The Walther PPK

What can be said about the venerable Walther PPK?

A fair amount of bad things, actually. It's an arguably obsolete design, with a questionable safety system. The slide can cut into a shooter's hand. And the 7.65mm caliber? Rather anemic, despite the claim of having a "delivery like a brick through a plate glass window."

And yet... I'd still love to own one. Yes, of course the Bond mystique has something to do with it. It would be a lie to say otherwise. While Connery was of course the first 007 actor to be armed with the PPK, I must say Daniel Craig's handling of this venerable pistol in Quantum of Solace has elevated my Walther-lust to new levels.

Of course, James Bond wasn't the only fictional hero who utilized the PPK. In the TV show "Magnum, P.I.," Thomas Magnum sometimes used a PPK as a backup to his .45acp 1911.

Interestingly, this same combo--1911 as primary weapon, with PPK as backup--was also the same combo used by Val Kilmer's character in the vastly underrated film Spartan.

The PPK is also just a gorgeous firearm, with smooth, classic lines. That's probably why it remains so popular both in fiction and with shooters 80 years after it was first introduced.