Some of you may remember the Walther/Manurhin 'Advertising War' of the mid 1980's. So, until Walther contracted with InterArms to have the PPK and PPK/s pistols produced in the US, ALL PP series pistols were actually made in France by Manurhin. To be fair, in Europe the country where the final proof is conducted is considered the country of manufacture. 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. Walther contracted production of the P-38 and later the PP series guns with the French Manurhin company.Īfter 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. Rumor has it, that the French had removed the P-38 production tooling, jigs, and dies from the Mauser plant before finally destroying it. When the new West German government wanted to adopt the P-38 pistol, Walther had the plans but no production plant. The Walther family escaped to the West, bringing with them the critical production plans for the Walther firearms.

When WWII ended, the Walther plant was completely bombed out. That's because they're AREN'T any 'German made' PP series pistols, and haven't been any since 1945. 'I have owned both Manurhin and Walther produced PPK/S's and the Manurhin guns struck me as being every bit the equal of the German built guns.' Germany, which means at the French factory. The side of your gun slide should say where it was manufactured, I'm guessing W. 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. Lastly when Interarms stopped manufacturing (owner died, went out of business), S&W began production in America (mfg. In 1968 the US law changed which required Walther to marry the larger PP frame with the shorter PPK slide and barrel, thus the PPK/S was born.Īlmost 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 it's 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. All Walther PPK/S were produced in one of 2 places, France or the US.

Walther ppk serial number search