[LPguy]

Hi all,

I posted awhile back that I was looking at a stainless Walther PPK/S by interarms.

You guys gave me lots of great info to consider but here is something new.

Today I talked to the guy again to see if he was ready to talk price. During the conversation I mentioned that I took the grips off to clean the trigger spring assembly before I used it and I told him that it looked like he handn't cleaned in there the last few times he used the gun.

He looked bewildered and said "I've never taken the grips off to clean in there before" :chairshot

Considering that the gun is 6 years old, I had to clean it before I even used it (I even removed some rust from some areas), and he has no idea how many rounds have been through it. I let the conversation gradually move on to the next subject.

I decided not to buy it. What say you?

Mike

 

[Bud White]

cant say as i blame ya

 

[QKShooter]

I have Nothing Against Buying A Good Used Firearm

But, I don't like seriously abused or neglected ones.
How did it shoot?

 

[rocky]

I don't take the grips of to clean my pistols. Atleast the pistols I can remove the grips. Never really see a build up or problem in this area. A good , well maintained gun is a priority to me. I clean em every time I shoot em. How was the barrel, feed ramp, breech face?

 

[Euclidean]

I don't blame you, but my favorite handguns are two that I "rescued" and cleaned up. They suffered from a similar albeit lesser malady. Then again, the price was right on both of them, and I was the right guy in the right place at the right time. It was nothing that required any special skills to fix, just some elbow grease. I even joke about Euclidean's Home for Wayward Revolvers sometimes because of this. I didn't have the foresight to take the before photos, but here's the after:

I've since cleaned up that brown mystery stain on the 629's trigger and made some other headway you can't see in the picture, but when I got both these guns they were coated in filth and the cylinders were gummy with it. But to be fair there was no honest to goodness rust. Imagine that same revolver being shot by someone who just didn't care about it and never ever cleaned it at all.

Honestly these are fantastic guns and without spending over $1000+ for a custom, this is as good as it gets. I even like these old models much better than the new models, so it's a win win win. Why pay $550 or whatever for a new 686 that I don't like as much as the used one I bought for $320? It's not very often in life the cheaper thing is better, but sometimes that's the case.

I'm always looking for the next diamond in the rough revolver, but I swear I don't collect them...

 

[P95Carry]

Nice job Euc!

Mike - I doubt many folks remove grips a whole lot but - I would however expect to see signs of reasonable cleanliness within frame - corrosion-free too. There is not too much there that needs frequent maintainance but - moisture can track under grip panels and so occasional inspection at least is IMO useful.

From your description I'd tend to think - even if unjustified or seeming unfair - that the previous owner just might have been lax in all aspects of care and maintainance. That said - if a better deal could be struck then maybe the gun is still well worth aquiring.

 

[LPguy]

Hi Guys,

It shot pretty well after I cleaned it. It jammed 3 times in 100 rounds so the feed ramp may need some buffing out. The breech face was perfect and so was the barrell.

Other than the fact that it's obviously not well cared for, it didn't seem to be abused.

He seems to be looking for max value ( a little more than $300.00) was the las figure I heard)

Any other thoughts?


Euclidean,

Those look pretty sweet! If this one pans out for a reasonable price, maybe I'll have a "rescued" one of my own

 

[LPguy]

I would however expect to see signs of reasonable cleanliness within frame - corrosion-free too.

I may have forgotten to mention that I did remove some minor rust and there was some pitting on the frame inside when I took off the grips.

The only reason I bothered was to remove the crap that had built up on the frame around edges of the grip.

Mike

 

[CLASS3NH]

As far as cleaning the crud off the gun, how much was the gun? Even a gun that's been shot is usually a bit dirty....I'd have very little reservations about buying an Interarms PPKs.........especially if the price was around 350.00 to 375.00....with box and spare mag.......Little cleanup isn't a bad thing you know, especially if the price was right :biggrin:

 

[QKShooter]

Euclidean

Oh...That's Right our Euclidean cleaned up a few super-cruddy wheelguns that needed some serious TLC & they turned out fantastic.

You know what I was thinking. He was looking at a Stainless PPK/S & it was showing rust.
I HAVE a Stainless PPK/S & I cannot even get it to show a trace of rust.
Plus the Stainless Walther has all Stainless internals. Even the springs are S.S. - So...if a Stainless Walther is showing rust...it must have been pretty seriously neglected.

 

[Euclidean]

That's a good point. Even as bad as these looked when I got them, I had ample opportunity to inspect both guns very carefully, everything short of dry firing, taking the grips, or taking the plates off. Rust was about the only thing I was gambling on, and even then I was banking on the Smith and Wesson name and the relatively dry climate here.

If there'd been any honest to goodness rust, it could have been a very different story. But even at that, if it's just surface rust, that should literally wipe off. If it doesn't, you've got a problem. I was afraid that there was a rusty spot on the 629 but it cleaned up with a little oil and some scrubbing followed by about half an hour with a silicon cloth.

They've both got excellent triggers and the like but for peace of mind I keep telling myself to set aside some pennies for a professional cleaning here pretty soon. There may be some component of the lockwork that needs some kind of attention I can't give it.

 

[Rob72]

Hi Guys,

It shot pretty well after I cleaned it. It jammed 3 times in 100 rounds so the feed ramp may need some buffing out. The breech face was perfect and so was the barrell.

Other than the fact that it's obviously not well cared for, it didn't seem to be abused.

He seems to be looking for max value ( a little more than $300.00) was the las figure I heard)

Any other thoughts?


Euclidean,

Those look pretty sweet! If this one pans out for a reasonable price, maybe I'll have a "rescued" one of my own

I'd ask if he would go $300 (have the cash in hand), and get a set of Wolff springs for it, detail strip everything, and clean it out. Aside from the springs being corroded/weakened, there isn't much to go wrong on the PP's that you won't discover just by looking and firing. Nice little guns......

 

[LPguy]

Hi Guys,

Cleaning it really didn't bother me it was the neglect. He hadn't cleaned it after he used it last which was 1 1/2 years ago. He didn't remember that he forgot to clean it and seemed surprised to hear that I removed rust from it too. He isn't the kind of guy that pays attention to detail and did confess that i took better care of it than even he did.

It does have the box and spare mag. The last figure we tossed back and forth was 350.00

Mike

 

[Euclidean]

Well how bad do you want it? It sounds like it was in similar condition to the pair I have.

The 629 actually has a story behind it. Supposedly it fell into the possession of an older lady who was more or less a hoplophobe. She wrapped it in a cloth and shoved it in the back of a drawer where it sat unloaded and dirty for a year. I forget how she came to possess it, but its presence in her home drove her crazy.

The story amuses me because this woman was told by a friend there were these things called "pawn shops" where us common folk sometimes sell used things like that. Supposedly she came in with the gun wrapped in a towel, inside a ziploc bag, inside her purse, and she reportedly handled it like a dead rat, going so far as to drop it on the counter. She thought it was worthless junk and asked the man behind the counter if he could get rid of it for her... she was surprised and delighted to be offered several hundred dollars for it and took the pawnbroker's first offer without bothering to haggle.

I know it's an inanimate object and all that, but this is a nice gun and whoever had it first sure didn't care about it, and that lady sure didn't either. If they weren't so PC Disney could make a sappy animated movie about a happy go lucky rough and tumble revolver tormented by a cruel master and an evil witch only to finally find its way into a welcoming gun locker with other guns just like him. "Fourty Four... The Gun Nobody Loved..." Give the gun the voice of Billy Gilman and it'd be a hit.

 

[LPguy]

Cool story!

Sounds a lot like this one. Only it belonged to a guy who got it just cuz, then never bothered looking after it properly.

It cleaned up well and seems to funtion fine. I'll just try to haggel him down a bit and see how it goes.

He loaned it to me so my wife would have something to use then offered to sell it to me.

It isn't exactly a carry weapon, but if it was good enough for 007, what the hell :biggrin:

Mike

 

[CLASS3NH]

I'd go the 350.00 for the gun.. It about 435.00 -450.00 reatil used.......If he has a holster, ammo, etc, try to take the whole Pkg.....for the 350.00 split the cost of transfer

 

[LPguy]

Ok, I'll see what he says tomorrow and I'll let you guys know.

Thanks for all the info guys!

Mike

 

[bugs100]

I have 2 of them and to tell the truth I don't carry them any more. If your going to get it only use remington it's the best for reliability in a PPK/S.

 

[michael t]

I have 2 of them and to tell the truth I don't carry them any more. If your going to get it only use remington it's the best for reliability in a PPK/S.

I don't think thats a fair statement My Interarms PPK/S loves CorBon 90 grHP. In fact it has eaten what ever I have fed it with out a problem. I do not however feed it reloads or lead. Just good factory ammo.

 

[bugs100]

Both of mine choke on the CorBon 90 grHP. Evidenty every PPK/S has it's own personality.