PPK Ammo and advice

[terryu1]

So I have been getting out more to do shooting and just joined a great shooting club. So right to the question. I have a WWII Nazi PPK which I asked about just after joining this forum in the following thread.
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=68183

I have been toying with shooting this gun. First off , good or bad idea?? I would like to but I am concerned.

I remember my father telling me that when he shot it years ago some ammo would jam frequently. Next question. What would be the best ammo it I did decide to put some lead through this before I may decide to sell it.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[jim brady]

That is one really nice PPK. As far as shooting it - I assume it is original. I likely would not recommend shooting it because of it's great condition and value (and age).

I have - and shoot - old military semi-auto pistols. Those from WW1 and even WW2 are getting pretty old as far as the steel springs and small parts go. Parts breakage is a consideration, and a PPK like yours is much more valuable than a current made one. I shoot factory spec ammo, and still have managed to break extractors in two of my older pistols because the guns are getting pretty old.

As far as function goes, as long as the gun is clean and properly lubricated (and you use good quality ammo) function should not be an issue. Your decision - good luck!

[Helix_FR]

The jamming issue may be solved just by replacing the recoil spring. Those guns are very unforgiving to a slow feed so a new spring may do the trick. Ammo wise, stick with fmj. The rounder the nose of the bullet the better so lower weight rounds may work better.

[terryu1]

Originally Posted by jim brady

That is one really nice PPK. As far as shooting it - I assume it is original. I likely would not recommend shooting it because of it's great condition and value (and age).

I have - and shoot - old military semi-auto pistols. Those from WW1 and even WW2 are getting pretty old as far as the steel springs and small parts go. Parts breakage is a consideration, and a PPK like yours is much more valuable than a current made one. I shoot factory spec ammo, and still have managed to break extractors in two of my older pistols because the guns are getting pretty old.

As far as function goes, as long as the gun is clean and properly lubricated (and you use good quality ammo) function should not be an issue. Your decision - good luck!

I guess you are right. It is original. My dad brought it back in WWII. The holster has a guys name printed in ink inside it. There are more pics with the holster in the link I included from my previous post years ago.

I have broken it down and cleaned and lightly oiled it a few years ago. I guess I will keep it and hand down to future son in law. He is a gun nut and I think he would appreciate it more than the money I could get for it. I would like it passed to a future grandson from great grandfather.

[RunningOnMT]

Terry,

First of all, I am no expert on collectible firearms, but personally because of it's historical value, I think I'd just save this one. If you want to shoot a PPK you could always buy another one, either new or used. From a safety standpoint, I think you'd be OK, provided you didn't shoot any +P ammo in it.

One thing I will caution you about is, if you do decide to just store this piece, I wouldn't keep it in the holster as people often do. If I owned this one I think I would mount it under glass and hang it on the wall. Very nice piece.

[terryu1]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

Terry,

First of all, I am no expert on collectible firearms, but personally because of it's historical value, I think I'd just save this one. If you want to shoot a PPK you could always buy another one, either new or used. From a safety standpoint, I think you'd be OK, provided you didn't shoot any +P ammo in it.

One thing I will caution you about is, if you do decide to just store this piece, I wouldn't keep it in the holster as people often do. If I owned this one I think I would mount it under glass and hang it on the wall. Very nice piece.

Thanks for advice. I put it in holster for pic. I have it stored away in climate controlled safe wrapped in microfiber towel and not in holster.

You are right too about historical value but personally family value in that dad brought it home from Germany at end of war. His unit was one of first into the Auschwitz concentration camp when it was taken by the Allies. I have to dig out some of his pictures. He had a camera and was able to take a lot of pics which are on some kind of photo paper that is only like 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches and some a little larger. Some pics show parts of the ovens still smoking.

The gun is worth more to me than the $2000 that someone said I may be able to get if I were fortunate enough to get "top dollar" buyer.

[jim brady]

Small world. My Dad was also one of the first GIs in when they discovered Auschwitcz (maybe the same Unit?). Mom said that really left a scar on him. He and some buddies 'liberated' the Krupp family home and brought back some fancey tropheys - but that's another story. Dad passed away about 20 years ago.

[Lanrezac]

Auschwitz is in Poland. It was liberated by the Russians. US and British troops liberated the western camps, like Dachau and Belsen.

[terryu1]

Originally Posted by Lanrezac

Auschwitz is in Poland. It was liberated by the Russians. US and British troops liberated the western camps, like Dachau and Belsen.

Yes Jim, My father was also haunted by what they saw. There were skeletons everywhere.

Lanrezac, If you notice what I said was he was one of the first units in when liberated by the "ALLIES" . Auschwitz was near the border in an area that Germany had annexed by Germany in the late thirties. The Germans actually renamed the area Auschwitz in 1939. There were several American units in area which went in right after the camp was liberated and my father was in one of them.

[jim brady]

Yup, you are right - Auschwitz was in Poland, but that was the name that popped into my head. I wasn't there - just remember that he was in a Unit that stumbled into a concentration camp and saw the results. I never had the chance to pry any details about it from him, and he never talked about those things anyway (he was an Infantryman). That death camp was in Germany, and he was with Patton's Army as far as I could glean from the sparse details. Thanks for the correction!