Got this one out of morbid curiosity. Interesting gun with an identity crisis. PDP 5 inch SF (steel frame) Match seems like a competition gun on paper. I am sure that somebody will stick it in their waistband and call it a carry gun and maybe even expect to be taken seriously, but to me a 5 inch full grip 39 oz dry weight pistol is a recreational tool for games or plinking. I presume that is the reason why I was surprised to find out that it has a [very good to excellent] duty grade [not competition] trigger over 4.5 lbs, mag release button is of a short carry height, and magwell doesn’t take any mainstream +4 extensions. ZR extensions work but have a bad design. The gun is also sprung as if it is for .357SIG.
A couple of springs dropped pull to about 3.25 lbs. There is no roll so I am not in love but it is OK. 15 lbs recoil spring is better than 19. Extended mag release is $45 on Walther’s website where it out of stock but Earl’s will sell it to you for $65 and ship for $20. When you get it, you’ll likely find that 1/3-inch-tall mag release is too tall. But the color coordinates beautifully with LOK grips. I removed magwell because Henning’s extensions don’t play with it. That revealed a lip / tip / whatever you call it that makes reloads only that much more difficult.
This 5 inch gun utilizes 4.5 inch long recoil assembly. This is something I liked because I felt that the gun cycled very fast. Based on my records, it is close to stock CZ Shadow 2 for overall weight, slide weight, and frame weight so I am not sure why Hwansik felt that it balances in some special way in his review. Comparing to my CZs that are quite a bit lighter, it was easier for me to push the gun down too much. Not sure if momentums or leverages are in play, or just the familiarity. I found that trigger reach felt too long for me. I can’t explain it in numbers other that trigger face being wider than Glock’s but I would’ve preferred more finger in. I hear that some PDP SF users prefer thin LOK grips.
A little bit of shooting I did today showed shooting speed on par with my CZs but worse consistency, see videos below. About one good run for 2-3 fucked up ones. I presume it is expected for the first session. I am certain that I can get my shooting on par with CZ’s but I am coming up short on reasons.