HR guy Mark sends his “Black and Stainless” ensemble today.  Via Everyday Carry.

He adds this comment:

October EDC-ing. The Winthrop holster is such a great comfortable holster with the PPK under a jacket. Perfect on crisp fall evenings.

The Gerber Covert auto blade is slick.  Like that a lot.  Costs a few bucks, but nice.  Reminds me of a Sykes-Fairbairn style of blade.

Interesting choice of gun:  Walther PPK.  A great gun.  For 1970.  But if he likes it, more power to him. Just guessing he fancies himself a bit like James Bond with the “Semper Occultus” name tape.

As an aside, I’m starting to wonder if my GLOCK guns might just be about ten or twenty years from cutting edge…  And in 20 years, will be GLOCK be sort of like the S&W two-digit semi-autos of the 1970s and early 80s is to today’s best and most efficient guns?

Mark’s also old-school on the Winthrop leather, outside-the-waistband rig.  More power to him.  I have a few myself.  Seldom carry them because they almost necessitate wearing a blazer or suit coat to conceal them well.  But to each his or her own.

Nice Rolex GMT Master watch.  Probably worth more than all the rest of the stuff put together.  Unless it’s a “repro,” LOL.  And he also carries a $1 pen and a $1 Bic lighter.  Hmmm.

Thanks Mark.  Good stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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60 COMMENTS

  1. So, JB, invest in a vest. Avoid western style vests, too short.
    Other than a LCP and no watch, could be my carry.

  4. Doesn’t carrying a 1″ nametape strip that says “Semper Occultus” kinda negate the secrecy thing?

    Or does the tape go in a secret squirrel stash pocket?

    • I think the Bic lighter is used to throw off anyone suspecious…unless the lighter is more than just a lighter.

  6. Eh, you could do a lot worse than a PPK, so long as you carry in .380 instead of .32; another website did a lot of tests with various calibers and .380 is effective IF you carry the best ammo for it; Hornady Critical Defense and SIG Sauer V-Crown basically tied for first place, with Speer Gold Dot being choice number three. Gold Dot expanded reliably all five shots but average penetration was 11 inches, a little short of the magic 12 to 18 inches window the FBI prefers. Hornady and SIG met both the expansion and penetration criteria.

    • Its a myth that the .32 is inferior to the .380. In some ways its actually superior. It kicks much less allowing for faster repeat shots, it holds usually one more round in the magazine and it penetrates more if comparisons are made fairly by using the same brand expanding bullets or full metal jacketed bullets. When using fmj bullets the .32 is superior as it out penetrates the .380 every time.

      The only valid criticism of the .32 acp is rim lock, as the .32 acp being a rimmed cartridge will lock its cartridge up if the rim of the top round in the magazine is loaded over top of the rim of the round beneath it in the magazine.

      Many, many years ago when like a fool I did not buy one of the surplus police .32 acp pistols for a paltry $200 an old veteran of WWI told me, “Sonny the only difference between a .380 and a .32 is in a guys mind”. He should have known as he shot lots of Germans in WWI with a .32 acp. He never took prisoners. I still have his WWI .32 acp.

      • There’s about 80 ft-lbs of energy difference between .32 ACP and .380 ACP. That’s not conjecture, it’s measurable fact.

  10. I read the following and im confused
    “Interesting choice of gun: Walther PPK. A great gun. For 1970.”
    Im new to gun culture or as i say “the lifestyle”, and i dont understand why it being a 1970s style and circa gun makes any difference in its ability to go bang when needed. We go on and on that some guns are simply timless and will “be used by my children and thier children etc” if taken care of. This EDC is clearly one of those cases. Its reliable, hideable and deadly. Even if the gun is infact its self 40-45 years old. If maintained and i imagine as an EDC to protect his life it is then what am i missing.

    • You’re quickly about to find out that the gun culture, like with any other culture, such as with boats, cars, knives, or tools, is full of people who think “X brand is the best brand ever and if you don’t have X brand then you’re clearly retarded.”
      In the gun world this crosses over from brands into calibers, and age of guns. And people will get nasty and petty about it. For some reason, certain people want everyone to carry/use/drive/sail whatever THEY’RE using, because of what they’re using isn’t the most popular then they have some kind’ve existential breakdown. Also lately, as in the past 5 years or so, the carry world had seen an incredible influx of compact 9s. Their prevalence has lead some to believe that these are now the ONLY guns Suitable for conceal carry And they are the epitome and peak of handgun technology. The people who spout this also believe they are at the forefront of all things gun related. This is a rather new phenomenon, as not that long ago older guns and even revolvers were the primary choice of conceal carriers. But the good news is, the vast majority of us “gun people” In real life Don’t give a shit what you carry as long as you enjoy your trips to the range and don’t vote for gun grabbers.

    • There have been many improvements in firearms, even if they have been incremental. But the reality is that it was never as great of a gun as the mythology behind it.

  11. There is nothing wrong with a Walther PPK. I would take it over a plastic fantastic, DOA any time.

    • Yeah, I don’t get the snark directed at the PPK. “Eww, the whole thing is made of metal, and it doesn’t have a striker, and it’s DA/SA, and the safety isn’t in the middle of the trigger!”

      The same people who think that the PPK is this obsolete near Stone Age relic, also probably think the 1911 is the greatest thing going.

      • The snark isn’t because it’s a bad gun, it’s because it’s an overrated gun due to cultural significance. It looks very German yet it’s not efficient- too much gun (dimensions and weight) for relatively little punch, not as reliable as many other options and not a great controls layout.

        I actually think the 1911 falls into the same territory of being a good but overrated platform, though.

        • Never had a Jam with mine.
          Now a modern gun is lighter, has better sights, and a better trigger. But it still sends a bullet towards its target at the same speed.
          However it looks much better than a Glock

    • In a recent Vigilance Elite youtube video, the former Seal covers his minimalist EDC which includes a Rolex entended for bargaining, for something like a cheap escape car or shelter. It seems quite a few former SF EDC stuff for escape and evasion. I EDC a Timex that will get me a pack of bubble gum. 🙂

      • I actually saw that video and it actually got me looking at Rolex watches for that crazy scenario. Lol. I have a bunch of expensive G-Shocks and a Seiko that I EDC but the next watch I’m planning to buy is a Rolex. Not to bargain my way out of a bad situation but just for my enjoyment, as an investment piece and to possibly hand down one day.

        • Dan, you should join the Rolex forum, tons of trusted sellers, selling used ones for good prices . Mine was like new, If in fact not new, ( grey market ) saved 1/3 .

          Good guys there and you’ll learn a lot .

      • That dude cracks me up.

        Side Note: If you tell people about the non-traditional zero that guy recommends some of those people flip shit. Like completely lose it. I struggle to figure out why.

  13. A watch is nothing but jewelry anymore. With everyone having a smart phone, the necessity of having a watch is gone. I like the PPK. It’s a classy piece to carry and have often thought about one but when it comes down to it, I don’t really want to carry anything for an everyday carry smaller than 9mm. That’s why I carry .40 but will carry 9, but not .380 although I have carried my SR22 on occasion.

    • A watch has never really been a necessity but they still have their uses besides being just jewelry. I never look at my phone to the tell time. I just use my watch. It really depends on the watch because many watches serve as tools as well. I’ve never seen any divers using smartphones to time their dive times or get depth readings and most phones don’t have the atmospheric sensors that you can get on G-Shock watches like a barometer or thermometer. Watches also don’t need to be charged daily for them to function. A smartphone can do a lot of things but it won’t replace everything just because it can also serve the same function. I still use my TV and computer even though my phone can do everything they can. I’m not saying everyone need a watch but they still have their uses.

    • My cousin thinks the same way as you and I asked him would he rather wear a watch or use a pocket watch to tell the time and he said a watch because it’s more convenient than pulling a watch from your pocket. Then I asked him what time it was and he had to pull his phone out of his pocket. He still won’t wear a watch though lol.

      • To be fair, his phone does about twelve million additional things besides telling the time. Personally, I have always hated wearing a watch. Phone for me.

        • Wearing an expensive watch just marks you as a high-value target.

          The watch face acts as a handy, highly reflective surface to help opponents Mark your position.

          The funds used to purchase the expensive watch reduce the amount of money available for better training and equipment.

          Other than that, an expensive wrist watch is a great idea.

    • Mine’s just a plain Casio, nothing fancy, but it’s nice to be able to glance at my wrist and have the time without pulling out my phone(which may be dead or not on my person).

      Hell, there’s even smart watches now. I think they still have a place.

    • “With everyone having a smart phone, the necessity of having a watch is gone.“

      Incorrect. There are still people who don’t use smart phones, and even don’t have cell phones. There’s also people like me, who have jobs where you are prohibited from having any kind of phone at work. Sometimes I also like to live dangerously and purposely leave my phone at home when I go out. “Well what if there’s an emergency?”. Oh well. I’ll do what I did back in the 90s before everyone having a phone 24/7 was A thing. That said, I wear a cheap 6$ Casio. I don’t think I could break it if I tried.

    • I don’t always carry a watch but I do when I need to know the time. When I’m at work it’s imperative that I have a watch because I often need to write down the time and absolutely do not want to be pulling out my phone to do it. When I’m doing things outside- hiking, sports, whatever, I similarly don’t want to pull out a phone.

      But I wear an entirely functional watch that I don’t mind if I break.

    • Totally agree.

      And it sure looks like his everyday carry will save his bacon in about 98% of circumstances that he is likely to ever encounter.

  17. Beware of any U.S. made PPK or PPKs guns, the ones I have shot were pure junk. I had misfires in double action, jams, magazines fall out of the gun under recoil just to name a few of the problems. I have had no problems with French or German made guns but they bring a premium these days simply because they actually work and were quality made.

    Compared to modern guns they are much heavier in weight and you can often find a modern made 9mm that is almost or is as small for conceal-ability.

    There are those who do like old fashioned solid steel quality and nostalgia and prefer to carry one (sometimes myself included) but only trust your life to a French or German made gun.

    • Agreed, mine was also like a reciprocating box of razor blades. Every damn angle on it would lacerate you.

    • The older S&W made ones I read are crap, but the current ones made in the US by Walther themselves are apparently pretty good as far as PPKs go. I prefer my Beretta 85 for daily carry though. The Cadillac of .380s. Big, heavy, inefficient, smooth and gorgeous as hell.

  18. It never ceases to amaze me how humans grab onto some “this is the best” thing and become arrogant snobs, whether it’s a motorcycle or handgun. No better example exists than the current wave of “experts” declaring the striker-fired SA pistol the best choice for everyone “because all the famous gun ninjas say so.” The Walther PPK series of handguns are some of the finest guns on the planet. That they are DA/SA with a decocker (along with other brands of similar design) make them far SAFER for the average non-range ninja concealed carrier (or rookie cop for that matter, see the Fort Worth killing of an innocent woman) than a SA only in condition one. While polymer frame striker-fired handguns are a fantastic advance in gun design, and ones I commonly use, they do not constitute the “best for everyone” that snobs promote. A large percentage of concealed carriers do not hit the range regularly. They just seek the rightful protection the handgun affords. For these folks, a DA/SA pistol with decocker with a round in the chamber, or a DA revolver are an excellent, safe choice. Give it a rest, SA snobs.

    • Then you really have the snobs that forget that the Bersa Thunder Series (A clone of the PPK) is just as reliable and nice of a gun and at a far far less price. That is what amazes me. People go out and spends hundreds and hundreds, maybe over a $1,000 on a EDC gun. If you have to use it, it will be confiscated. I mean I would love to own a Walther PPK and probably will someday but I won’t EDC with it because I don’t want it to be taken. I will carry my Bersa Thunder, Bersa TPR9c, Kahr CM9, or Walther PK380. All reliable quality guns but I am not out a lot of money if they are taken from me or if they get damaged. EDC guns are tools and you find the right tool for you. I find the one that works that I am not out a ton of money if I have to use it and it is taken.

  19. If your going to carry a “Bond” gun, carry the REAL Bonds gun, the P5. Connery carried it in “Never say Never Again”.
    Moore was hardly Bond material IMHO, I would think his EDC pocket dump would include panty shields.

    • What’s wrong with panty shields, a gentleman should always be ready to meet a lady’s needs…

    • While it is true that Connery carried a Walther P5 in 9mm Parabellum in Never Say Never Again in 1983, Roger Moore also used one in at least one scene in Octopussy, released the same year. It’s the scene where he confronts the Soviet general on the train in East Germany. So Moore using it too negates the cool factor, according to your criteria.

  20. An early 80’s Interams PPK/S was my CC weapon for nearly 25 years. During the 35 years since I purchased the gun, I had one issue, a failed (fatigued) ejector gave me issues briefly in 2003. Numrich shipped me the part and it was good to go within 3 to 4 days.
    The PPK/S is still one of the most accurate pistols I own. Across the bench, supported, it would never fail to keep <1" groups at 25 feet. I carried it in several different holsters over the years. The other issue, common with the Interarm made guns, was slide bite. Too high a grip, and it would bugger your hand. In the late 90's I purchased an add on Beaver tail extension that cured the problem. It basically kept the webbing of your hand from sliding up within range of the slide.
    The reason I retired the gun to Range Toy status, was solely because I couldn't make out the sights in low light conditions as my eyes have aged. Having the slide milled for adding some aftermarket sights was cost prohibitive enough for me to push me into finding a replacement.
    The original PP line hit the market in 1928 (predates the Nazi years 1933-1945). The PPK/S was released in 1968/69 as the PPK could no longer be imported due to the GCA of 1968. The /S has a longer barrel and 1 more round and that was enough to clear the import ban restrictions. The PP line was one of the first successful DA/SA designs on the market. Many of it's mechanical design elements would be incorporated into Walther's most infamous Nazi era gun, the "P-38."
    As for James Bond, Fleming originally had Bond carrying a Baby Browning .25ACP, an English Armorer suggested that the Browning was a Lady's gun, and a .32ACP would be more appropriate for Bond, and that's how he ended up with a PPK for the rest of Fleming's novels.
    The PPK in .32ACP or 7.65 x 17SR Browning, was the pistol Hitler used to escape justice with, on top of the Cyanide he swallowed. Imagine, if you will, how much that highly engraved and personalized PPK would go for at auction? Unfortunately, it was lost to history during the Soviet's pillage of Berlin and Hitler's bunker.

    • Walther is well know for building accurate handguns.
      I own a total of seven P5s, two of the 3.5″ barrel examples came with 25 meter test targets showing sub 1″ 8rd groups. These were shot offhand and benchrested. I own one of the P5 Langs (approx 88 produced), 6″ barrel with Nill Target grips, crazy accurate. For increased accuracy from the 3.5″ P5, I swap on the 7.65Para (30 Luger) barrel. There are a pair of Cat 1062 Italian market P5s in my collection, Walther sold them to military personnel at US military Rod and Gun clubs in Germany, they were able to add a 2nd barrel in 9mmPara to the package because it was not going to Italy. Walther P5s are my weakness when it comes to 9mm handguns.

      • I too have a weakness or soft spot for Walthers. I’ve fired the P5, but don’t own one (seems whenever one’s up for sale, I’m broker than the Ten Commandments), and loved it. The P5 really fine tuned the P38 design to the limit. I’ve a PPQ, and I’ll still maintain that it’s the best factory trigger on the market (I think it’s better than several after market triggers others rave about). A couple of the P22’s too. They’re nifty little plinkers. The target model’s much more accurate than the shorty because of the longer sight radius. One of these days I hope to catch a P5 up for sale when I have the money to spend. The Interarm’s one I own was a very early release. The frame and barrel are US made, but the slide was still being made in Germany in the first year or so. I can only speculate that Interarms wasn’t completely tooled up to make the slides domestically at the beginning. Now that Walther will produce guns here, the smaller PPK can be made without running afoul of the GCA.

        • I own a PPQ 45 too, the first/only poly gun in my collection. A neighbor let me shoot his, after 2 mags, I knew I had to have one. The trigger is about the best on the market. Found I was more accurate with the Q45 then my EDC Sig Sauer P227. Sold the 227. I really like German guns from the ’70s and ’80s, I added a pair of Sig P6s and a pair of H&K P7 M13s to the collection after a few P5, to have the full array of German Police Trials handguns (they were all approved). Also added a P88 Compact (NIB w/factory Nill grips), the last all metal gun produced by Walther.

  21. At least the PPK carries ten rounds – better than some 5- or 6-round revolver…

    But I don’t like the caliber – anything less than the number 4…

    However, I don’t see the point of carrying a gun that “looks good.” Firearms should be functional and reliable. Any “looks” are just a bonus that are almost irrelevant.

    Same with watches. For me it needs to tell time – and have a light so I can see the time at night. Other than that, all the other fancy capabilities just means the watch is ridiculously expensive and/or is likely to fall apart. I wear a ten-dollar Casio…

  22. I REALLY enjoy seeing everybody’s EDC and then guessing what work they do. 42 years of off-duty carry as a uniform and plain clothes cop has led me to carry that same SS Walther PPK in the 1970’s Yes SS because of the wet Springs and Summers watching my BEAUTIFUL Blued Pistol turn brown after two days working under.
    I also was the first on the block to carry a Glock, BUT fell under the SPELL of SIG SAUER after my SWAT buddies let me shoot their expensive TOYS. Almost 30 years of carrying a SIG P226 on Duty and Off I find myself back carrying a WALTHER PPQ SC and feeling like 1970 all over again saving my nickels and dimes for ‘Walther Legends’.

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