Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Walther PPQ 45 has landed...Range and pictorial review.

The Walther PPQ45 has landed in my hands.





Walther just shipped my LGS a special PPQ45 for our upcoming gun expo. Needless to say that the PPQ45 was mine soon after. I will start the review off as saying I had extremely high expectations for the 45 PPQ. I love my classic PPQ in 9mm but these days shoot/carry 40 and 45acp more. I have 28 handguns in my collection and teach a CCW class as well as act as a RO so I have shot about every handgun as they are available. In MY hands.... The PPQ 45 is THE most accurate polymer 45acp I have ever shot. It is the best PPQ I have shot. Yup, its that good.

This is the first magazine I shot out of the big PPQ45.




Lets back up and I will give you the specs. 12 + 1 45acp. The size of the gun feels the same as my PPQ 9mm. Fits my hand identical. It is a German pistol and it feels like it with its build quality. Build quality and fit and finish is top shelf.



Factory test target:




The PPQ45 magazines load 12 rounds of 45acp and they load all 12 rounds easily. The last round fits nicely. As you can see the mags are made in Italy and are very high quality with a anti friction coating. The mags shoot out of the bottom of the gun loaded or empty or even with the slide open. Think IDPA ready out of the box 45acp.

[img]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/...ns%20etc/Walther%20PPQ45/PPQ45%20mag.jpg[/img]

The slide racks as easy as my 9mm PPQ. Recoil management is where the PPQ 45 rises above all the other 45acp polymer guns I have shot. I dont know what magic Walther did to this PPQ but the PPQ45 feels like a 9mm PPQ. Its wasnt just me either. All those that shot the gun at the expo couldnt believe it was a 45acp. We had some very seasoned pro shooters shoot this gun and all were in agreement that it was one of the smoothest polymer 45acp they have shot.

The trigger: THE best in the industry. This one had absolutely no creep or mush at all. Even better than my well shot in PPQ 9mm. It is a match grade trigger by any ones standard. Reset was short and rapid fire was easily kept under control. I shot well past 40 yards with it and groups were unbelievably small (still looking for the target). Stacking bullets seemed almost effortless.


[img]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/...ther%20PPQ45/PPQ%2045%20rapid%20fire.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/...%20etc/Walther%20PPQ45/PPQ45%20hand2.jpg[/img]

Sight were the typical 3 dot adjustable PPQ sights. Didnt have to touch them. They had a slight under target hold that I love. I will eventually put night sights on it but for now they are crisp and easy to see and will do nicely.

[img]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/...ns%20etc/Walther%20PPQ45/PPQ45%20HST.jpg[/img]

The PPQ45 feeds everything. I tried to get the gun to fail by shooting it left handed, limp wrist, etc.... Perfectly reliable and this gun is duty ready for me. HST 230jhp and Gold Dot 230jhp are what I like to carry in my 45's and the PPQ45 shot both equally well. In fact, I shot 250 rounds of mixed ammo from cheap to premium and all were accurate and their POI remained consistent.
I believe Walther may have bested the original PPQ Classic with the PPQ45. I also will go on record that it is the best polymer striker 45acp you can buy. The gun seems to mitigate recoil better than the competition yet still being very light weight. Accuracy seems to be consistent with every body that shoots it. Those two alone make it a extremely easy 45acp to shoot fast and with alot of control.
So I will wrap this up by saying that the PPQ45 exceeded my high expectations. The only problem that I can see with the PPQ 45 is finding one. These are going to sell and sell fast.

[img]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/...0etc/Walther%20PPQ45/PPQ%2045%20nice.jpg[/img]

Thanks for the hands-on review! Love my M2 9mm.

not a 45 fan, however what are your thoughts on walther intoducing the PPX and other PPQ looking pistols that IMO confuse people and are not as good as the regular PPQ. I think walther should have just cultivated a following with the PPQ and quit bringing in other guns.

The PPX is a budget line of handguns. It wont effect the PPQ sales. Personally, I am not a fan of Wathers even having a "budget",...ie lower price point line of guns.



UPDATE:

Here are a few quick size comparison pics of some of my big bores I pulled from safe. Note that the mid size USP Compact 40 isnt that much smaller than the PPQ45.







Here is a good demonstration on the size of the grip and its excellent design. Note that my grip doesnt change going from shooting to releasing the magazine. I can easily activate the mag release without changing my grip at all. This is extremely rare for a 45acp that holds 12 + 1 rounds.


Here is a DeSantis leather holster for the G20 I wet molded to fit the PPQ45 exactly. The PPQ45 isnt as blocky as the gG20 so by remolding the lines, it gives a precise fit. The Blackhawk IWB holster I use for my USP Compact fits the PPQ45 great.



I own two Sig P320. A Sub Compact 9mm and Compact 40. The triggers are crisp on the P320 and rank in the top three striker fire triggers (good VP9, better P320, best PPQ ). This example of the PPQ 45 is better than them all. It is better in every category. Crisper, shorter reset, and no mush/grit/perceivable friction. It probably weighs in at a honest 4.5lbs- 4.75lbs but feels lighter and certainly not hair trigger. It is THE best striker trigger I have ever felt stock or modified. My PPQ 9mm has about 1500 rounds through it and it is broken in to a 4.5lbs range. Most noticeably lighter than the P320 and VP9. The PPQ45 with 500 rounds through it feels better and more crisp. When you pull the take up of the trigger to the wall, it is rock solid. At that point it breaks clean and crisp only moving slightly back against the final wall that is rock solid. The trigger then moves forward only .1" to reset with a audible click for the next shot. Hands down the best polymer trigger I have ever felt.
It feels like a custom trigger job right out of the box and would be considered a outstanding trigger by anyone's standard.

Now what I am wondering is because this particular PPQ45 was hand picked for the expo event as pre released gun, if it wasn't cherry picked from the best of the initial production. It's possible but highly unlikely. I will go on record as saying It is THE best striker fire I have ever shot modded or stock.

Thanks for the pictures and report, seems like a dang fine SD/competition piece.

My only Walther is a P22 but I love it and it is sure more accurate than I am. Never had a person shoot it that didn't say they wanted one, latest was my daughters secretary during my CCW class. She picks hers up Thursday! I'll tell ya what, I sure would not want her pizzed off at me with it in her hand, all ten ring out to 25 yards.

No offense, and it sounds like a great pistol, but it looks like a tricked out Hi-Point.

No offense. A Pontiac Fiero kinda looks like Ferrari too but thats where the similarities stop.

Outstanding review. I want one.

the problem is whereever I go all they have for sale is the PPX. I think the PPQ and PPX while looking similar are not. The PPQ is a much better gun. I think they are making a mistake by selling both. the PPQ was so cool H&K copied it, then added $400 to the price.

for a guy who thinks glocks feel funny in their hands. the PPQ is the best feeling poly gun in my hands period.

Too bad Walther couldn't think of a different name. It calls to mind the old colloquial term for manners "Your P's and Q's." Perhaps Walther could capitalize on that coincidence and market the gun as a "well mannered pistol" and that, for safety's sake, "one must mind one's PPQ."

I've not shot the PPQs, but handling them feels like they formed them using my hand molds to form the grips. They feel absolutely perfect for me. It is on my guns to get list definitely.

I've fired the 9mm PPQ M1 (paddle mag release) and, yes I know this will be heresy to many, I like it better than my Glock 19 even after said Glock's grip reduction. The PPQ's trigger is EXCELLENT and its grip fits my small paw far better than it looks like it would. If I didn't have so much money sunk into my G19 already, I'd own a PPQ M1. (BTW, the paddle mag release seems awkward at first, but a couple of minutes with it and you'll see its value. The ability to drop a mag without having to shift my grip even an iota is priceless [okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but you get the idea]).

Incidentally, good report on the PPQ .45.

The PPQ isn't pretty, but it's a very cool pistol; one of the best things Walther has put out in decades. FOR ME the ergonomics are fantastic, they just feel SO good in the hand, and they just point naturally. I've only put one mag trough a PPQ, but I'd love to put a few cases of ammo through one. I haven't seen a .45 in the flesh yet, but I'd love to test drive one.

As a general rule, I don't like to buy a self defense pistol until it has been on the market for at least 5 years. Once the PPQ turns 5, I will probably have to have one.

It's nice to see Walther rise toward the top once again. I always thought the P99 was a slick pistol for its day. It had some issues early on (as do most, which is why I have the 5 year "rule"), but they sorted those issues out and it's a very solid performer these days. And once again, the ergonomics are just outstanding.

Where do you shop at that the VP series is $400 more than the PPQ? They are within $20 of each other everywhere I have seen.

I'm planning to acquire the Walther PPQ M2 22-LR. pistol.

~> ~> http://www.carl-walther.com/assets/images/products/zoom/510.01.00_3.jpg <~ <~

I previously had two Walther P-22 pistols that I liked but sold. I think this PPQ version will be superior.