# PPK Safety Lever Issue



## handgunner

Sorry but i wanted to edit my thread but my browser deleted it so i will post it again. 
I have a Walther PPK by Interarms in Virginia circa 1986. I have the following issue:
while firing the PPK the safety lever starts to creep backwards until it is in the full safe position. needless to say this is a huge problem. it takes about 4 rounds of ball ammo for this failure to occur.
i gave the gun to my gunsmith who sent it off to S&W for repair as he thought this was the best solution. he did not check the gun out and i was suprised when i called to check on the status of the repair that he had sent it to S&W.
a little background:
i purchased this gun used in what appeared to be in excellent condition. upon test firing at the range i noticed there was a failure to fire problem. when it was in single action and i pulled the trigger if i pulled lightly the hammer would go forward only half way. if i stopped the pull it would stay that way. if i continued the pull the gun would fire. a huge problem. so i sent the gun to S&W and they repaired it. i dry fired it and the problem was fixed. i did not get to go to the range until recently which is when i noticed the safety lever issue which did not present itself previously during live firing. the original problem presented itself during dry and live firing.
i am awaiting an answer from S&W where the gun is in transit to.
i am wondering if the safety lever issue is related to the first issue of the trigger and hammer half cocking problem.
it is possible that after getting the weapon back the first time that if i went to the range i would have seen the safety lever problem immediately after the first repair but it is an unknown. 
sorry for the lenghtly thread but i wanted to be thorough. any suggestions regarding this problem are greatly appreciated.


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## MLB

Sounds like the spring that operates the safety detent and extractor is jammed. See parts 9, 10, & 11 in the figure below.


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## handgunner

Thank you for the reply MLB.
i will definitely post what the fix is once S&W notifies me.


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## handgunner

To MLB:

i spoke with repair at S&W the other day and i explained the issue. jake said as you said regarding the safety/elector spring. he said the fix is an easy one. will make the detent deeper and install a stronger spring. 

Jake will know more when he tests fires it and inspects the PPK.

i hope there is nothing else that is ready to fail like other weaker springs, etc. as my confidence level is low regarding this being my EDC.

Btw, my cellphone browser will not allow me to reply with quote.


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## handgunner

*Spelling Edit:*

Ejector


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## MLB

It's not a difficult handgun to dissassemble if you care to get the parts and do it yourself. A good bit of advice someone gave me once was to work inside a clear (gallon) plastic bag. Those springs and small parts that like to fly out of the gun while dissasembling are contained that way.

Regards,
MLB


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## handgunner

MLB:

in the future i might work on my own guns as this would be most enjoyable. 

i stayed clear of doing my own work due to a lack of knowledge to do so. but it is like when i got my first harley years back. i was used to working on my Suzuki but my attitude was i cant work on the harley. its not the same and more expensive. well after a few months i started to work on it myself and it was no big deal.

my other guns are a taurus .38 special revolver which i am pretty sure wont need any work in the near future and a Mossberg 500 12ga.

i have a question though. i install phone systems and work on my bikes so i know how important it is to have the right took for the right job. is there a tool kit specific for the PPK or is there a general took kit for semi autos that includes the tiny screwdrivers or pliers or whatever else i may need?

i know with the bikes, i got the general tools that are needed for repair then as time passes on and different repairs are needed you start to have a collection of specialty tools, extra fasteners, washers, grommets, lubricants, etc. Is having a gun repair kit similar in that you can have most of the generally needed tools then you will purchase some speciality tools so you can be prepared for whatever may need repair?

i hope repairs are not needed often though as i would not want to carry a gun that always needed repair.


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## handgunner

UPDATE:

i called S&W today and was told that my PPK was repaired and being shipped back today. great turn around time as it has been only 7 days from the time the gun was received to being shipped back.

i asked what repairs were made but they were not entered into the computer. i was told that warranty work is usually not entered. Paul said he would ask Jake who repaired the PPK and call me back regarding what work was done. I will post this info as soon as i know.

i explained i would like to know what the problem was regarding the safety issue. Whether it was worn safety lever detents, worn plunger, cracked safety, spring issues, etc.


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## MLB

Funny that you mention the motorcycle, as I've been slowly tinkering more with the Deuce as the years go by.

Aside from the right size screwdrivers, and punches, I haven't found the need for any specialty tools to take the side all the way down. I haven't totally disassembled the frame, just the hammer assembly and trigger guard. I can't recall if I had the trigger out or not. 

I'm not sure, but I think the sear pin is press fit. I'm not a gunsmith, just interested in how it works.


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## handgunner

I hear ya about the bike. as time goes by you realize that a harley is still just a bike in regards to not being intimidated to work on it. but as we know, a Harley Is A Harley and not JUST a bike

Repair Update: 

i spoke with S&W today and was told the following work was done:

1) The safety lever detent was made deeper.

2) The plunger was replaced.

3) The extractor/plunger spring was replaced.

hopefully this is the end to my PPK issues. 

will let everyone know how it goes at the range when i receive my baby back


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## handgunner

**Update Alert**

got my PPK back and guess what?.... S&W put a PPK/S Slide On My PPK!

the slide says Alexandria, Va. on it. the repair order says "replaced slide" 
i am alittle ticked off and that is putting it mildly.

i gotta call S&W and my gunsmith. this is total BS. i hope they didnt chuck my original slide in the garbage. btw, S&W never sent my original case back either. they shipped my gun in a cardboard box.

my high opinion of S&W is changing rapidly from a 10 out of 10 to a zero.


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## PanaDP

The PPK/S slide is exactly the same slide as the PPK. It's the frame that is slightly different.


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## handgunner

PanaDP said:


> The PPK/S slide is exactly the same slide as the PPK. It's the frame that is slightly different.


i understand what you say is true but:

1) i have a PPK with a slide that said PPK and i would like my original gun back.

2) having a PPK/S slide on my PPK decreases the value of my gun.

3) it is just ridiculous that S&W would even do this.i am sure that the parts that are worn on my original slide can be repaired or replaced. in fact that is what i was originally told as is written in my previous post.

i hope they did not chuck my slide in the garbage!


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## MLB

PanaDP is right, but I'd be upset too. It does make it look like a parts gun if the slide is marked incorrectly. 

A replacement ppk slide would likely be marked Smith & Wesson though. I'm surprised that you got one marked Alexandria, VA (Interarms.)


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## handgunner

To MLB:

i called S&W today and they put priority notations on my account and emailed a prepaid return shipping label. the guy is speaking to the guy that repaired the gun and apologized for this error.

If the original slide is not repairable, i definitely dont want a S&W slide. i will be speaking with paul to see what is going on. he said that there is a priority on this so i wont have to wait the usual ten day turn around. hopefully my gunsmith wont charge me a transaction fee. they feel bad regarding this situation.

Btw, I told paul about my case not being sent to me either. he is checking into that also. my S&W satisfaction rating is slowly rising lol!


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## submoa

Did you even get your original gun back? Check serial #. I'd be hoping this was a shipping error.


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## handgunner

submoa said:


> Did you even get your original gun back? Check serial #. I'd be hoping this was a shipping error.


To submoa, i previously checked the serial number and it is the same.

i hope they find my original slide and they are able to repair it. one of the reasons i would like my original slide is because the gun and slide were broken in together which may enable the gun to work more smoothly than if a new slide is put on. this is just my thought and i dont know if it is a valid one.

if they do have to replace the slide, i would assume that as long it is an Interarms PPK slide the value of the gun should not decrease.am i correct to assume this?

i will have more info when i speak with S&W. just have to get my smith to send the gun back to S&W.

this sucks though as i send a PPK for repair and it comes back missing my original slide and my original case.

i appreciate warranty work being done at no charge but i expect competent work to be done and care to be taken in repairing my PPK regarding the parts and my case.


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## MLB

I think your comments regarding the original slide and frame (being broken in together) are valid. 

Regarding the Interarms ppk slide; I do recall that due to the 1968 gun control law, the ppk could no longer be imported into the United States. This was the main reason for Walther developing the ppk/s (taller frame). It wasn't available (new) here until a few years ago when S&W started manufacturing it (as a domestic product, which obviously makes it less dangerous  ). My point is, I believe Interarms started it's business in the 1950's, and wonder how many Interarms marked ppk slides are available.

Hope it all goes well in the end though.


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## handgunner

MLB said:


> I think your comments regarding the original slide and frame (being broken in together) are valid.
> 
> Regarding the Interarms ppk slide; I do recall that due to the 1968 gun control law, the ppk could no longer be imported into the United States. This was the main reason for Walther developing the ppk/s (taller frame). It wasn't available (new) here until a few years ago when S&W started manufacturing it (as a domestic product, which obviously makes it less dangerous  ). My point is, I believe Interarms started it's business in the 1950's, and wonder how many Interarms marked ppk slides are available.
> 
> Hope it all goes well in the end though.


What you say is very true of course. but when Interarms of Virginia got licensing rights from Walther, they were able to produce the PPK because the import restrictions no longer applied since the PPK's were now being manufactured in the USA.

i dont know what the production years for the PPK's manufactured by Interarms in the USA were though.


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## MLB

I see. I wasn't aware that Interarms manufactured any of them. I though that they were just the importer for German made PPK's.


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## handgunner

MLB said:


> I see. I wasn't aware that Interarms manufactured any of them. I though that they were just the importer for German made PPK's.


I see what you are saying. more then likely they were importers beene they started manufacture.

i spoke to S&W today and was told the gun should have never been worked on and that when they try to help out the customer things like this happen. i have a feeling these guys read these forums.

the guy was very cordial though and said they will wait to receive the gun and try to help me. they remember the plastic original case. i asked if the slide may have been thrown away. i was told that usually that wont happen. (i thought to myself do you have my slide or not since the repair guy was made aware of this situation he should know)

I want to reiterate that i appreciate the fact that S&W is working on my gun but better care should have been taken. also i did not send my gun to them for repair. i gave it to my smith to work on. he took it upon himself to ship it out figuring he would save me money. intentions were good but i find myself in this predicament. hopefully things will work out.

Worse comes to worse i would just like my original slide back and i will get this fixed on my own but who better than S&W to work on my PPK.


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## submoa

handgunner said:


> who better than S&W to work on my PPK.


Um... in declining order....

Earl Sheehan, Earl's Repair Service
Bill Laughridge, Cylinder & Slide
Terry Tussey
Chuck Rogers


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## handgunner

submoa said:


> Um... in declining order....
> 
> Earl Sheehan, Earl's Repair Service
> Bill Laughridge, Cylinder & Slide
> Terry Tussey
> Chuck Rogers


I hear ya. what was i thinking. look at what is going on with my PPK, wrong slide, missing case, etc. total BS!

Btw, i spoke with Earl in 2004 and he told me he only worked on the german PPK's. he said the U.S.(or Interarms PPK's) PPK's are crap. i forgot his exact terminology but it may have been "shit!"

i asked and he said the castings were crap (or shit)

at this point I just want my original slide and case back. i had a paperweight before, now i have a parts paperweight.


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## MLB

I'm glad you started this thread Handgunner, it lead me to a book on the founder of Interarms that I've ordered from Amazon. I'll post a review when I get it.


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## handgunner

handgunner said:


> I see what you are saying. more then likely they were importers beene they started manufacture.
> 
> i spoke to S&W today and was told the gun should have never been worked on and that when they try to help out the customer things like this happen. i have a feeling these guys read these forums.
> 
> the guy was very cordial though and said they will wait to receive the gun and try to help me. they remember the plastic original case. i asked if the slide may have been thrown away. i was told that usually that wont happen. (i thought to myself do you have my slide or not since the repair guy was made aware of this situation he should know)
> 
> I want to reiterate that i appreciate the fact that S&W is working on my gun but better care should have been taken. also i did not send my gun to them for repair. i gave it to my smith to work on. he took it upon himself to ship it out figuring he would save me money. intentions were good but i find myself in this predicament. hopefully things will work out.
> 
> Worse comes to worse i would just like my original slide back and i will get this fixed on my own but who better than S&W to work on my PPK.


Correction....

I made an error. Interarms never manufactured Walthers. they imported them and also distributed the PPK that was manufactured by Ranger Manufacturing in Gadsen (sp?) Alabama.


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## handgunner

Update:

Spoke with paul at S&W today. they replaced my PPK Interarms slide with a PPK/S slide because my slide was not repairable. They threw my original slide away. they never received my case from my Gunsmith which is total BS! paul said that they always return cases that are received by the customer so if i didnt get it back it is because they never received it. what a load of Crap!

from the start S&W was lacking in keeping me up to date with the repair. to avoid this problem i had spoken to jake the gunsmith at S&W who said he would let me know what the status was of the repair but never spoke to him again due to to unreturned messages and paul intervening. sent the gun back at their request regarding the slide. they never needed it to be shipped back to tell me that the original slide was not repairable. 

A Bunch of misinformation on their part. first telling me the slide was repaired then saying it was replaced. telling me slides are usually not thrown away then i am told it was thrown away.why couldnt this guy tell me all this stuff 3 weeks ago. 

Lack Of Communication. Lack Of Accuracy Regarding The Communication. Arrogance Regarding Resolving This Problem, Etc. 

My smith called S&W and told them he sent the case. paul was arrogant with him also.

I Will Be Speaking To A Supervisor at S&W Tomorrow.

Maybe i will get some satisfaction but it is doubtful.i dont trust anything S&W tells me. more than likely it is just this paul that has been handling my case that is lacking in good customer service and accurate communication and information and does not reflect the company as a whole. 

Btw, Paul said because of the discrepancy,he could send me a S&W Cap. I thanked but told him i dont need one as i dont wear caps.

Are You Friggin Kidding Me, I Said To Myself!


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## MLB

I've rarely heard of poor service from S&W, but this certainly qualifies. The offer of a S&W cap was in extremely poor taste.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book on Interarms. I never realized the enormity of thier dealings, nor thier vast involvement in confilicts around the globe. Review pending...


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## submoa

Hmmm... considering a SW 1911.... evaluating value of "lifetime warrantee" on outcome of this thread.


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## handgunner

submoa said:


> Hmmm... considering a SW 1911.... evaluating value of "lifetime warrantee" on outcome of this thread.


The guys over at the other forum seem to feel that since S&W did work on my Interarms PPK when they did not have to that i should be greatful they replaced my slide free of charge and that i now have a working gun even if it is a PPK/S slide.

i never said i did not appreciate the work but if you are going to accept the job then replace the slide with the same type slide that the gun came with. if not, then just return the gun and i will get it fixed on my own.


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## submoa

handgunner said:


> The guys over at the other forum seem to feel that since S&W did work on my Interarms PPK when they did not have to that i should be greatful they replaced my slide free of charge and that i now have a working gun even if it is a PPK/S slide.
> 
> i never said i did not appreciate the work but if you are going to accept the job then replace the slide with the same type slide that the gun came with. if not, then just return the gun and i will get it fixed on my own.


Its ridiculous this other forum supports the proposition that the level of respect you should be given can be proportional to the amount you paid since you received a working gun in the end. It is to your credit that you have the patience to provide S&W and your gunsmith the opportunity to provide a positive conclusion.

1. The original gunsmith in accepting your repair order has responsiblity for your gun. Because he turned it over to S&W w/o your permission does not relieve him of his duty to you as a customer.
2. Jake the S&W gunsmith described work to you that was materially different than what was done.
3. Paul the S&W customer rep, was faced with a difficult situation in reconciling S&W's story. However, his verbal communication could have been more respectful and his offer of compensation, inappropriate.

If they lost your original case and slide and you obviously want these things back, would it have been difficult to offer you a blow molded $.50 S&W case and throw in a magazine for goodwill? Did he even ask what he could do to make you happier?

I'd like to hear how the supervisor can turn around this experience.


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## handgunner

submoa said:


> Its ridiculous this other forum supports the proposition that the level of respect you should be given can be proportional to the amount you paid since you received a working gun in the end. It is to your credit that you have the patience to provide S&W and your gunsmith the opportunity to provide a positive conclusion.
> 
> 1. The original gunsmith in accepting your repair order has responsiblity for your gun. Because he turned it over to S&W w/o your permission does not relieve him of his duty to you as a customer.
> 2. Jake the S&W gunsmith described work to you that was materially different than what was done.
> 3. Paul the S&W customer rep, was faced with a difficult situation in reconciling S&W's story. However, his verbal communication could have been more respectful and his offer of compensation, inappropriate.
> 
> If they lost your original case and slide and you obviously want these things back, would it have been difficult to offer you a blow molded $.50 S&W case and throw in a magazine for goodwill? Did he even ask what he could do to make you happier?
> 
> I'd like to hear how the supervisor can turn around this experience.


I called S&W today and left voice mail messages with Kate who is the Customer Service Supervisor. I left very cordial messages at 11:30am and 4:15pm. So far i have not received a return call. i was told that she was in the office today.

I guess she was very busy today so i hope i get a callback on Monday. I am alittle frustrated because i wanted to speak with her before they ship my PPK back.

this just keeps dragging on and on.


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## handgunner

Nothing to report. Kate must be very busy as i have not received a callback as of yet.


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## submoa

handgunner said:


> Nothing to report. Kate must be very busy as i have not received a callback as of yet.


FWIW, Easter Monday / Spring Breakie.


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## handgunner

Kate, the customer service supervisor called me back today. i explained the situation. here is what she said regarding the following:

1) Regarding receiving an Interarms PPK/S slide, I said i appreciated that the slide was replaced for me but that i have a PPK. Kate said that Interarms has not made guns for the past 8 or 9 years so the Interarms slides are unavailable so thats a done deal. i said that Jake found an Interarms PPK/S slide and that maybe he gave me that one without realizing it was an "S" and there may be a PPK slide in the shop. Kate said she will speak with Jake and see what they can do . I said that if there is a PPK slide anywhere i am willing to pay extra for it. She did say that my original slide would have been thrown in the scrap bin if it was unrepairable.

2) I spoke about my original case not being sent back to me. she asked me how my gun was sent back. i told her in a cardboard box. Kate said that that doesnt sound right as the guns received are shipped back to the customer in the case it was received in. i explained that i was with the gunsmith when my gun was packed up and that my gunsmith called S&W and explained all this to paul in customer service. she asked what did paul say. i said paul said he will try to find a case after a little prodding by my gunsmith. kate said that she could not second guess what happened but that she will send me a case.

3) i explained to Kate regarding the misinformation that Paul gave me regarding the repair work done to my original slide. she did not have much to say about that. 

4) she took my address and will be sending me a case. i asked if she would like my serial number and she said ok. she checked and said the my gun was still in the shop. 

i ended up thanking her and that if anything can be done about getting a PPK Interarms slide i would appreciate it. she said she will check with jake and see what they can do.

Kate was forthcoming in sending me a case. that was never an issue with her. hopefully they can find a PPK slide. if not then they cant. when i first called kate i knew there was not much that could be done about the slide which was my main concern. i guess Kate's hands were tied regarding that. hopefully there is a slide laying around.


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## handgunner

Received my PPK from S&W in a CARDBOARD BOX AGAIN!

I guess Kate the customer service rep BS'd me just like the rest of customer service. 

I wont be buying anything from S&W anytime soon.


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## submoa

handgunner said:


> Received my PPK from S&W in a CARDBOARD BOX AGAIN!
> 
> I guess Kate the customer service rep BS'd me just like the rest of customer service.
> 
> I wont be buying anything from S&W anytime soon.


Wow. :smt076


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## handgunner

submoa said:


> Wow. :smt076


Spoke to my gunsmith. or i should say his wife who said that a company is built on its reputation which is based on its interactions with their customers and this does not put S&W in a good light. she said she will let Rich know. 
I was going to purchase a 340PD in the near future but not anymore. i would not want to go through another customer relations experience such as this again so they have lost me as a future customer of their current offerings.


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