The Walther PP Super: A Transitional Police Pistol

Key Takeaways:

• Walther introduced the PP Super in the early 1970s as a potential replacement for less powerful police pistols chambered in .32 ACP.
• The pistol primarily used the 9×18 mm Police cartridge, which is dimensionally different from and incompatible with 9×18 mm Makarov ammunition.
• Limited adoption and the shift toward locked-breech 9×19 mm service pistols contributed to the PP Super’s discontinuation in 1979.

The Walther PP Super belongs to a narrow but revealing chapter in postwar handgun development. Introduced in the early 1970s, it was Walther’s attempt to provide West German police with more power than the traditional PP offered while retaining the simplicity of a fixed-barrel, blowback-operated pistol.[1]

Despite its name, the PP Super was not merely an enlarged PP. It used a substantially revised steel frame and slide, an external slide-stop lever, a seven-round single-column magazine, and a double-action/single-action trigger mechanism. The standard 9×18 mm Police version measured approximately 176 mm overall, had a 92 mm barrel, and weighed about 780 grams unloaded.[2]

One important distinction is its decocking system. The lever on the left side of the slide lowers the hammer while blocking the firing pin, then returns automatically to the firing position. It is therefore a decocker rather than the conventional, manually engaged safety found on the original PP. With the hammer lowered, the first shot is fired double-action; subsequent shots are single-action.[2]

The 9×18 mm Police Cartridge

The PP Super’s history is inseparable from its principal cartridge, variously identified as 9×18 mm Police or 9 mm Ultra. Its conceptual origins reached back to German experiments of the 1930s, when Walther and ammunition manufacturer Geco investigated a cartridge more powerful than 9×17 mm Browning Short, known in the United States as .380 ACP, but suitable for a relatively simple blowback pistol.[2]

The concept resurfaced when West German authorities considered replacements for older police pistols commonly chambered in 7.65×17 mm Browning, or .32 ACP. The revived 9×18 mm cartridge occupied the space between .380 ACP and 9×19 mm Parabellum. Walther began producing the PP Super around 1972, presenting it as a potential police sidearm.[1][2]

The cartridge should not be confused with the Soviet 9×18 mm Makarov. Although their nominal measurements appear similar, the cartridges differ dimensionally, including in bullet diameter, and are not interchangeable.[2]

Police Service and Commercial Failure

The PP Super achieved limited police adoption rather than broad standardization. Surviving pistols with property markings document use by agencies including the Bavarian Police and the police of Rhineland-Palatinate.[3][4] Such markings are particularly useful to collectors because they can connect an individual pistol to institutional service, although they do not by themselves establish a complete history for the firearm.

The model’s commercial prospects diminished when West German police authorities moved toward 9×19 mm Parabellum. That decision favored locked-breech designs capable of handling the more powerful, already established cartridge. Walther discontinued the PP Super in 1979 and concentrated on pistols such as the 9×19 mm P5.[1][2]

A comparatively uncommon .380 ACP version was also manufactured, but it did not materially improve the model’s fortunes.[2] Published claims concerning exact production totals vary and are not consistently supported by accessible factory documentation. The safest conclusion is simply that the PP Super was produced for a short period and achieved limited distribution.

A Distinct Collecting Field

For collectors, the PP Super represents more than an unusual member of the PP family. Its value lies in its position between two generations of European service pistol: the compact, straight-blowback police pistols associated with the interwar period and the locked-breech 9×19 mm designs adopted during the 1970s.

Original chambering, matching components, period grips, police property marks, proof dates, magazines, boxes, and documentation can all contribute to the historical interest of an individual example. These details should be evaluated firearm by firearm; neither a police marking nor excellent condition automatically establishes rarity, originality, or provenance.

The PP Super was not a major commercial success, nor did it become the universal police pistol Walther sought to produce. Its importance is more precise. It records a brief period in which manufacturers and police authorities were still debating whether greater performance could be obtained without abandoning the compact blowback pistol. The market ultimately answered in favor of 9×19 mm locked-breech designs, leaving the PP Super as one of the most distinctive transitional Walthers of the postwar era.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Campbell, Dave. “A Look Back at the Walther PP.” American Rifleman, April 6, 2018.
2. Popenker, Maxim. “Walther PP Super.” Modern Firearms.
3. Kessler Auktionen. “45. Ostschweizer Waffenauktion Catalog,” pp. 41–42. See documented PP Super examples with Bavarian police markings and 1976 proof.
4. Kessler Auktionen. “54. Ostschweizer Waffenauktion Catalog.” See documented PP Super example bearing a Rhineland-Palatinate police property mark.