Walther PP

Walther PP
Original Walther PP pistol
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Germany[1]
Service history
In service	1929–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Chaco War[2] World War II The Troubles Vietnam War Lebanese Civil War[3] Gulf War[4][5] Iraq War (Operation Telic)[6][7] Syrian Civil War[8]
Production history
Designer	Carl Walther Waffenfabrik
Designed	1929
Manufacturer	Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen
Produced	1929–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	675 g (23.8 oz) (.22 LR) 660 g (23 oz) (.32 ACP) 665 g (23.5 oz) (.380 ACP) 850 g (30 oz) (9×18mm Ultra)
Length	170 mm (6.7 in)
Barrel length	98 mm (3.9 in)
Width	30 mm (1.2 in)
Height	109 mm (4.3 in)
Cartridge	9×18mm Ultra .22 Long Rifle .25 ACP .32 ACP .380 ACP
Action	Straight blowback
Muzzle velocity	305 m/s (1,000.7 ft/s) (.22 LR) 320 m/s (1,049.9 ft/s) (.32 ACP) 256 m/s (840 ft/s) (.380 ACP) 320 m/s (1,050 ft/s) (9×18mm Ultra)
Feed system	Magazine capacity: 10 (.22 LR) 8 (.32 ACP) 7 (.380 ACP and 9×18mm Ultra)
Sights	Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade

The Walther PP (German: Polizeipistole, or police pistol) series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen.^[9]

It features an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism,^[10] a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel that also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring. The series includes the Walther PP, PPK, PPK/S, and PPK/E models. The Walther TPH pocket pistol is a smaller calibre pistol introduced in 1971 which is identical in handling and operation to the PPK.

Various PP series are manufactured in Germany, France and the United States.^[11] In the past, the PPK version was manufactured by Walther in its own factory in Germany, as well as under licenses by Manurhin in France; Interarms in Virginia, and by Smith & Wesson in Maine. Since 2018, PPK and PPK/S models have been built at the factory of US-based subsidiary Walther Arms, Inc.^[12][13]

The PP and the PPK were among the world's first successful double action semi-automatic pistols. The PPK and PP are still manufactured by Walther, but the PP went out of production between 1999 and 2024^[14] and have been widely copied. The design inspired other pistols, among them the Soviet Makarov, the Hungarian FEG PA-63, the Polish P-64, the American Accu-Tek AT-380 II, and the Argentine Bersa Thunder 380. The PP and PPK were popular with both European police and civilians for being reliable and concealable. During World War II, they were issued to the German military (officers), including the Luftwaffe, as well as the uniformed Ordnungspolizei and plainclothes detectives of the Kriminalpolizei.^[1]