Walther PP Super
Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1972
Also known as: Walther PPS (period-correct designation, not modern PPS), PP Super 9x18, Walther 9mm Police
Overview
The Walther PP Super is a double-action, blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol developed by Carl Walther GmbH in 1972 as a service handgun candidate for the West German police modernization program. Substantially enlarged from the classic Walther PP, the PP Super features an all-steel frame and slide stout enough to handle the new 9x18mm Ultra cartridge - a German police round developed to bridge the gap between underpowered .380 ACP and full-power 9mm Parabellum without requiring a locked-breech action. The pistol introduced features missing on the original PP: an external slide stop lever, a manual decocker on the slide that locks the firing pin while dropping the hammer (and automatically returns to fire position), and a redesigned grip for improved ergonomics. It has no manual safety, instead relying on its firing pin safety and double-action-first-shot design. After West German police instead chose 9x19mm pistols (Walther P5, SIG P6, H&K P7), Walther dropped the PP Super in 1979.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 780 g (27.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 176 mm (6.93") |
| Barrel Length | 92 mm (3.62") |
| Height | 130 mm (5.12") |
| Width | 30 mm (1.18") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 320 m/s (1050 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 315 J (232 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1500 m (1640 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x18mm Ultra · primary — also known as 9mm Ultra, 9mm Police, 9x18mm Police
- .380 ACP — also known as 9x17mm, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Browning Short, .380 Auto
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Decocking Lever, Firing Pin Safety, Loaded Chamber Indicator
- Features: External Slide Stop, Manual Decocker, Fixed Barrel, All Steel Construction, Double Action First Shot
Variants
- Walther PP — Parent Model
Base model
Service history
Operators
- West German Police (limited trials) · adopted 1972
- Civilian market (Europe and US) · adopted 1972
Production
Estimated total produced: 35,000 · Production years: 1972-1979
Estimates range from 30,000 to 40,000 total units across both 9x18mm Ultra and .380 ACP variants. Production ceased when West German police adopted 9x19mm pistols instead.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Carl Walther GmbH
Discontinued: 1979
Notes
The PP Super was Walther's bid for the post-1972 Munich Olympics massacre West German police pistol contract, but the contract instead went to three pistols all chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum (Walther P5, H&K P7, SIG P6). The 9x18mm Ultra cartridge - distinct from the Soviet 9x18mm Makarov despite identical case length - was developed in 1936 by RWS for German Luftwaffe pilot pistols but never fielded; revived for police use in the 1970s, it died with the PP Super and the SIG P230 9x18mm variant. Some PP Super pistols were also produced in .380 ACP (9x17mm) for export markets.
Background
The PP Super and its 9x18mm Ultra cartridge represent one of firearms history's great might-have-beens: a deliberately engineered 'Goldilocks' police round designed to be just powerful enough for service work without requiring a locked-breech action, killed off when West German police standards leapfrogged to full 9mm NATO instead. Today, the rare PP Super is a collector's curiosity, prized for the hen's-teeth scarcity of its proprietary cartridge.