[aaronrkelly]

I have an older Walther PP. I just purchased it today so I dont know the history of the gun as this was its first firing.

Problem was the slide would pre-maturely lock back with bullets still in the magazine. It did this almost every magazine but would occasionally go thru a magazine without issue.

Any advice?


PS...Its a .32acp

 

[battlecry]

I'm a novice here, but I would check the ejector spring. It is a v shaped spring that keeps the ejector/slide stop down. If it is broken or missing, recoil may jar the slide stop and maybe cause what you are experiencing.

Be careful when you check for it because it may fly out. You may want to place the frame inside a clear plastic bag and inspect it that way. I'm not kidding.

Numrich has a parts diagram online, you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[aaronrkelly]

I believe I have fixed the problem.....not sure which was the culprit.

I picked this gun up straight from the gun store and took it out to the range.

First box of 50 I have 2 of the above failures. Next box of 50 I had about 5 or 6, including 2 during one magazine.

When I got home I decided maybe I should clean the gun. It didnt look that bad really, had some packing oil here and there but nothing excessive. So I disassembled the gun and soaked it in mineral spirits for just a few minutes, scrubbed it with a toothbrush and put it back together. I also did the same with the magazine, while I had the magazine apart I also stretched out the mag spring a little.

Then I took it back and put 50 trouble free rounds thru the gun.

The question is what was the answer, the cleaning or the mag spring stretch.

To be sure I ordered Wolff mag spring and recoil spring, might as well replace them as I intened to carry this gun for a CCW piece.

Another oddity about this gun.

Its not really a Walther PP but a Manurhin PP (licensed copy, same thing). Thats not odd, I know they are common as mud. The oddity is the Walther name on the slide has been pinged, looks like from the factory. The grips also have Walther scrubbed off the bottom of them. Was there that much stigma with Walther after WWII that someone defaced the gun just to remove all mention of them?

Thanks....

 

[MLB]

I'd like to see a picture. I hadn't heard of that.

 

[azasadny]

Wow! another one!

I have a Walther PP that was also defaced like yours. See my thread here...

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?p=111236#post111236

 

[UniversalExports]

I'm just guessing here but . . . didn't Manurhin run afoul of Walther when their licensing agreement lapsed and they continued trying to sell their PP-versions with the Walther name obliterated or otherwise removed?

 

[Pilotsteve]

I myself cannot believe Manurhin would grind off the Walther names off the pistol no matter how angry they might have been. It's completely illegal to do so and they'd be sued by the parent company for certain. It really sounds like a home-made hacking job for whatever reason. It's also a disgrace but I guess you can do whatever you want to your pistol when you get it home.

The only other thing I can possibly think of is somehow related to one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. At a gun shop in Florida, I was looking at the Walther section when an old clerk came up to ask if I needed some help. He wasn't an employee but a friend of the owner. I told him I was just looking and before he turned to walk away he mumbled something to the effect of, "Good. I don't like Walthers anyway because I'm Jewish."

I was shocked when I heard that and never went into that place again. But perhaps someone else found the Walther name distasteful and instead of getting rid of the weapon they chose to deface it. Who can tell... this will be one of those mysteries that never gets solved.

-Pilotsteve

 

[UniversalExports]

It had nothing to do with anger, Steve. If I have the story correct, Manurhin was trying to sell the guns they had on hand after the split with Walther and were prohibited from using the Walther name.

But I could have that entirely wrong. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than I will be along shortly.

 

[azasadny]

Advice for a new gun...

When I buy a used or older gun is I get the Wolff spring kit for it (if it's available), take the gun apart and clean/oil it, then reassemble with new springs, keeping the old spring in a labeled bag. Usually, the older guns are filthy or have worn springs and that's why the previous owner decided to get rid of the gun. So far, this has worked with EVERY used gun I've bought. Sometimes, you'll find the guns were incorrectly reassembled, so taking them apart, cleaning, inspecting and lubricating the gun is really a safety issue!

I'm going to be working on an old Russian Makarov for someone and he says it "jams". I bet I can fix it very easily!