I've had my PPQ M2 for at least 7 years and over 10,000 rounds through it. Put sights on it and something sticky on the grip and go shoot. Its a very boring gun to own, not much to tinker with. My split times are still a little quicker with my glocks and i can draw quicker with my glocks. But i enjoy shooting my PPQ.
I have a 4" PPQ and I tried the 5" Steel Frame and I feel like Walther dropped the ball on the Steel Frame because I personally find the PPQ to really fit my hand well and when they went to steel they made the frame just a bit wider and that completely throws off the ergos for me. I also wear a medium glove so I probably have smaller mits than most people on here so your mileage will vary on this front.Originally Posted by Magsz
It's also a bummer that the Steel Frame has the same exact trigger. For the premium they are charging for the thing you'd think they'd throw something a little better in there. I mean the standard PPQ trigger is pretty good but they still could improve it a bit.
Finger banged them at SHOT. Nice gun I just don't see any use for it. A compact gun that heavy doesn't tick any boxes for me.
Welcome to Africa, bring a hardhat.
These are starting to show up at dealers now. Mine came in this afternoon. I was able to put a quick 200 rounds through it before I had to head home. Functioned flawlessly. Fit and finish are perfect. Accuracy and trigger are just like my PPQ M2. Recoil control is where the steel frame really made the difference...its heavy, but balances beautifully. Between the added weight and the checkering on the front strap/grips, the gun feels like it just sits still in your hand during recoil.
I did some quick holster fitting as well, with my PPQ holsters. My OWB kydex pancake hoslter (can't remember the brand) fits tight, but works. Same goes for my Safariland ALS duty holsters...it works but its a very tight fit.
I doubt I'll carry it on duty. My PPQ works fine for that role and is obviously lighter. Plus I don't want to lose such an expensive gun if I'm ever involved in an OIS. Bottom line, this gun checks alot of boxes for me and I like it. But like any 9mm handgun >$1200 its worth is purely subjective.
I finally found a Q4 Steel frame at my LGS and put it on layaway. Picking it up on Friday. Anyone else purchased one recently?
I’ve been reading all the old threads about Enel’s mallet dropping the striker on the PPQ and VP9. I also watched the video where a PPQ was dropped from 18 inches high directly on the rear of the slide and the striker released being stopped by the striker safety. I’d heard that Walther possibly increased the sear engagement on the PPQ trigger internals a couple years ago (2018?) that the Q4/Q5 Steel Frames also use.
Has anyone actually confirmed this and/or conducted new tests? I dropped my Q4 Steel Frame from 3 feet directly impacting the rear of the. Slide and the striker did not release. I’m sure the beaver tail shields the slide somewhat from impact though. Also, I tried hitting the rear of the slide with a rubber mallet and the striker didn’t release.
According to my research (lots of info on the Walther forum), early PPQs had less sear engagement to optimize the sweet trigger design - those are the ones that can be jolted to release.
I own a 5-inch PPQ M1 (paddles) which has the updated sear with more engagement. I will tell you that after @MistWolf posted about his doing the above, I beat the shit out of mine including dropping it countless times and whacking it with a heavy rubber mallet in every conceivable way. After many, many attempts I could NOT make the sear release. So my takeaway is that this issue might be seen in some early PPQs but has been addressed with the updated sear.
My EDC is a PPS M1, which IMO is a fantastic carry piece. Within 30 feet I am as competent with it as the PPQ, it fits my smallish hands perfectly and is a joy to carry in a JMCK #3 IWB. The trigger is very Glock-like and the firing pin has an extension that protrudes out of the back of the slide as the trigger is pulled. I take full advantage of that feature by riding my thumb on the rear of the slide as I re-holster. For me, the PPS M1 is the perfect EDC gun;
The PPQ is a more recent addition. I tried out an earlier version as a rental at the local indoor range and was impressed, so after some research I purchased a 5-inch M1 from GunBuyer (dealer exclusive model). Out of the box the trigger was horrible and the pistol was subject to failures to fully go into battery if limp-wristed even just slightly. The horrid trigger was due mostly to some rough spots on the trigger bar, which with some careful and gentle hand-polishing improved greatly. After a few hundred rounds the failure to go into battery diminished and has since been 100%, even with single-hand firing. The trigger continued to improve and has now settled into a smooth 4.5 pound break.
I fitted the PPQ with a set of 10-8 sights, purchased a JMCK #3 IWB holster and mag carriers. It carries extremely well for a large pistol, really just as well as the PPS. I absolutely LOVE the paddle mag release, using the middle finger of my shooting hand to actuate it. If I knew I was heading into harm's way and could only carry a pistol, the PPQ is without a doubt the pistol I would take with me. The only thing I wish for is the protruding firing pin extension out of the rear of the slide like the PPS. Like others have already stated, I too find the grip of the PPQ fits my hand very well, better than any other double-stack I have tried.
I have found the PPQ to be as accurate as any other pistol I have owned. It's trigger can definitely be described as 2-stage, with a light take-up to a very discernible wall, at which the final pull has little-to-no creep and a crisp break. Using the wall to cleanly break the very deliberate shots, this target was shot at 60 feet and illustrates the accuracy capability of my sample using Winchester Ranger RA9B 147 grain bonded hollow point ammo;
I used the PPQ to take a Low Light Pistol Operators course at the Sig Academy a few years ago. The course focused on the use of hand held lights and as such, resulted in a day of firing mostly strong-hand only. The grip contour, short trigger reset and crisp sear release works really well for me and my small hands firing one handed, something that is IMO of great value in a defensive handgun. This is a few hundred rounds of some 90 grain frangible ammo we were required to use, which I found impacted low and to the left of the 147 grain loads the PPQ is sighted-in for. Full disclosure: I fired each shot deliberately but out of 12 participants in the course, I was always among the first five or so to finish the string of fire. Range to target varied from 9 feet to 45 feet;
During this course we also performed many malfunction drills with dummy rounds loaded with live in the mag. I found that the paddle mag release to work extremely well for me, and the low effort to rack the slide made clearing the stoppage sure and quick. We did enough of these that in combination with the finger lanyard on the light (others were placing the light in a pocket or in their armpit to free the support hand), I was without fail the quickest to get back on-target with shots. All of this took place in a low-light setting where it had to be done entirely by "feel." I left that day with high confidence in the gear and my ability to use it in a low light setting.
I hope those considering a PPS or PPQ find this feedback useful. Now I guess I'm going to have to check out these new Q4 models.
Last edited by NH Shooter; 07-05-2020 at 08:10 AM.
Thanks for the detailed post. Good stuff. I’m really liking the Q4 Steel frame. The pretravel on the trigger is disappointingly gritty however. I dry fired several polymer framed PPQ and subcompact POQ and their triggers were much better as in lighter and smoother take up and break after you hit the wall. I think this is one area Walther could improve these steel frame guns. I’m researching the Walther Dynamic Performance Trigger that’s supposed to be coming out soon.
Does the Q4 use the same trigger mechanism as the PPQ? I would assume it does but I could be totally wrong about that.
If the Q4 was available with paddles I'd be mighty tempted...
Yes the Q4 Steel Frame uses the PPQ trigger/Fire control parts.
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