So, arguments over which is the better gun, a German PP series or a French Manuring PP series gun is a moot point.Some PPKs have a date stamped onto the outside of the chamber, as in the picture, showing 68 as in 1968.In 1968 the US law changed which required Walther to marry the larger PP frame with the shorter PPK slide and barrel, thus the PPKS was born.Almost all US guns were either imported by Interarms (will say made in W Germany) but manufactured in France by Manhurin before being sent to Ulm, Germany for proof testing, or when in 1986 the France plant lost its license to make the PP series and the manufacture was changed to the Interarms contracted plant in the USA (mfg in USA), under Walther supervision.
Lastly when Interarms stopped manufacturing (owner died, went out of business), SW began production in America (mfg. Some parts have always been made for these guns in Ulm, Germany, but final assembly and proofing determines country of manufacture, hence why the French guns will show a German manufacture, as that is where they were proofed and the US guns will show a USA manufacture. The side of your gun slide should say where it was manufactured, Im guessing W. Thats because theyre ARENT any German made PP series pistols, and havent been any since 1945. When WWII ended, the Walther plant was completely bombed out. The Walther family escaped to the West, bringing with them the critical production plans for the Walther firearms. Walther contracted production of the P-38 and later the PP series guns with the French Manurhin company. After Walther built a new plant in Ulm, all P-38 production was moved back to Germany, but Walther decided to keep having Manurhin produce the PP series pistols in France under contract. The guns were manufactured in France, shipped a few miles over the border to Ulm, where they were blued, proof-fired, stamped Made in Germany, and sold as German-made Walther pistols. To be fair, in Europe the country where the final proof is conducted is considered the country of manufacture. Some of you may remember the WaltherManurhin Advertising War of the mid 1980s. The license with Manurhin had expired after Walther had the guns produced here, and the Manurhin company decided to market their own PPKs pistols. Walthers ads said that ONLY Walther-marked guns were genuine. Manuhrins ads said that since they had actually made ALL the guns since 1945, THEY were the genuine gun. Somehow Walther and Manurhin resolved the dispute after about a year, and no more Manurhin-marked guns were imported. A side-by-side comparison of contemporary Walther and Manurhin PPKs pistols revealed that the guns were in fact produced on the same production machines. Walther S By Year Manual For TheMachine marks were exactly the same on both guns, the plastic box was from the same mold, and the instruction manual for the Manurhin was exactly the same as the Walther manual, except the pictures had the Walther name air-brushed out, and replaced with Manurhin marks. All through the 50s, 60s and early 70s when the gun magazines had their annual round-up articles on pocket autos, they always described the Walther PP series guns as Typically fine Teutonic quality and High quality German craftsmanship. After the guns started to be produced here in America, they blandly informed us that theyd always known the guns were produced in France.
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