PPK/S help

I’ve discovered mine needs the trigger guard completely disengaged or it won’t lift. I find it’s easier if I pull it down with my left hand and then gripping the gun in my right hand, use my right hand trigger finger to index the guard pushing and holding it off-center. This is enough to free the slide. Hope it helps...

That's how I always do it, WiseguyDS. Is there another way?

As above, make sure the trigger guard is fully down and out of the way. Sometimes on mine it does not lift off until I work it back and forth once or twice. Only happens now and then. Since it’s got a really firm spring, perhaps you/I are not getting it back far enough first attempt.

Nope, didn't work, even held the trigger guard down all the way. I'm also noticing that the slide will sometimes hang up ~ 1/8" back from going into battery when I release it after trying to get the slide off, if that means anything.

jonholl said:

Nope, didn't work, even held the trigger guard down all the way. I'm also noticing that the slide will sometimes hang up ~ 1/8" back from going into battery when I release it after trying to get the slide off, if that means anything.

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It might mean something. But you'll have to dismount the slide to find out what.

Open the trigger guard far enough to slide a flat plastic shim (I use an ordinary bread bag closure) between the guard lug and the frame. That leaves both hands completely free to wrestle with it. Then yank the slide back as far as you can before trying to lift up the rear of the slide.

If your PPK/s is an S&W, you're having to distort the recoil spring to obtain sufficient rearward travel for disassembly.

When you get the slide off, check to see if the recoil spring is on backward.

M

The PPK/S is German, 1978. Took it to a friend's house, removed the grips, put it a vice (padded), & put a plastic card between the trigger guard & frame. The 2 of us tried about everything from wiggling, trying to lift as it was brought back, we even whacked the bottom of the slide (rear) with a plastic mallet when it was pulled back. Nothing worked, it didn't even appear loose, it seems to be locked onto the frame, no give at all.
I'm not familiar with how pulling down the trigger guard allows the frame to come up when retracted, could something be broken, locking the slide to the frame?
Thanks.

The trigger guard functions as a recoil buffer, take down latch and trigger guard.

As a recoil buffer, the large block of steel at the top front of the guard keeps the slide from coming fully to the rear under recoil and prevents it striking the frame.

As a take down lever, when you pull the guard down, that block is removed and the slide may be pulled all the way to the rear - unless something prevents it.

The most common problem is a reversed recoil spring. I have seen this many times. My solution has been to rack the slide back as hard as I could and yank upward. If this doesn't work then it may be gunsmith time.

jonholl said:

...
I'm not familiar with how pulling down the trigger guard allows the frame to come up when retracted, could something be broken, locking the slide to the frame?
Thanks.

Click to expand...

The PP series pistols have slide/frame rails only at the rear. There are none at the front; the front muzzle bearing of the slide encircling the barrel is what guides the slide and holds it down. Pulling the trigger guard down increases the length of rearward travel that the slide can go before the front muzzle bearing halts it (with the compressed recoil spring sandwiched between) by striking the frame. At that point the slide/frame rails are no longer in sliding contact with each other, and the slide can be lifted up at the rear, high enough to clear the barrel boss, and allowed to run forward off the front of the barrel. If you can't get the slide back that far, the most likely culprit is a reversed recoil spring or an aftermarket "extra-power" recoil spring with more coils or thicker wire that that goes "solid" (fully compressed) too early.

M

In your first post you said it appeared to be gummed up . Try slowly heating some Ballistol, remove the grips ,and soak the pistole in the warmed Ballistol . This should soften and melt away any solidified grease and or gunk that may be binding the pistole up . If there is solidified grease on or around the spring more particularly if it has grit in it it could keep the spring from being able to completely compress . This would prevent slide from being able to travel fully to the rear ,thus locking it up .
Have an uncle that a fellow gave an inoperable pistole to . He soaked it in kerosene for a week and dissolved the old cosmoline and had fully functioning all original WW2 P-38 . Could be something similar here ,best of luck . Ayb

Thanks for the replies, very informative.
Would kerosene work without damaging the finish?
Years ago I put a WWII .45 in a bucket of diesel fuel for a couple of weeks for the same reason.

That I do not know it worked on the war time P-38 but then it had a different finish to start with . If the Ballistol doesn't work ? It is no good to you as it is . Ayb

True, would firing a box (50 rounds) through it help loosen/compress the recoil spring? Maybe it's just time for a gunsmith.
Thanks for the help folks, appreciated.

Just curious...is your 1978 dated with an HI on the frame (with antler), or barrel dated 78 on the hood?

Dropped it off at a gunsmith yesterday, will post a report when I get it back, hopefully cleaned & fixed.
** Has anyone tried the Wolff 17 lb. reduced recoil spring, results?

I have used them in my PPK and they work fine. A bit easier to rack the slide. Didn’t notice anything negative.

The problem with lighter weight springs is the parts wear prematurely because the spring is not absorbing the load it was ment to ,so the slide and frame do . There is also more perceived recoil since the spring isn't absorbing as much as a full strength spring would . Ayb

axyardbob said:

The problem with lighter weight springs is the parts wear prematurely because the spring is not absorbing the load it was ment to ,so the slide and frame do . There is also more perceived recoil since the spring isn't absorbing as much as a full strength spring would . Ayb

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Whether that is true or false depends entirely on the specific ammunition being used. These days there is such a wide variety available that the only way to tell is by function and by comparative "feel".

M

Thanks for all the input, appreciated.
I'm thinking of selling the PPK/S when I get it back from the gunsmith, don't really have a use for it anymore. Carried it for 10-12 years in a leather pocket or belt holster, & it looks it. Bought a Seecamp .32 in 1987 & didn't carry the PPK/S too much anymore. These days I've got a 9mm smaller than the Walther.
Nothing against the Walther, great pistol, I put 1500-2000 rounds down range of all types of ammo & the only one that gave a problem was the old S&W HP, & that was a very short round that wasn't around long. It was a very reliable carry pistol, & "built like a tank".

Update:
Got the pistol back from the so called gunsmith, he couldn't get the slide off but sonic cleaned it & charged me anyway .
Took it over to a friends today (4 hands working ), took off the grips, put it in a padded vice, slid a "right sized" socket over the barrel, & while I held the slide as far to the rear as it would go he hit the socket a couple of times. Slide came back far enough to lift & we got it off. The recoil spring was in backwards, as a couple of folks had guessed, & was jammed at the barrel/slide. Worked the spring loose but it's shot. I wonder if it was the crooks or cops who put it in backward ? Pistol has seen some mistreatment for sure.
Going to order a new recoil spring & take it from there.
Thanks to all who posted to this thread.