Walther PPS Review requested

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Anyone who has or has experience with the Walther PPS. Interested in posting your thoughts?

[Up1911Fan]

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?6146-Walther-PPS&highlight=walther
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2939-Walther-PPS&highlight=walther
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=117410&highlight=pps
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=104083&highlight=pps
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=99267&highlight=pps

[LittleLebowski]

Southnarc is also a fan of these. Expensive mags.

http://rationalgun.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-small-9mm-and-thoughts-on.html

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Thanks. The search function didn't return any hits for me.

[Up1911Fan]

http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/faq-pps/8904-walther-pps-observations.html

[abu fitna]

I will also chime in, although these comments likely echo many of the reviews before (haven't read through most of them).

The Walther PPS is a very flat pistol, which has its uses. I find it most appropriate for as the "suit gun". It filled a niche that has allowed me to not need to consider the smaller calibers such as the LCP, etc.

The mag release is not quite close enough to the HK style for ease of commonality in training, which is a downside. On the other hand, with the small frame one's trigger finger naturally finds the pivot point for the mag release when needed. The odd mag baseplate can catch the palm on fast reloads - blood blisters will happen.

The backstrap has never come loose for me (God willing it remain so), but it is a less than ideal aspect of the design in my view (as in others).

The tolerances are tight, and as a result the weapon can be picky about some ammo. +P in particular may not cycle well - I would think due to the extra slide velocity - where you see failures to extract. Test your carry ammo, as always. (Federal HST 124gr standard pressure runs quite fine in mine, for example, which is more than adequate in my view).

Night sights are hard to come by and to fit. Others have had success with some unique mods.

Holsters are not as common, but who doesn't go custom kydex these days? The baseplate design oddity can make some mag carriers less comfortable.

The weapon does have a slickness in recoil that is common to the Walther polymer designs, and can rotate a bit in the hand. But a good firing grip can lock that down, and it is nowhere near the issue of the old P99 twist due to the much slimmer design.

Overall, quite serviceable and fills a useful niche is one is not dressing to the larger gun for whatever reason that day. For shooters with smaller hands, it is a good option.

However, one comes to the question of comparison in the niche. Since the PPS broke ground in many was, other makers have entered the segment. Now the S&W Shield has come to the market, and to be honest while I initially thought the Shield was a "me too" attempt to enter the same segment and displace the PPS or LCP purchases, I have come to rethink this based on feedback from multiple female shooters that gave me pause to rethink some of the ergonomics factors involved. The Shield has a much better grip texture, a more solid feel in the hand, and the conventional mag release is definitely a plus for most of us trained to the standard design. While the PPS trigger can be crisper in its release, there is a slight roll to the feel of the Shield trigger which does help perception of manipulation for some shooters. The Shield trigger reset is more positive than the usual M&P but still not quite the Glock like standard most striker fired owners seem to expect, and the Walther definitely has benefit there in a more positive reset.

The longer service life does offer some benefits, especially when looking to pick up something in the European area. But that is not so much a concern for those in the domestic environment.

I think the PPS has a lot of potential as a platform that has not yet been fully realized, and the example of other more recently introduced weapons does point the way to a better tool that could be positioned effectively for a much larger user population in the greatly expanded subcompact segment. Early mover advantage was good here for Walther, albeit in some ways squandered by poor US distribution relationships - but there is room for refinement in the weapon itself.

I will be quite interested to see what happens to the line now that Walther is on its own in the US market. A product improved update, with an H&K style highly textured grip in the mode of the P30 that eliminates the useless backstrap feature; emphasis on good tritium sight options, an improved mag baseplate design and release - these would address many of the deficiencies of the current design.

Until the day the Gaston at last sees the wisdom of a single stack 9mm design (a day which may only come to his successor), one could see such a new gen Walther easily dividing the segment entirely with the Shield (with the Ruger and XD-S models a much smaller market fraction). But that is nothing more than a rosy projection for now, and while that might warm some Arkansas product manager's hearts, we all know where the market actually stands.

None of this makes the PPS a poor choice for what it is. But it is not the first of the slim pistols I pull out of the safe when I am fitting a new shooter with small hands, or someone who is trying to find a match to a restricted wardrobe.

[JodyH]

^^^ Good summation ^^^
After dealing with Umarex/Walther USA i'm not confident in their ability to support their "real" handguns.
When i've dealt with them they are very much an airsoft import company not a gun company.
I've pretty much written Walther off due to the lack of magazines and small parts availability, along with horribly long service turn around.
Maybe they'll improve after they get fully up and running.

The PPS itself is a good platform, but i've found that my P2000SK carries AIWB just as well and my Kahr PM9 pocket carries much better.
When my wife started hinting at wanting a new slim CCW, I went with the Shield over another PPS due to S&W customer support, magazine availability and many more sight options.
I do prefer the paddle style mag release on the Walther for CCW because it's much less likely to be accidentally activated, but those goofy mag baseplates and the backstrap "safety" have got to go.

[LittleLebowski]

I think that the linked thread from the Walther forum complicates things needlessly for would be PPS owners. It's flat, accurate, has a silly backstrap system, might not like range ammo until shot a bit, and is a good weapon with not enough sight and holster options.

I also agree with JodyH that one can easily conceal a larger, easier to shoot, higher capacity weapon with the proper holster.

[nalesq]

The PPS also has the advantage of a pointy striker that protrudes from the back of the slide whenever the trigger is pressed. This allows one to cover it with one's thumb while holstering, preventing the weapon from firing (or at the very least giving a very distinct tactile indication that the trigger is being pressed), much the same way a thumb over a decocked hammer can do while holstering a DA pistol. This makes the reholstering process more forgiving in the event something contacts the trigger as the weapon is being pushed into the holster, a huge plus, especially for AIWB carry.

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I dry fired one at a LGS. I liked the trigger and the reset much more than my Kahr P-9. Im going to try to find one for rent at a range and run a box of ammo through it.

[rudy99]

The PPS also has the advantage of a pointy striker that protrudes from the back of the slide whenever the trigger is pressed. This allows one to cover it with one's thumb while holstering, preventing the weapon from firing (or at the very least giving a very distinct tactile indication that the trigger is being pressed), much the same way a thumb over a decocked hammer can do while holstering a DA pistol. This makes the reholstering process more forgiving in the event something contacts the trigger as the weapon is being pushed into the holster, a huge plus, especially for AIWB carry.

This was what I was going to add to this thread. I've used my PPS to try out AIWB carry due to this feature. I have enjoyed mine quite a bit and it has gotten me carrying a lot more. The mag release isn't too big of a deal, even though my prior experience has been with Glocks and M&Ps. I purchased the PPS before the Shield was released, and I bet I would have picked the Shield over the PPS, however I do really like being able to thumb the striker more than having a small safety lever. The trigger is not as good as a Glock but it is better than my M&P. I've finally decided that I really don't like the sights (not enough of a flat top), but unfortunately there is really only one aftermarket option (Meprolight).


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