Walther PPQ M2, a report

I've been wanting to try out a Walther PPQ M2 in 9mm for a while now after hearing reports from others. Well they have been hard to find, but last week one showed up, the stars were in alignment (thanks for my wife) and I got one. The pre-tax selling price was $569. With out even firing it I liked what I saw. One thing were all the rounded corners, which is good for concealed carrying. Another was the fit. I found the ergonomics to be better than that offered by my beloved M&P. The grip texturing, palm swell, undercut of the trigger guard, well it all just felt right and was well done. It's a well balanced pistol and even though the barrel is 4.1", as opposed to the 4.5" on the M&P, the sight radius was nice and long. I wasn't aware of it, but after going through the manual and tearing it down I noticed the apparently easy ability to adjust or change the sights with out the need for specialized tools. There were other little touches that impressed me. Heck it even comes with the built in ability to attach a lanyard. It's an interesting feature, but that's about it. I'm about as likely to do that as I am to put on the wife's clothes.

I managed to find two hours and I took it shooting yesterday finally.

Before I give my thoughts on that event I wan't to provide a little background. I got back into carrying in 2005. Since then I've owned and shot a variety of pistols ranging from from Glock, Beretta PX4, SA XD(m), and eventually settled on the M&P for the past several years. I've generally been satisfied with my M&Ps though have experienced the trigger and accuracy issues with the 9mm. Larry Vickers or Hackthorn I ain't, but it'll do.

HOLY MOLEY!!! I am extremely happy with this purchase. The trigger pull was night and day from my M&P. It just blew my mind. It felt like on of my buddies tuned Glock's. I think it contributed a lot towards settling the "Indian V. Arrow" argument running through my head lately. What I mean by that is I have not been satisfied with my pistol marksmanship. Rifle not a problem, but when it came to pistols, yeah problem. I have tried to train as best I can with the resources available but have been left frustrated wondering what the hell I was doing wrong. After shooting the PPQ M2 I found my accuracy at 15m and 25m became a mega ton better. The accuracy was like the already mentioned tuned Glock. I can't say for sure if it was the pistol that made the difference, but I'm strongly leaning that way as it was the only variable.

The big change between the PPQ and the PPQ M2 is one that is causing the most heart burn. The PPQ had an European ambidextrous paddle style release around the sides of the trigger guard for the magazine. The PPQ M2 uses a traditional American style button release. I found the new mag release to be the easiest to use out of all button style pistols. For the first time I did not have to change my grip to actuate the release. I found the slide release to be just as easy to use. Just a flick of the thumb and no need to change my grip. Easiest time I've had with any pistol using either component. I found the engineering of this pistol to be great when, by my observations, it ought to be nigh upon impossible to have a FTF or FTE due to "limp wristing" (more on that to follow).

Having said all that, not everything is perfect. There are a few nits I want to pick. I don't think anyone can beat the M&P for ease of changing out the back straps. When I gotta use a tool to do it, as with the PPQ M2, I do get a little grumpy. For us south paws, reversing the mag release on the M&P is a breeze. I'm going to tackle that later today but it appears to be just slightly more involved. I have medium to smallish hands. When gripping the pistol I found that the side of the bottom edge of my palm was nearly to the point of hanging past the pistol grip. For someone with larger hands they'll probably want to invest in the 17 round magazines that come with the extended base plate. Finally there is the increased muzzle flip. It's the price to pay for a 4.1" barrel. Yet it is not unmanageable or distracting. I have a bad shoulder and yes I felt the increased recoil impulse travel up my arm to my shoulder a bit more than normal, but it wasn't painful. After 200 rounds. I was not sore in the least nor regretted shooting. I also had my 14 year old 105 pound 5' tall daughter shoot both my M&P and PPQ and observed the climb and recoil on her to make sure I wasn't being "El Capitan Sissy Boy". Yeah it's there and noticeable. However she did not have a "limp wrist" failure either that so many other pistols will suffer if the grip isn't "just right". So put that into the "Pro" category. Keep in mind that even though this section is longer than the others, these are minor nits to pick (for me) and do not change my opinion that this is a danged good pistol.

Finally, yeah Walther needs to get off the dime and start selling magazines. I won't carry with just one spare mag. Right now you have a better chance of finding an honest man than a spare magazine. That should change about May. Right now Walther is going nuts just trying to produce magazines for new pistol sales. It would be nice if they didn't cost and arm and a leg to boot. With the PPQ there is a MEC-GEAR magazine (forget the model) made for another pistol that is an exact match...and it costs half of what Walther wants.

Please keep in mind that I am not saying that this pistol is the greatest thing ever and everyone should rush out and buy one and forsake all other brands. Don't read in to my negative comments either. They are in the grand scheme of things minor. This is just a sample of one. However I do recommend that if you are considering a new purchase, go to your local range and at least test drive one. If you don't you will be cheating yourself.

Yeah I'd thought of that. I'm also curious about the 5" version and how the muzzel flip is with that. My guess is that it will be greatly reduced. Then the question for me is : Will 5" just be too long to carry? (the jokes write themselves).

Today I went to the range and did a very unscientific comparison between my S&W M&P 9mm Full Size and my Walther PPQ M2 9mm. I was shooting nothing more than Federal white box 115gr FMJ in an indoor range. Point of aim had the top of the sights inline with the top of number 10













Okay I am not the best pistol shot in the world. To get a more accurate sample I would have needed to use a rest, such as a Ransom Master Series Rest. This is only a sample of two pistols. However based on past experience and comments from others I believe that these results will be fairly typical. As you can see the PPQ M2 is consistently more accurate. As a side note this is the first time that I (south paw) have ever hit to the left of my point of aim.