Germany has long been known as the manufacturer of finely tuned and fitted high-tech products, and firearms are no exception. In 1886, Carl Walther started a small company with the goal of making high-quality hunting and target rifles for the discriminating sportsman. His products were well-received, and he contented himself with the long-gun business until the beginning of the 20th century--at which time the company introduced its first semiautomatic pistol known, appropriately, as the Model 1.

This extremely compact .25 caliber pistol was intended for concealed carry, and what followed was a series of small semiautos, all chambered in what I call "mini-calibers" intended to be dropped in a pocket or slipped into a waistband.

The Model PP (Police Pistol) was introduced in 1929 and sported an innovative double-action trigger. It was followed very quickly by the more compact PPK, and both have remained popular for almost 75 years.

The double-action trigger system would later be used in the Model P38, which was chambered for the German military's 9mm cartridge and went on to replace the legendary Luger as the issued pistol of the Third Reich. Thousands of these guns were produced over the years in both 9mm and 7.65mm, and many are still available in local gun shops and at gun shows. Several Iraq war veterans have told me that the P38 has been found in the hands of insurgents, so the gun is still an active player in warfare around the world.

WALTHER PPS
Manufacturer	Walther, www.waltheramerica.com, 800-372-6454
Type	striker-fired semiauto
Caliber	9mm, .40 S&W
Capacity	6, 7, 8, (9mm)
Barrel Length	3.2 in.
Overall Length	6.3 in.
Weight	19.4 oz.
Sights	three dot fixed
Trigger	DA with safety Lever
Grips	black polymer
Sight Radius	5.4 in.
Width	1.04 in.
Price	$622 (9mm)

The PPK remains a popular off-duty gun for American police officers, though most will tell you that, while they like the compact size of the gun, they wish it was chambered in a caliber with a bit more punch. But this lack of power did not stop a fictional armorer from issuing it to the most famous fictional secret agent in history. In the James Bond movie "Dr. No," Bond's .25 caliber Beretta is taken away. He is handed a Walther PPK in 7.65mm (.32 caliber) and is told the new gun has "a delivery like a brick through a plate glass window." Everyone reading this knows that this is not the case, but this is fiction after all

The fictional armorer in the movie, Maj. Boothroyd, was in fact based on a real person, Maj. Geoffrey Boothroyd, who suggested the Walther to author Ian Fleming under different circumstances. In his article for British gun magazine Handgunner (May/June 1985), Boothroyd says he first wrote to Fleming in May 1956 after reading the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, and suggested that 007 be armed with a revolver of .38 Special caliber and a .357 Magnum for more "serious work."