Originally Posted by
MistWolf
The Walther PPQ 45 is an impressive handgun. It is the most economically sized handgun in 45 ACP on the market. When I hold it in my hand, I am amazed its capacity is 12+1. The grip feels smaller and better fitting than that of the beloved 1911. The PPQ 45 is accurate, easy to shoot and forgiving. Recoil is stiffer than with the 9mm PPQ, but I don't find it to be excessive. I didn't shoot it back to back with the 1911, so my memory might be affected by the excitement of owning a new handgun, but with that caveat, I think the PPQ is softer shooting than the 1911. Next time I go shoot, I'll take both and make a direct comparison.
I've been struggling with pulling shots to the left with all handguns lately, even my 9mm PPQ. It's frustrating because when I first got the 9mm, I couldn't miss with it. It may have something to do with my aging hands. Be that as it may, I pull shots left less with the PPQ 45. It seems to fit my hand better than even my 9mm PPQ. Trigger is good for an out of the box selfloading handgun. First stage is smooth, break is fairly clean, over travel isn't excessive and reset is very short. I've put only about 150 rounds through it, but it fired every shot without a bobble and locked back every time. It has the same long slide release as the 9mm PPQ which makes it easy to manipulate. With the 9mm PPQ, I have to be careful where I place my thumb, or it'll ride the release and the pistol won't lock back on the last round. I haven't that problem with the PPQ 45. In fact, while shooting it, I forgot entirely about watching thumb placement.
After shooting the PPQ, I find the controls of other handguns crude in comparison, especially the Glock. I had a chance to work the controls of a variety of selfloading pistols at SHOT and on almost every one, pressing the release to let the slide forward was very stiff. Not so with the PPQ. The PPQ slide release is easy to manipulate, yet it is positive.
The downside to the PPQ 45 is the magazine release. It works and holds the magazine solidly in place, but for whatever reason, Walther chose to offer the PPQ 45 only with a button mag release. The lever mag release as used by the original 9mm PPQ would have been a much better choice. Don't get me wrong, the button release as executed by the PPQ 45 is great. It's the only button release I can use without having to shift my grip. It pushes easily and I haven't experienced any accidental mag drops. But when going for a mag change, my trigger finger keeps going for the mag lever that isn't there! After decades of shooting pistols with a button mag release, two minutes with the original PPQ destroyed a life time of muscle memory.
I'm not a fan of loaded chamber indicators. Most designs weakens the support of the chambered round with either a hole or a cut out in the chamber itself and the pin or lever that gets pushed up could possibly get stuck in the up position. To be certain of the loaded condition of a chamber, the shooter must pull back the slide and check. However, loaded chamber indicators satisfy bureaucrats and lawmakers. Handguns manufactured outside US get points for certain features to prove they have a "sporting` purpose" to be legal for import. Stupid, yes, but until we get it together and get the laws changed, that's what we're stuck with. One of those features is a loaded chamber indicator. If a pistol must have a loaded chamber indicator, the PPQ design is the best one yet. Instead of cutting a hole or cutout to add a pin or lever, Walther used the extractor. When the chamber is empty, the back of the extractor is flush with the slide. When a round is loaded in the chamber, it pushes the front of the extractor out. The rear of the extractor pivots in to reveal a spot of red.
As far as I know, there isn't a lot to choose from for PPQ/P99 sights. There are a few, but not as many options as the Glock. Factory PPQ sights are reputed to be fragile, but mine haven't broken or departed the pistol. However, the factory sight are plastic and the set on my oldest PPQ are getting rounded from use. Eventually, I'll be forced to do something about it.
When it comes to holsters, I was a long time fan of leather. In fact, when I first got started, it was leather or Mexican Carry. Later, Uncle Mikes entered the scene and let's just leave it at that. That's how things stood for a long time. In general, shooters take a long time to accept any new changes. It was years before the community grudgingly acknowledged stainless steel was as good as carbon steel (although to be fair, it took some time to work out the galling problems experienced in the earliest stainless steel self loading handguns) and took even longer to accept stocks made of anything but walnut or birch. I'm no better. I didn't try a Kydex holster until I bought my first PPQ. As beautiful as leather is, I don't plan to go back.
Kydex holds handguns more securely than leather, less drag on the draw and gives the shooter more positive feedback when reholstering. Kydex holds its shape better and is much more durable. As much as I love my leather holsters, I had to admit the biggest reason I had to buy a new holsters over the years is because leather gets soft, loses its shape and at some point, won't hold the handgun securely. Leather won't get you "Kilt On Da Streetz" but in the long run, Kydex is superior. I should add that the holster I use to carry my 9mm PPQ everyday is an IWB design from Theis Holsters. Cant is adjustable. Sometimes I use it inside the pants, sometimes outside the pants but under the belt, depending how long the shirt is I'm wearing.
Overall, I like the PPQ 45 very much. It points naturally for me, offers excellent size economy, shoots well and looks good while doing it. I haven't put a lot of rounds through it yet, but it's easy to tell quickly if a handgun is going to be trouble. Time will tell, but I think the PPQ 45 isn't going to be a troublesome handgun.
So far, I am very happy with the PPQ 45, even though it has a mag release button instead of the lever. It's heavier and larger than the 9mm PPQ, but lighter than a 1911. It's roughly the same length and height as a Colt Commander and a bit wider, but it holds four more rounds. I plan to buy a IWB Kydex holster and try it as an EDC. I think the stay of the PPQ 45 in my collection will be a permanent one.
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