window is harmless.

But back to the feed ramp: if that's a sulphur stringer in the steel, that frame should have been scrapped before it was assembled.

M

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

Not quite vertical, but not far from it.

Must have looked like a mutant

 

[Hickok]

Must have looked like a mutant

Mutant was not the exact word I called it until I got the feed ramp fixed! I think "mutant" was name of the guy who the head of quality control.

 

[Deputy]

I guess even Interarms produced some lemons from the factory.

 

[Squall67584]

The only thing I did with the feed ramp was lightly rubbed it with 2000 grit sandpaper in the same direction as the loading bullet, though I didn't put too much pressure on it. The black spot was a carbon deposit that wasn't cleaned yet. I was about to clean the barrel assembly when the tear was discovered and I stopped. As of right now, I haven't heard anything from Walther yet.

 

[Deputy]

Keep us posted Squall. I'm interested to see how S&W solves this.

 

[Squall67584]

Well, I got it back a few days ago and am slightly surprised by what they did. On the receipt/report paper, they said they performed a trigger reset. When I looked at the pistol, it looks as if they basically removed the metal behind the trigger bar that runs along the right hand side of the frame. The tear was basically there, and where they removed metal, they did a pretty good job of making it look like it was like that from the factory. I haven't had a chance to take it to the range yet, but when I do, I'll see how it performs. As was said earlier, the metal in this area doesn't hold in any sort of explosion, and since S&W test fired it, I'm sure it's safe.