wanderinwalker
Member
While I normally post about older pistols and revolvers, I also like and use several modern guns. One of my favorite ones happens to be the Walther PPQ, a pistol which gets asked about with some regularity, so I figured I'd post a little write-up with some pictures.
Here is my Walther PPQ M1:
In terms of specifications and features, it's a pretty typical modern service pistol. It checks all of the boxes: 9mm Luger chambering, 15-round capacity, polymer frame, extreme-wear resistant metal finish, "striker firing system", interchangeable grip pieces, ambidextrous controls and a 1913-spec Picatinny rail on the dust cover. In the Walther naming system "M1" indicates the presence of an ambidextrous paddle-lever style magazine release, located at the rear of the trigger guard. This is very different from the typical push-button style we American shooters are accustomed to. Some shooters put these guns down immediately because the magazine release is "too weird"; for them Walther makes the M2 with a push-buttom release. Warning: magazines do NOT interchange between the M1 and M2 versions.
Even after having my particular Walther for almost 5 years, I don't consider it to be a particularly remarkable pistol. Let me expand on that thought: the Walther isn't remarkable because it is remarkable. It just works like a pistol is supposed to. I stopped counting the number of rounds I've fired through it quite a while ago, after I passed a couple thousand rounds of mixed factory ammo without any failures to feed, fire, extract or eject. Even with reloads I've made with whatever bullets I can scrounge up, the PPQ just chugs along like a pistol should. The controls are well laid out, I never fumble to reach the slide stop or magazine release while manipulating the pistol. In fact, I've found I can work the magazine release very quickly with the middle finger of my shooting hand, instead of trying to manipulate the pistol in my grip to use my shooting hand thumb for the same job.
The biggest reason I like the PPQ is because the pistol doesn't feel like it actively tries to fight my efforts to shoot small groups, small targets, or fast strings against large targets. Bullets go where the sights go with boring reliability. I can honestly say I've tried a couple of other modern polymer pistols that will occasionally leave me scratching my head wondering why the pistol won't settle down in my hands. Unfortunately, due to the current ammo shortage and New England winter conditions, I don't have any targets to photograph to demonstrate this pistol's practical accuracy. Perhaps later, when the weather and ammo situation improve.
Now I won't say everything is sunshine and roses with the Walther. The biggest selling point of the PPQ may also be its biggest drawback: the trigger. One world describes the PPQ's trigger: excellent. As much time, money and effort as shooters expend on other striker-fired guns to improve the trigger action, the Walther is there out of the box. This can be a liability when you hand a PPQ to a new shooter, or a shooter who is accustomed to the staple-gun triggers on most other modern pistols. I've had people double tap inadvertently when trying my PPQ. While I haven't put a trigger scale to the PPQ, my off-the-cuff estimate is that it lets off in the 5-5.5 pound range, just very smoothly and crisply.
The other issue with the PPQ is the common complaint of "high bore axis". I actually agree that due to the grip shape, the pistol can be a bit squirmy in the hand when fitted with the smaller back straps. My solution was simply to install the Large grip piece, even though I normally wear a size Medium glove. This really opens up the amount of real estate available to hold on to, greatly improving the pistol's manners in live-fire.
After all of that, if anybody asks me if I would recommend a Walther PPQ over most of the other common polymer service pistols, my answer remains "YES". While it might not be a perfect choice, with proper training and practice it is a great choice.
Here is my Walther PPQ M1:
In terms of specifications and features, it's a pretty typical modern service pistol. It checks all of the boxes: 9mm Luger chambering, 15-round capacity, polymer frame, extreme-wear resistant metal finish, "striker firing system", interchangeable grip pieces, ambidextrous controls and a 1913-spec Picatinny rail on the dust cover. In the Walther naming system "M1" indicates the presence of an ambidextrous paddle-lever style magazine release, located at the rear of the trigger guard. This is very different from the typical push-button style we American shooters are accustomed to. Some shooters put these guns down immediately because the magazine release is "too weird"; for them Walther makes the M2 with a push-buttom release. Warning: magazines do NOT interchange between the M1 and M2 versions.
Even after having my particular Walther for almost 5 years, I don't consider it to be a particularly remarkable pistol. Let me expand on that thought: the Walther isn't remarkable because it is remarkable. It just works like a pistol is supposed to. I stopped counting the number of rounds I've fired through it quite a while ago, after I passed a couple thousand rounds of mixed factory ammo without any failures to feed, fire, extract or eject. Even with reloads I've made with whatever bullets I can scrounge up, the PPQ just chugs along like a pistol should. The controls are well laid out, I never fumble to reach the slide stop or magazine release while manipulating the pistol. In fact, I've found I can work the magazine release very quickly with the middle finger of my shooting hand, instead of trying to manipulate the pistol in my grip to use my shooting hand thumb for the same job.
The biggest reason I like the PPQ is because the pistol doesn't feel like it actively tries to fight my efforts to shoot small groups, small targets, or fast strings against large targets. Bullets go where the sights go with boring reliability. I can honestly say I've tried a couple of other modern polymer pistols that will occasionally leave me scratching my head wondering why the pistol won't settle down in my hands. Unfortunately, due to the current ammo shortage and New England winter conditions, I don't have any targets to photograph to demonstrate this pistol's practical accuracy. Perhaps later, when the weather and ammo situation improve.
Now I won't say everything is sunshine and roses with the Walther. The biggest selling point of the PPQ may also be its biggest drawback: the trigger. One world describes the PPQ's trigger: excellent. As much time, money and effort as shooters expend on other striker-fired guns to improve the trigger action, the Walther is there out of the box. This can be a liability when you hand a PPQ to a new shooter, or a shooter who is accustomed to the staple-gun triggers on most other modern pistols. I've had people double tap inadvertently when trying my PPQ. While I haven't put a trigger scale to the PPQ, my off-the-cuff estimate is that it lets off in the 5-5.5 pound range, just very smoothly and crisply.
The other issue with the PPQ is the common complaint of "high bore axis". I actually agree that due to the grip shape, the pistol can be a bit squirmy in the hand when fitted with the smaller back straps. My solution was simply to install the Large grip piece, even though I normally wear a size Medium glove. This really opens up the amount of real estate available to hold on to, greatly improving the pistol's manners in live-fire.
After all of that, if anybody asks me if I would recommend a Walther PPQ over most of the other common polymer service pistols, my answer remains "YES". While it might not be a perfect choice, with proper training and practice it is a great choice.
