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Post by toosensitive on Sept 12, 2011 10:12:44 GMT -5
I have an Interarms PPKS in .380 that likes to drop the magazine after you fire a round. I'm using 92 gr Seller/Beloit ammo. No chance I am hitting release and have cleaned extensively. Bought it used in 2004 but it has always had this problem. Other sites mentioned weak release spring, others say replace release button...any thoughts? Also, I use Walther mags. Both mags drop out. This pistol isn't the easiest to work on.
Bought some 75 gr fragible? rounds to see if the recoil may be culprit. Any ideas? Hard to find places to repair these things.
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Post by Rifleman on Sept 12, 2011 16:16:52 GMT -5
Ammo is not the problem. Likely to be one of the things allready mentioned. Needs to go to a good pistol smith for repair.
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Post by toosensitive on Sept 14, 2011 16:21:15 GMT -5
Ordered new Walther mag and spring set from Midway. Also, dissassembled and cleaned both magazines. I may polish the feed ramp as a last resort. Found a fellow on east coast that specializes in these thngs. May have to send it out.
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Post by rossman40 on Sept 15, 2011 19:21:26 GMT -5
Interarms was actually the distributor and the pistol were made under license from like 78-2001 by a firm in Alabama. Maybe not well noted for QC but they made a bunch. If it served as a LEO's back-up piece it may have had the mag dropped and loaded on almost a daily basis. You could go with new springs but I would go with a new mag release button and springs.
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Post by Rifleman on Sept 16, 2011 5:45:44 GMT -5
Rossman, if I read you correct you are saying those Walther PPK/S marked "Interarms" were actually made in a factory in Alabama? Or are you just referring to the mags?
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Post by toosensitive on Sept 16, 2011 8:47:08 GMT -5
Rossman is right...Ranger Manufacturing in Gadsden Alabama and distributed by Interarms from 1978-1999. Then Smith and Wesson obtained license in 2001. I polished ramp and need to look into replacing button. Haven't bought ammo in a long time...the price of .380 is out of sight...did Obama buy it all?
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Post by rossman40 on Sept 16, 2011 21:53:59 GMT -5
I ran into a Walther nut a few years ago and then ran into a UMAREX rep. The story the way I understand it is that most post-WWII Walthers were actually made in France till the 60s then production came back to Germany. To get back into the states after the GCA68 they ran into big hassels. In steps Samual Cummings ( a spook that became probly the #2 arms dealer in the world, another interesting story) and his company Interarms and he brokered the deal between Mid-South Industries, the actual parent company of Ranger and the Walther production shuffled around under the company umbrella paper wise. In return Cummings got distribution. Then in the mid-90s Walther got bought up by/merged with UMAREX and UMAREX wanted to pull the plug on the Mid-South/Interarms licensing deal but Cummings had some good lawyers write up the contracts and that flopped in court. Then in 1998 Cummings died and UMAREX was able to take the distribution away Interarms saying the deal was made with Cummings, not Interarms but still couldn't take away the manufacturing from Mid-South yet. So in 1999 and 2000 you see the guns marked Carl Walther USA or Walther USA that were still made Alabama. Then they were able to kill the deal with Mid-South and made the deal with S&W which is a whole nother story that nobody knows the exact story. You hear partnership, licensing, cooperation, working relationship. Someone said S&W was hurting for cash and UMAREX stepped in. Plus after the failure of the Sigma S&W had to do something and in 1999 made the deal with Walther to co-produce the SW99 (basicly the P99 but the frames came from Walther and S&W made the barrels and slides).
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Post by Rifleman on Sept 17, 2011 4:36:37 GMT -5
Quite the story Ken, thanks. I suppose a German made Walther would be of more collector value then a USA or French model.
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Post by rossman40 on Sept 17, 2011 19:52:38 GMT -5
The way I understand it, if you could come up with a pre-WWII, without Nazi proofmarks, PPK in 25ACP in mint shape, it would be a retirement nestegg for sure.
I was a bit off, production in France was from 1952 to 1986.
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Post by toosensitive on Sept 18, 2011 8:54:22 GMT -5
Went to range yesterday and blasted off 50 rounds without a hitch...used new mag and both old mags. 1st time I was able to load full mags and not have FTF after the 1st shot. Before I went to range I replaced the recoil/slide spring, polished ramp, and used different ammo. Not sure of the fix, but I'm happy. I'm still planning on replacing all springs and release button.
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Post by Rifleman on Sept 18, 2011 15:50:26 GMT -5
Well that is great, glad you got it working right. It is a smart looking piece too!
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Post by toosensitive on Oct 21, 2011 8:40:18 GMT -5
Update: Occasionally, the magazine would still fall out. Ordered mag release button from Numrich but (even after much polishing/sanding) it would not fit. Ordered same part from Smith and Wesson and it fit perfectly. (no polishing). Problem solved. There was just enough wear on the old button tang to allow the mag to pop loose.
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