wanderinwalker
Member
This morning I was at the friendly local gun shop and spotted a used Walther PPQ-M1 in 9mm in the display. I've been interested in this particular model for a while, so when this particular specimen looked to be practically unfired, I went ahead and filled out the paperwork and made the purchase. It came with the box, paperwork, accessories and 2 magazines.
Luckily today's errands put me close to my gun club's ranges, which gave me a chance to put a couple of boxes through the Walther in short order. In 45 minutes I formed a few impressions:
1) I can see why everybody raves about the trigger action. It's short, crisp and consistent. This is possibly the best semi-auto trigger I've fired on a non-1911 pistol.
2) The PPQ is very accurate. I ran 50 rounds of CCI Lawman 115 grain FMJ, 50 rounds of Winchester 9mm NATO 124 grain FMJ and 5 rounds of Winchester Ranger SXT 127 grain +P+ through it. A 4" steel plate at 25 yards was almost easy to hit. I shot the last 20 rounds of the day at a 50-foot NRA rapid fire bullseye from 40-feet, all 20 landed within the 9-ring or better.
3) This pistol is very shootable. Within the first magazine I had made hits on the 4" plate mentioned above and the smaller plate next to it. In fact, I actually started with the steel targets at the 25-yard line instead of shooting paper at 7-10 yards.
4) Walther did a great job designing the grip of the PPQ. I'm aware it's an evolution of the P-99 (I put quite a few rounds through a first generation DAO P-990) but this variation feels better to me than the original grip. It's sticky enough to stay put while shooting while not being as aggressive as a Gen 4 Glock.
5) The paddle magazine release is a love-it or hate-it feature. I personally really like it, as I can activate it with my trigger finger without having to shift my grip on the pistol.
It will take some time to put enough rounds through this Walther to confirm its reliability and durability, though I don't expect it to disappoint on either front. All in all, my initial impression is that the gushing reviews for the PPQ are well earned. If you're on the fence about picking the PPQ or one of the other polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols on the market, definitely give the Walther a try.
(I'll fire up the good digital camera and get some pictures later. Though it's just another black polymer-framed semi-auto pistol.)
Luckily today's errands put me close to my gun club's ranges, which gave me a chance to put a couple of boxes through the Walther in short order. In 45 minutes I formed a few impressions:
1) I can see why everybody raves about the trigger action. It's short, crisp and consistent. This is possibly the best semi-auto trigger I've fired on a non-1911 pistol.
2) The PPQ is very accurate. I ran 50 rounds of CCI Lawman 115 grain FMJ, 50 rounds of Winchester 9mm NATO 124 grain FMJ and 5 rounds of Winchester Ranger SXT 127 grain +P+ through it. A 4" steel plate at 25 yards was almost easy to hit. I shot the last 20 rounds of the day at a 50-foot NRA rapid fire bullseye from 40-feet, all 20 landed within the 9-ring or better.
3) This pistol is very shootable. Within the first magazine I had made hits on the 4" plate mentioned above and the smaller plate next to it. In fact, I actually started with the steel targets at the 25-yard line instead of shooting paper at 7-10 yards.
4) Walther did a great job designing the grip of the PPQ. I'm aware it's an evolution of the P-99 (I put quite a few rounds through a first generation DAO P-990) but this variation feels better to me than the original grip. It's sticky enough to stay put while shooting while not being as aggressive as a Gen 4 Glock.
5) The paddle magazine release is a love-it or hate-it feature. I personally really like it, as I can activate it with my trigger finger without having to shift my grip on the pistol.
It will take some time to put enough rounds through this Walther to confirm its reliability and durability, though I don't expect it to disappoint on either front. All in all, my initial impression is that the gushing reviews for the PPQ are well earned. If you're on the fence about picking the PPQ or one of the other polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols on the market, definitely give the Walther a try.
(I'll fire up the good digital camera and get some pictures later. Though it's just another black polymer-framed semi-auto pistol.)
