Walther Often Overlooked

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I too think they could do a lot better on the advertising. I never really saw Walthers around this area much until the PPQ came out.
Then they started gaining some traction in this area and started to gain a lot of popularity, or at least respect.
I know my PPQ Q5 match steel frame pro is like a work of art. Everyone that shoots it falls in love with it.
I looked at CZ Shadows, HKs, I even looks at a Sig P210 target but when I picked up the Walther Q5 Steel frame Pro and pulled the trigger, I knew it was going home with me.
It is a beautiful piece of work.
 
I really like my PPQ, but Walther’s North American customer support is poor. Front site came off at about 200 rounds, they wanted to charge me for it. Asked about getting a milled slide for it, nope, “buy a Q4”, like I could even find one for sale. How about the dimensions of the slide cut so I can have my slide locally milled? “Nope, can’t give you that info.” When the PDP came out, we were told the slides (that are milled for optics) are compatible with the PPQ frames. But again, there aren’t any PDP slides for sale.

Quite frankly, there are reasons Walther gets overlooked.
 
I guess many people are put off by polymer type Stryker fired pistols. I bought one for my wife the PPQ and she has only shot it once as have I. For the first time in a long time I was impressed with polymer type firearms and Walther changed my mind about Stryker fired pistols. Deadly accurate great trigger out of the box and the fit to my hand is great.

Only reason I don't shoot it more often is because it is a 9mm and I bought it for my wife because she liked it, but she hates to shoot and she used to travel out of town frequently. I'm old school and I carried a 1911 for more than 45 years. Recently had a mid-life crisis and changed to a wheel gun a few years ago, a 686 with a 3" barrel.

My brother traded me a FNX tactical .45acp a few years ago for one of my lever action rifles and it too shot great. I have fired less than a 100 rounds an it is a great shooting pistol but I'm going to sell it soon or trade for something else because simply it is just not my cup of tea. People like what they like and basically I don't gravitate toward polymer or Glocks.
 
I've heard that Walther doesn't give anything away and figured that was probably right, but when I was looking for a red dot plate for my Q-5 I went to Walthers website and they had a request form to fill out for one. They wanted the S/N of the gun so I put it on there and hit submit,
I got an email that I would receive a Walther mounting plate in two weeks.
I was pleasantly surprised.
 
The PPQ M2 has a great trigger. For me the fact i can use glock magazines in other firearms like a PCC really puts glock above other polymer for me. I'm sure sig is working on a p320 magazine PCC variant AR something as we speak, Walther doesn't seem to chase trends like that.
 
Walther thrives on word-of-mouth advertising. One of my current students currently carries a Taurus PT111. Yesterday, she shot two of my Walthers and immediately wants to replace her Taurus. Her big problem is deciding which of my Walthers she liked better, as she only has the money to get one right now. I have let a few police officers shoot my full sized models. And they changed out their duty Glocks, Sigs, and M&Ps for something like mine.

My first handgun was a Walther, which I still have. I have owned every other major brand since then, everything has been sold so far, and I have gotten more Walthers.
 
I'm sure they're a decent company but years ago I kept seeing & watching reports of how bad their .22 lr pistol was, ie: metal chipping off the slide or cracked slides, etc. Scared me off if they couldn't build a tough .22, why risk having a bad centerfire that I would have to save for months to a year to get then probably sell at a loss if at all.
 
borrowedtime69 said:
I'm sure they're a decent company but years ago I kept seeing & watching reports of how bad their .22 lr pistol was, ie: metal chipping off the slide or cracked slides, etc. Scared me off if they couldn't build a tough .22, why risk having a bad centerfire that I would have to save for months to a year to get then probably sell at a loss if at all.
Click to expand...

Their 22 is made by Umarex like some others in the industry… it’s an entirely different product that just happens to share a name and some aesthetics with its bigger brothers.
 
giggitygiggity said:
My local gun shop had a 15% off everything sale on Mon and Tues. I perused Monday and a Walther PDP full size and compact caught my eye. Both were brand new and came with three mags each. With the discount, the out-the door price for the Walther PDPs was $511. I did not buy either on Monday, but knew that was a good price so I returned on later in the day on Tuesday and both were still available. I picked up the compact.

The employee told me that they just got the PDPs in and nobody bought any except for me.

The placed was busy both days and they apparently sold over 100 guns. I just found it odd how people overlook Walther. It seems like Glocks, SIGs, and S&Ws fly off the shelf and nearly every time I enter a shop I see people buying them.

I already own the PPQ and wanted the PDP for the optics mounting capability. My PPQ has been outstanding in terms of reliability, durability, and accuracy. Reviews of the PDP have been favorable and without having shot it, I can certify that the machining and overall quality appear to be sublime.

Perhaps people gravitate towards other brands because they market better or have more aftermarket support or are more common. It’s not like Walther is a new company or did something politely abhorrent or overcharges or produces substandard products. I can’t pinpoint the reason why Walther aren’t more common, but I find it rather interesting.
Click to expand...

People tend to gravitate towards lower quality guns, maybe it's the price. Walk the range and see how many H&K or Walthers you see.
 
Nuclear said:
I really like my PPQ, but Walther’s North American customer support is poor. Front site came off at about 200 rounds, they wanted to charge me for it. Asked about getting a milled slide for it, nope, “buy a Q4”, like I could even find one for sale. How about the dimensions of the slide cut so I can have my slide locally milled? “Nope, can’t give you that info.” When the PDP came out, we were told the slides (that are milled for optics) are compatible with the PPQ frames. But again, there aren’t any PDP slides for sale.

Quite frankly, there are reasons Walther gets overlooked.
Click to expand...

My experience with Walther’s customer support differs from yours.

About 4 years ago, I bought a Walther PPQ Navy variant second hand. The gun shot fine, but when I added a suppressor, it usually failed to return to battery without a slight tap on the back of the slide. I emailed Walther and they replied that the pistol needed an upgraded blue recoil spring to ensure reliability when suppressed. They sent me the spring free of charge.

About three years ago, my CCP had a minor issue in which the small cylindrical piece that ensure the centeredness of the striker spring became mangled within the striker channel. I emailed Walther and a tech asked me a few questions. During the conversation, I noted that I couldn’t find my CCP take-down tool. Walther sent me the replacement part and another take-down tool, both free of charge.
 
giggitygiggity said:
About 4 years ago, I bought a Walther PPQ Navy variant second hand. The gun shot fine, but when I added a suppressor, it usually failed to return to battery without a slight tap on the back of the slide. I emailed Walther and they replied that the pistol needed an upgraded blue recoil spring to ensure reliability when suppressed. They sent me the spring free of charge.
Click to expand...

Good!
That is how they will get a better foot toehold in competing with Smith, Colt, and Ruger.
I'm very happy with mine Q5, and when I need to replace my carry weapon, will probably look at a PDP to see if the quality is close to it, if I can find one.
I don't expect it to be the same, the PDP isn't an $1700.00 gun.
I will need to be really good though.
 
giggitygiggity said:
My experience with Walther’s customer support differs from yours.

About 4 years ago, I bought a Walther PPQ Navy variant second hand. The gun shot fine, but when I added a suppressor, it usually failed to return to battery without a slight tap on the back of the slide. I emailed Walther and they replied that the pistol needed an upgraded blue recoil spring to ensure reliability when suppressed. They sent me the spring free of charge.

About three years ago, my CCP had a minor issue in which the small cylindrical piece that ensure the centeredness of the striker spring became mangled within the striker channel. I emailed Walther and a tech asked me a few questions. During the conversation, I noted that I couldn’t find my CCP take-down tool. Walther sent me the replacement part and another take-down tool, both free of charge.
Click to expand...

They replaced my entire PPQ 22LR twice for minor issues. They paid shipping there and back. They also paid shipping both ways for my PPQ 9mm. Again something very minor. All transactions very fast. I can't complain.
 
I will add that I purchased my PK380 used. When it arrived, unlike the "nearly new" description that was provided at the popular gun auction site, it was unusable. The firing pin was jammed forward, the result was that it was not able to chamber ammunition.

I contacted them and sent it back. They ended up putting a new slide on it. All at no charge.
 
Ok, you all have convinced me, I will contact Walther North America with an open mind. Fifth time’s the charm, I’m sure.
 
Concealed Walther compacts:

my P99 AS fits —snugly — the same IWB Remora holster as my CZ PCR, Sig P225 (German), and S&W 908.

This Remora has No Clip, by the way.

All of my 9mm handguns are equally concealable , IWB, under a specific sports shirt or T-shirts.
 
So I contacted Walther via the website, and got a response in a few minutes. Good for them. The e-mail stated they would not give me the dimensions of the milled area on the slide. It’s not like I couldn’t find someone to measure a milled slide with a micrometer, it isn’t a state secret, but I can almost understand from a legal liability standpoint. I was also informed that I could purchased a stripped slide instead. Great, that’s what I wanted in the first place. I then asked in an email response, since it isn’t listed as a part on the website, how do I order one? Crickets….
 
giggitygiggity said:
... Walther sent me the replacement part and another take-down tool, both free of charge.
Click to expand...

I've had mixed experiences with Walther's service on things like that, the policy seems to change depending on what representative you happen to get that day.

First experience, I called because I needed a replacement pair of grips for my PPK. I explained that I needed them because I had accidentally torqued the grip screw too tight and cracked the originals (I have since learned from this mistake- finger tight only! :oops:). Anyway, since it was my fault I fully expected to pay for them, however they sent me a replacement pair for free!

Some months later, the trigger bar broke while shooting! I called CS again, this time expecting not to pay for the piece, since this was a defect in the part itself (I was within 1,000 rounds, that's a big failure for a low round count gun). Nope, they said the only way I could get that part for free is to send the whole gun back in the mail, and let them put it in. I didn't want to deal with that fuss, so I just bought the replacement piece and had it back in the gun myself in less than a minute. No anxiety of the gun getting lost in the mail, damaged in the mail, or having to be available to sign for it on return. The irony is that this piece costs less than the grips would have costs.
 
giggitygiggity said:
About 4 years ago, I bought a Walther PPQ Navy variant second hand. The gun shot fine, but when I added a suppressor, it usually failed to return to battery without a slight tap on the back of the slide. I emailed Walther and they replied that the pistol needed an upgraded blue recoil spring to ensure reliability when suppressed. They sent me the spring free of charge.
Click to expand...

Similar experience with Walther CS. I have a Q4 Tac. At some point the thread protector came off and must have fallen down my pant leg (IWB carry) without me noticing. I called Walther and asked to buy a new one. The rep confirmed my address and tossed a new protector in an envelope to send out to me. Had it in a few days after the call.
 
I've owned a PDP compact for about 6 months now. It has a Holosun HS507C X2 (easy fit with the plate and hasn't been aq problem with over 500 rounds through it) on it and it is incredibly accurate with the best trigger in my stable. I just bought a VP9 this week and I still feel the Walther has a better trigger but when I do my part, both are plenty accurate out to 15 yards (3" groups). I really wanted a PDP Full Size but prematurely jumped on the compact when it showed up because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get either for a long time. In reality the compact is nearly as large as most other full size guns which is fine for range use.

I tried out a Canick TP9SF at a LGS and have to say that the trigger is on par with the PDP with an equally good reset but I can't justify buying another plastic striker fired 9mm for a while and that gun seems to be in plentiful supply for the time being.
 
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