Rimfire Dilemma - Fix up my Walther PPQ or Pick Up a G44?

Sniffer

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
44   0   0
Location
Okanagan
So I have a Walther PPQ 5" 22LR pistol and the rear dovetail has started to loosen up to the point that I think the only real fix is to replace the slide.

Does anyone know where to buy a new slide for a Walther pistol? I forwarded an email to Elwood Epps and they have reached out to their source to see if they can source one, that was a couple of weeks ago but no update yet.

Am I correct in thinking that North Sylva are the Walther importers?

I could sell this pistol as is and buy something else, maybe a Glock 44? I'm open to suggestions for other 22LR pistols. I shoot a CZ Shadow 2 and thought about the Kadet kit but I know someone who has one and they're not crazy about it, they are pricey too.

There are some rimfire events at the local range I use and I'm missing out due to the sight issue.
 
Just curious why your rear dovetail has loosened up?

The Walther has a slide made from soft metal (aluminum is my guess) to keep the weight down, they rear sight is height adjustable by using a grub screw onto the slide (pretty rudimentary).

Right from the off I had trouble getting to zeroed due to running out of elevation, from what I can tell this was a common issue to the point that replacement 3D printed inserts were available to try to counteract the issue.

I guess eventually the grub screw being maxed out took its toll on the soft slide metal.
 
hammer and a center punch? Sorry could not help my self, But before I bought a slide , I would try some thing like that.
It is in a dove tail? I can't remember
 
hammer and a center punch? Sorry could not help my self, But before I bought a slide , I would try some thing like that.
It is in a dove tail? I can't remember

I guess I could give it a whirl, nothing to lose.

Doubt if it'll work though as the metal don't look too strong

Yes, it's a dove tail for sure.
 
There's no comparison between a .22LR 'PPQ' and a G44. Night and day. The 'PPQ' is a Umarex, the G44 is a Glock. My advice? Dump the 'PPQ' and buy a G44.
 
There's no comparison between a .22LR 'PPQ' and a G44. Night and day. The 'PPQ' is a Umarex, the G44 is a Glock. My advice? Dump the 'PPQ' and buy a G44.

Interesting, so is the Glock reliable? I'm getting mixed reviews. And how is the trigger?

The Kadet kit is pretty tempting too...
 
I have used jb weld to tighten up dovetails on rimfires with good success. Mix it up, gob in the dovetail and inset the sight. Even after drying it can be drifted later. Crazy glue also works well. Although from what I have taken in about Walther rimfire pistols is they are lemons. My preference is a Ruger 22/45. I own a mark III with wood panels and they all work well. You may also want to look into a Buckmark for a reliable .22 If its shooting low you may want to file down the front sight.
 
Last edited:
I have used jb weld to tighten up dovetails on rimfires with good success. Mix it up, gob in the dovetail and inset the sight. Even after drying it can be drifted later. Crazy glue also works well. Although from what I have taken in about Walther rimfire pistols is they are lemons. My preference is a Ruger 22/45. I own a mark III with wood panels and they all work well. You may also want to look into a Buckmark for a reliable .22 If its shooting low you may want to file down the front sight.

I might try that. Don't have anything to lose I guess.

I'll take it to the range tomorrow and see if the sight alignment is close, mark it and then try securing it with JB weld or similar.

I got to thinking that the 22LR Kadet kit for the Shadow 2 would probably be the best option for me but they are hard to find and generally cost ~$150 more than a Glock G44 which is hard to swallow.
 
Look for a nice Browning Challenger vintage made in Belgium. Show up here often for very reasonable dollars if you want a quality 22. Or a Ruger Mark I or II with the bull barrel.
 
The JB weld idea is O.K. If it was a steel slide , than the center punch is a fix, with the glue make sure to degrease first, brake clean or alcohol is safer.
There are lots of 22 target guns out there, made of steel, I can't comment on the Glock, The kadet kit is O.K., I just don't see the point.
You can buy a great gun for less than those things are, I know a fellow that has one , and he likes it on his CZ75
The Browning Challenger are great guns, mags are a problem to find , a buckmark is good , current and lots of options, never had one myself.
 
I stripped this today and had a look.

The slide has a slight mark on the dovetail but it's almost nothing.

The sights on these are weird, the sight has two small tabs about 1/8" wide on each edge at the rear and thats what holds it in the dovetail groove and it is secured by a grub screw in the middle of the dovetail.

The windage adjustment screw (behind the grub screw towards the rear of the gun) can be screwed down to the point that it presses on the slide and starts to pull the rear of the dovetail out of the sight.

I think this is whats happened and it is the small tabs on the sight that are damaged.

Does anyone know if regular sights can be pressed into these slides? I figure Walther had to use a grub screw to hold the sight in place as the soft material the slide is made from (aluminum?) wouldn't offer a secure enough press only fit which is typical on full size firearms.
 
I got a bunch of other things going on right now so this fell by the wayside.

I'm thinking of selling the PPQ as is (cheap) and picking up something else.

The Glock still appeals to me but I also found a Ruger 22/45 Lite & 22/45 Tactical.

Both of the Rugers have adjustable sights and a pic rail so I could use an optic too if I fancy it (I have a Holosun 508T V2 with Pic adaptor that would probably work pretty good).

Has anyone had contact with any of these? I'm specifically wondering about:

1) Reliability - do they work well with different types of ammo?
2) Quality - are they well made?
3) What is the difference between the 22/45 Lite and 22/45 Tactical? Only difference I can see is the pic rail on the bottom of the front on the Tactical.
4) What are the triggers like? Light / heavy? I saw an Apex kit for the 22/45 so that is an option.
 
CZ Kadet kit.
Shoots fantastic
Reliable
CZ trigger

Expensive
Hard to rack the slide.
Your donar CZ has to run heavy springs to light the rimfire primer.

Back when Wholesale Sports was still around, I missed an opportunity to purchase a complete Kadet pistol. Still makes me mad.
 
Back
Top Bottom