Aeon
June 5, 2016, 03:14 AM
First time gun buyer here and I wanted something for both my wife and I to train with. Keeping it simple I wanted to start with single action striker fired models. After shooting the Glock 19, Springfield XD, and S&W M&P I was impressed with all of them. I hear people get used to the silent trigger reset but for learning to shoot I wanted a great trigger out of the box so sorry no S&W for us. A quality trigger soon became the main focus followed by ergonomics then body style. Characteristics like mag size, modification options, and negligible differences in reliability, accuracy, availability of spare parts, etc. began to matter to me less and less as I did more research.
I could have gone either way on the 19 or XD, that is until I held and dry fired a Walther PPQ. The short trigger travel, smooth reset, and glove-like grip was almost an instant sell. A little research had me convinced by a large consensus that as a beginner out-of-the-box pistol this was one of the very best, if not THE best 9mm on the market. Not that I needed persuading. The gut instinct was strong. My motivation for research mainly came from the feelng "is this too good to be true?" So why isn't is marketed more? I've been informed that S&W handles all the Walther sales and distribution in the U.S., and while they don't keep it a secret, it doesn't exactly behoove them to push it and dilute the sales of their own similar models. Plus this hobby lends itself to modifications as a major selling point, and the Walther was not designed with a whole lot of customization options in mind as this isn't really a trending thing in Germany anyways.
While it's not without it's downsides (limited modification options, skinny front sight, and short trigger travel which raises some concerns for defense carry) I bought the gun without much second guessing and without even test firing. The soaring recommendations from both sales guys who happened to be holstering the PPQ helped too.
After a short 50 round target session I was pleased to find my groupings just as accurate as with the other "big 3 sellers". Trigger pressure was about the same as the others at just over 5 lbs but wow that reset and travel felt significantly higher end than the others. No mush or grit in the travel at all, almost a musical click on reset. I may have noticed a very slight increase in muzzle flip than the others but not enough to diminish my "back on target time". If a slight delay in retargeting occurred it was due to the smaller front sight that leaves gaps of light and space on each side that I admittedly found distracting. I'm not used to that. The sensation of increased muzzle flip may have just been a misperception too since it was my first time shooting it. I wouldn't say the recoil is more robust at all, I just think I need more rounds through it to get a better feel for nuances in weight, balance, and grip. I had similar experiences getting used to the 19 and XD. They all felt snappy and a tad bit wild at first.
I really think I made the right choice for what I was looking for and am excited to become familiar with this model. I'd love to hear other forum members chime in on their experiences and insights on this gun.
I could have gone either way on the 19 or XD, that is until I held and dry fired a Walther PPQ. The short trigger travel, smooth reset, and glove-like grip was almost an instant sell. A little research had me convinced by a large consensus that as a beginner out-of-the-box pistol this was one of the very best, if not THE best 9mm on the market. Not that I needed persuading. The gut instinct was strong. My motivation for research mainly came from the feelng "is this too good to be true?" So why isn't is marketed more? I've been informed that S&W handles all the Walther sales and distribution in the U.S., and while they don't keep it a secret, it doesn't exactly behoove them to push it and dilute the sales of their own similar models. Plus this hobby lends itself to modifications as a major selling point, and the Walther was not designed with a whole lot of customization options in mind as this isn't really a trending thing in Germany anyways.
While it's not without it's downsides (limited modification options, skinny front sight, and short trigger travel which raises some concerns for defense carry) I bought the gun without much second guessing and without even test firing. The soaring recommendations from both sales guys who happened to be holstering the PPQ helped too.
After a short 50 round target session I was pleased to find my groupings just as accurate as with the other "big 3 sellers". Trigger pressure was about the same as the others at just over 5 lbs but wow that reset and travel felt significantly higher end than the others. No mush or grit in the travel at all, almost a musical click on reset. I may have noticed a very slight increase in muzzle flip than the others but not enough to diminish my "back on target time". If a slight delay in retargeting occurred it was due to the smaller front sight that leaves gaps of light and space on each side that I admittedly found distracting. I'm not used to that. The sensation of increased muzzle flip may have just been a misperception too since it was my first time shooting it. I wouldn't say the recoil is more robust at all, I just think I need more rounds through it to get a better feel for nuances in weight, balance, and grip. I had similar experiences getting used to the 19 and XD. They all felt snappy and a tad bit wild at first.
I really think I made the right choice for what I was looking for and am excited to become familiar with this model. I'd love to hear other forum members chime in on their experiences and insights on this gun.