Tag Archives: Zella-Mehlis

1940 Walther PP

Well, it is firearm week.  So of course this week’s Fun Photo Friday had to contain a fun firearm photo session.

1940 Walther PP

It pays to establish a good relationship with your favorite locally owned gun store.  It really does.  Indeed, for a collector it is vitally important to do so.

Zella-Mehlis roll mark

Part of that bonding is to convey to your dealer your tastes in collecting.  In my case, it’s a weakness for all things Walther.

Nazi Germany proof marks

What you see pictured here is not particularly rare, except for the condition of this 70-year-old artifact from 1940 Nazi Germany.  This is not a war piece, but rather a commercial version of the venerable 7.65mm/.32 ACP Walther PP double-action/single-action semiautomatic pistol.  It is perhaps the first truly successful DA/SA semiautomatic produced, and it was a mainstay of European military and police forces from its introduction in 1929 well into the 1980s.  Indeed, the shortened PPK version became the weapon of choice for everyone’s favorite fictional MI6 agent, the one with the Double-0 number.

Minor holster wear

As you can see, most of the original bluing remains intact with only minor holster wear and a few scratches marring the finish.

Minor holster wear

But the pistol did not come alone.  It came with a period-correct AKAH holster as well.

AKAH Holster

I took this AKAH to El Paso Saddlery for an examination to see if the leather was in need of maintenance.  It isn’t.

AKAH Holster

The boys at El Paso Saddlery said to leave it alone.  The leather is still supple and not in any danger of drying out as long as it is stored properly.

A little history here, if I could read it

Unfortunately, the gun is not quite complete.  It came with a period-correct flat-base magazine, but was not accompanied by one with the finger rest extension.  That will have to wait while I find one at a reasonable price.

Period-correct magazine

Internally the Walther PP is sound, and now clean.  I stripped away a lot of accumulated gunk and grime, but I may have a bit more work to do.

Disassembled view with AKAH Holster

The loaded chamber indicator pin doesn’t seem to be under tension.  This could be because of a broken spring, or it could be something as simple as more gunk clogging up the channel above the firing pin even though the firing pin is operating normally.  To make sure I’ll need to do something I’ve not had to do before on any of my many PP-series Walthers, which is to remove the safety drum, firing pin, and loaded chamber indicator assembly.  If the spring is intact and functional, I’ll scrub out the channel and reassemble everything.  If not, it’s time to find a new spring — which I may go ahead and do anyway.

Firing pin and loaded chamber indicator channel

Enjoy one more look at this gorgeous pistol’s internal design:

Disassembled view