So after some protracted window shopping and nicely asking fellow range members to try theirs, I've finally gotten my first 9mm. Here's my new Walther PPQ, which I have affectionately taken to calling "Mr Bond"
This is only my fifth handgun, and my first polymer one, so don't expect the wisdom of the ages to be in this review.
"I've been expecting you, Mr bond"
Design & Fit
At first glance, the Walther PPQ is slick, boxy design with streamlined, ambidextrous controls. It's a strike fired handgun with a trigger safety and a trigger guard mounted mag release. This may seems like an odd choice, but after messing around with the mag release for a few days, it grows on you and you never give it a second thought.
Not that this will surprise anyone, but the germans knew how to put a gun together. My PPQ's finish and fit was utterly impeccable No rough spots, no blemishes, nothing.
At 695 grams, the PPQ is quite light, and nearly all of that weight is in the slide. The grip size is fairly slim, which is good, as I dislike "fat" style grips like those of the Beretta 92. The pistol comes with three different back straps, although the medium one was just right for me out of the box, with everything in easy reach. The grip is textured, which helps give you a firm hold, even one handed. Of note, my girlfriend did not care for the deep texturing, which she thought chafed her hands after a few shots.
Of more interest is the threaded barrel, and the reason for it's presence. As you may have heard, the "stock" PPQ is too short for us Canadians, so Walther chose to sell us the "navy" version. This version apparently comes with extra corrosion protection, extra stiff spring, night sights, a "water friendly" firing pin, as well as that longer, threaded barrel.
As a scuba diver, I can't help but smile at the advertised "under water" shooting ability. Being so slim, and with a large trigger guard, it would actually be a good choice for divers, who often wear gloves and need "snag free" gear. Too bad I'll never get a chance to strap this thing to my BCD and take it to an under water range.
The sights are certainly nice, giving off a healthy green glow at night. They are hands down the best stock "combat" sights I've dealt with myself.
Then there's the barrel. That extra length sticking out of the slide is an eye sore to many, and I certainly won't argue that it serves an actual function (Like you know, for a sound suppressor) but if you want a PPQ, it's something you simply have to learn to live with. I've mostly stopped thinking about it, except when I field strip. See, the PPQ breaks down really easy, as the spring and guide rod are a single, solid piece, so none of that fighting a stiff spring back into place. Problem is, the longer barrel doesn't juts come out of the frame as easily. First, you need to screw off the thread protector, and then carefully extricate the barrel from the frame, all the while protecting the naked threads. I guess it's not such a hassle, but it does slow down an otherwise lighting fast and completely user friendly take down.
The part where it goes bang:
10 rounds from 10 yards. As you can see from the above target, the PPQ can shoot straight, better then I can, as many like to say here. I'd compare it's accuracy to the CZ Shadow. The night sights make quick targeting a breeze, and my eyes never got tired of looking down range. The trigger itself is quite short, and has an almost alarmingly short reset. I mean it. If you aren't careful with trigger discipline, you will double tap at least once. Is it a competition trigger? No, you can't compare it with a good, single action revolver, but damn is it better then a glocks! I can safely say that science has come a long way since the days of the original Tupperware handgun
I'd heard that the P99 used by our local police force has noticeable recoil, and I'd expected the PPQ to follow suit. Being a polymer frame handgun, it does have a that sharp snap. My girlfriend found it rather aggressive, but I just found that it kept things exciting. After 50 rounds, I would gladly have fired off another 50!
Chance would have it, a gentleman at the range let me try his Sig P226 that day. I'd never actually fired a Sig before, and I was surprised by how little recoil it had compared with the PPQ. I can certainly see why so many swear by their Sigs, but they're just not for me.
Back to the PPQ. The two mags included with the gun both feed and drop reliably. They are not pinned, but built to hold 10 rounds with a polymer heel extending the rest of the way down.
Is it suppose to do that?
After my first mag, an eagle eyed fellow comes to see me with one of my spent shells. He shows it to me and asks if there is something wrong with my gun. The shell was slightly deformed, and understandably this had me worried. I'd been shooting Winchester 115 grain rounds, but I had a box of Federal 125 grain on hand, so I shot a few of those, and they too came out looking weird. I had inspected my PPQ when I got it, but I broke it apart and had another close look at the barrel and feeding ramp and everything looked normal. Yet if we drop a round it it, there was some wobble.
Seeing this, the gentleman asked me if I'd mistakenly feed 9mm rounds in a 40, but the barrel, as well as the frame and slide, were are all clearly stamped 9X19mm. So here I am thinking "they sold me a lemon," but I remember that my range actually had a PPQ for sale, so they may actually have encountered this situation before. They tell me it's something they've heard was normal for this particular handgun, and they provided me a few of their own custom loaded rounds, just to see if it's an ammunition issue. Predictably, same exact result. No mater what I do, the gun fed reliably, and shot straight, but I was still worried.
I took the time to look it up on the Walther forum, and this is indeed "normal" for a PPQ, except that it may ruin shells for future use, something to consider if you are into reloading.
Conclusion:
After a good first impression, and a sudden scare, I'm left rather pleased with my PPQ. For the price, I got a neat little 9mm that shoots way better then I'd imagined it would. Now all it needs is a laser sight, and Mr Bond and me should be friends for a long time.
Thanks for reading!
This is only my fifth handgun, and my first polymer one, so don't expect the wisdom of the ages to be in this review.
"I've been expecting you, Mr bond"
Design & Fit
At first glance, the Walther PPQ is slick, boxy design with streamlined, ambidextrous controls. It's a strike fired handgun with a trigger safety and a trigger guard mounted mag release. This may seems like an odd choice, but after messing around with the mag release for a few days, it grows on you and you never give it a second thought.
Not that this will surprise anyone, but the germans knew how to put a gun together. My PPQ's finish and fit was utterly impeccable No rough spots, no blemishes, nothing.
At 695 grams, the PPQ is quite light, and nearly all of that weight is in the slide. The grip size is fairly slim, which is good, as I dislike "fat" style grips like those of the Beretta 92. The pistol comes with three different back straps, although the medium one was just right for me out of the box, with everything in easy reach. The grip is textured, which helps give you a firm hold, even one handed. Of note, my girlfriend did not care for the deep texturing, which she thought chafed her hands after a few shots.
Of more interest is the threaded barrel, and the reason for it's presence. As you may have heard, the "stock" PPQ is too short for us Canadians, so Walther chose to sell us the "navy" version. This version apparently comes with extra corrosion protection, extra stiff spring, night sights, a "water friendly" firing pin, as well as that longer, threaded barrel.
As a scuba diver, I can't help but smile at the advertised "under water" shooting ability. Being so slim, and with a large trigger guard, it would actually be a good choice for divers, who often wear gloves and need "snag free" gear. Too bad I'll never get a chance to strap this thing to my BCD and take it to an under water range.
The sights are certainly nice, giving off a healthy green glow at night. They are hands down the best stock "combat" sights I've dealt with myself.
Then there's the barrel. That extra length sticking out of the slide is an eye sore to many, and I certainly won't argue that it serves an actual function (Like you know, for a sound suppressor) but if you want a PPQ, it's something you simply have to learn to live with. I've mostly stopped thinking about it, except when I field strip. See, the PPQ breaks down really easy, as the spring and guide rod are a single, solid piece, so none of that fighting a stiff spring back into place. Problem is, the longer barrel doesn't juts come out of the frame as easily. First, you need to screw off the thread protector, and then carefully extricate the barrel from the frame, all the while protecting the naked threads. I guess it's not such a hassle, but it does slow down an otherwise lighting fast and completely user friendly take down.
The part where it goes bang:
10 rounds from 10 yards. As you can see from the above target, the PPQ can shoot straight, better then I can, as many like to say here. I'd compare it's accuracy to the CZ Shadow. The night sights make quick targeting a breeze, and my eyes never got tired of looking down range. The trigger itself is quite short, and has an almost alarmingly short reset. I mean it. If you aren't careful with trigger discipline, you will double tap at least once. Is it a competition trigger? No, you can't compare it with a good, single action revolver, but damn is it better then a glocks! I can safely say that science has come a long way since the days of the original Tupperware handgun
I'd heard that the P99 used by our local police force has noticeable recoil, and I'd expected the PPQ to follow suit. Being a polymer frame handgun, it does have a that sharp snap. My girlfriend found it rather aggressive, but I just found that it kept things exciting.
After 50 rounds, I would gladly have fired off another 50!Chance would have it, a gentleman at the range let me try his Sig P226 that day. I'd never actually fired a Sig before, and I was surprised by how little recoil it had compared with the PPQ. I can certainly see why so many swear by their Sigs, but they're just not for me.
Back to the PPQ. The two mags included with the gun both feed and drop reliably. They are not pinned, but built to hold 10 rounds with a polymer heel extending the rest of the way down.
Is it suppose to do that?
After my first mag, an eagle eyed fellow comes to see me with one of my spent shells. He shows it to me and asks if there is something wrong with my gun. The shell was slightly deformed, and understandably this had me worried. I'd been shooting Winchester 115 grain rounds, but I had a box of Federal 125 grain on hand, so I shot a few of those, and they too came out looking weird. I had inspected my PPQ when I got it, but I broke it apart and had another close look at the barrel and feeding ramp and everything looked normal. Yet if we drop a round it it, there was some wobble.
Seeing this, the gentleman asked me if I'd mistakenly feed 9mm rounds in a 40, but the barrel, as well as the frame and slide, were are all clearly stamped 9X19mm. So here I am thinking "they sold me a lemon," but I remember that my range actually had a PPQ for sale, so they may actually have encountered this situation before. They tell me it's something they've heard was normal for this particular handgun, and they provided me a few of their own custom loaded rounds, just to see if it's an ammunition issue. Predictably, same exact result. No mater what I do, the gun fed reliably, and shot straight, but I was still worried.
I took the time to look it up on the Walther forum, and this is indeed "normal" for a PPQ, except that it may ruin shells for future use, something to consider if you are into reloading.
Conclusion:
After a good first impression, and a sudden scare, I'm left rather pleased with my PPQ. For the price, I got a neat little 9mm that shoots way better then I'd imagined it would. Now all it needs is a laser sight, and Mr Bond and me should be friends for a long time.
Thanks for reading!
