Walther PPQ/PPQ M2 - Is the trigger too light?

Tony_J · February 16, 2013, 10:49 AM

According to a few people I have talked to and the many Youtube videos I've seen featuring the Walther PPQ, lots of people out there feel like the trigger, however amazing it may be (and it is amazing!), is just too light for some people to feel 100% safe when carrying it.

I understand that lots of shooters like to take their G19 or M&P9 to their local gunsmith and lighten the trigger up a bit, but for sake of argument, let's err on the side of safety.

I've done some research and on paper, the PPQ and the Gen4 G19 have just about the same trigger pull ~5.5. So what is it about the PPQ that makes people like Youtube famous hickok45 a little bit uneasy with the lightness of the trigger? Is it the QDT? If it is, that matters on the second shot, not the first.

(see hickok's review of the PPQ here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_QhiTa-7OA)

RBid · February 16, 2013, 11:00 AM

The PPQ's trigger has lighter take up before the break, and some shy away from the 1/10" reset. I OC mine for work, 5-6 days/week. I've got over 5,000 rounds through it, with no instances of accidental bump fire (and no failures). I have no concern that it will do anything that I don't want it to do.

TxFlyFish · February 16, 2013, 11:00 AM

its not just the light trigger but also the abnormally snappy recoil for a 9mm...i've managed to inadvertently double tap it mid recoil, round 2 hit way high on the indoor ranges ceiling

TunnelRat · February 16, 2013, 11:06 AM

I'd a little curious if this is an argument about why you don't think it's too light and others are mistaken, or if you really want other opinions.

In the even you do want other opinions I'll give you mine. I, personally, find it a bit light. While on paper it shouldn't be much different than a Glock 19, in shooting them side by side it certainly feels different. The travel to me is less and so smooth and crisp that it catches me by surprise. Now "feels" is a subjective thing. But guess what? A lot about shooting is subjective. A lot of top end instructors run triggers with pulls as light as 3.5 lbs. They have far more experience than me. So I should take their word without question right? Wrong. I am not them. What works for them might not for me. The same goes for me and you. I grew up shooting DA revolvers and DA/SA pistols. A 10 lb trigger feels like nothing to me, so my viewpoint is skewed.

My advice? Find a store that has one and dryfire it for yourself.

sigarms228 · February 16, 2013, 01:12 PM

I have a PPQ, many SIGs, and a Glock 19.

IMO the PPQ trigger is not any lighter than my Glock 19 but it is a stupendous trigger and works the way a trigger should - you apply pressure to it and it breaks. By comparison a M&P or many other pistols give you more "feedback" during the trigger pull like that feeling there is gravel in there somewhere during the trigger press.

If that clean break bothers someone then Walther also offer the P99 AS that has a DA/SA like trigger pull and the AS "anti stress" mode which is a much longer take up to the SA trigger pull.

It took me a little while to get used to my PPQ as I had a few unintended double taps at first and that had nothing to do with recoil/muzzle flip but everything to do with it's very short reset compared to what I was used to with my classic SIGs.

I don't find recoil/muzzle flip to be much if any different than my Glock 19 and it is a matter of training with it and getting used to it. Proper grip technique goes a long way in controlling a handgun and frankly most I see at the range are using poor handgun grip control.

I bought my PPQ before CCW was ever even though possible in Illinois. Now that it will be a reality by summer I need to think what I want to use for CCW. Since I am most familiar with my SIGs then very likely I will be looking at DA/SA for CCW as that is my comfort level and I can shoot DA plenty good for DS. It is not that I am worried I can not keep my finger off the trigger until I need to shoot but I like the fact that my CCW firearm would require a long and harder trigger pull to discharge in case the trigger ever got tangled/hung up on something and the hammer to put my thumb on to detect movement of it. I may change my attitude about that after some experience with CCW but that is my current thinking.

TunnelRat · February 16, 2013, 01:30 PM

Quote:

I don't find recoil/muzzle flip to be much if any different than my Glock 19 and it is a matter of training with it and getting used to it. Proper grip technique goes a long way in controlling a handgun and frankly most I see at the range are using poor handgun grip control.

Noticing that a pistol has more muzzle flip than another pistol is not a fault of the shooter's grip control. Some guns simply have more muzzle flip than others. That doesn't mean the PPQ is uncontrollable, far from it, but that doesn't mean there isn't a difference.

TxFlyFish · February 16, 2013, 01:41 PM

imho in interest of discussion the more pronounced "stop" in the glock is a good thing. If something gets caught in that trigger the glock has a higher chance of stopping the trigger movement. The benefit of the PPQ is that allows you to shoot more accurately.

for me, I'd rather have a safer trigger and sacrifice a fraction of an inch of bench accuracy

balance · February 16, 2013, 03:32 PM

This question is all about preference and opinion.

I'll say that it is not too light as far as I'm concerned. I've carried my PPQ since I bought it about one and a half years ago, and I haven't shot it unintentionally yet.

If you swipe the safety off of a 1911 on the draw, how is an unlocked 1911 with a lighter and crisper trigger with less pre-travel and a similar length reset any safer? It is also interesting to hear from Glock owners that the Glock trigger is safer than the PPQ trigger, when there is only about a half a pound difference in pull weight and almost no difference in the length of pull. I thought the Glock owner's common response to any suggestion that the pistol had an unsafe trigger was, "keep your finger off the trigger until you want to shoot".

I don't think the 1911 trigger is unsafe. I don't think the Glock trigger is unsafe. I don't think the PPQ trigger is unsafe. If you think a 1911 trigger is unsafe, you will probably think a PPQ trigger is unsafe. If you think a Glock trigger is unsafe, you will probably think a PPQ trigger is unsafe.

I think the lighter and shorter you go as far as triggers are concerned, the less margin of error there is in regards to unsafe gun handling. But comparing the trigger of a Glock and a PPQ, I don't see much difference in pull weight or length. The stock PPQ trigger is better than the stock Glock trigger. This is probably the reason people think it is lighter or shorter than it really is.

kinoons · February 17, 2013, 09:52 PM

The only real issue with the PPQ trigger is the very short and light reset. If you release the trigger the entire way with each shot you will never have any issues. If you shoot off the reset you may have some issue with unintentional doubling until you learn the reset.

Fishbed77 · February 18, 2013, 10:13 AM

Quote:

If you shoot off the reset you may have some issue with unintentional doubling until you learn the reset.

FYI - this is also the case with the DA/SA Walther P99AS. This pistol has an incredibly short reset, just like the PPQ.

February 16, 2013, 10:49 AM	#1
Tony_J Junior Member Join Date: January 19, 2013 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 7	Walther PPQ/PPQ M2 - Is the trigger too light? According to a few people I have talked to and the many Youtube videos I've seen featuring the Walther PPQ, lots of people out there feel like the trigger, however amazing it may be (and it is amazing!), is just too light for some people to feel 100% safe when carrying it. I understand that lots of shooters like to take their G19 or M&P9 to their local gunsmith and lighten the trigger up a bit, but for sake of argument, let's err on the side of safety. I've done some research and on paper, the PPQ and the Gen4 G19 have just about the same trigger pull ~5.5. So what is it about the PPQ that makes people like Youtube famous hickok45 a little bit uneasy with the lightness of the trigger? Is it the QDT? If it is, that matters on the second shot, not the first. (see hickok's review of the PPQ here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_QhiTa-7OA)

February 16, 2013, 11:00 AM	#2
RBid Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2012 Posts: 1,059	The PPQ's trigger has lighter take up before the break, and some shy away from the 1/10" reset. I OC mine for work, 5-6 days/week. I've got over 5,000 rounds through it, with no instances of accidental bump fire (and no failures). I have no concern that it will do anything that I don't want it to do. __________________ Currently Own: Beretta PX4 9mm, Glock 23 (Gen 4), Glock 19 (Gen 4) x2

February 16, 2013, 11:06 AM	#4
TunnelRat Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 12,215	I'd a little curious if this is an argument about why you don't think it's too light and others are mistaken, or if you really want other opinions. In the even you do want other opinions I'll give you mine. I, personally, find it a bit light. While on paper it shouldn't be much different than a Glock 19, in shooting them side by side it certainly feels different. The travel to me is less and so smooth and crisp that it catches me by surprise. Now "feels" is a subjective thing. But guess what? A lot about shooting is subjective. A lot of top end instructors run triggers with pulls as light as 3.5 lbs. They have far more experience than me. So I should take their word without question right? Wrong. I am not them. What works for them might not for me. The same goes for me and you. I grew up shooting DA revolvers and DA/SA pistols. A 10 lb trigger feels like nothing to me, so my viewpoint is skewed. My advice? Find a store that has one and dryfire it for yourself. __________________ Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness

February 16, 2013, 01:12 PM	#5
sigarms228 Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2011 Posts: 1,767	I have a PPQ, many SIGs, and a Glock 19. IMO the PPQ trigger is not any lighter than my Glock 19 but it is a stupendous trigger and works the way a trigger should - you apply pressure to it and it breaks. By comparison a M&P or many other pistols give you more "feedback" during the trigger pull like that feeling there is gravel in there somewhere during the trigger press. If that clean break bothers someone then Walther also offer the P99 AS that has a DA/SA like trigger pull and the AS "anti stress" mode which is a much longer take up to the SA trigger pull. It took me a little while to get used to my PPQ as I had a few unintended double taps at first and that had nothing to do with recoil/muzzle flip but everything to do with it's very short reset compared to what I was used to with my classic SIGs. I don't find recoil/muzzle flip to be much if any different than my Glock 19 and it is a matter of training with it and getting used to it. Proper grip technique goes a long way in controlling a handgun and frankly most I see at the range are using poor handgun grip control. I bought my PPQ before CCW was ever even though possible in Illinois. Now that it will be a reality by summer I need to think what I want to use for CCW. Since I am most familiar with my SIGs then very likely I will be looking at DA/SA for CCW as that is my comfort level and I can shoot DA plenty good for DS. It is not that I am worried I can not keep my finger off the trigger until I need to shoot but I like the fact that my CCW firearm would require a long and harder trigger pull to discharge in case the trigger ever got tangled/hung up on something and the hammer to put my thumb on to detect movement of it. I may change my attitude about that after some experience with CCW but that is my current thinking. Last edited by sigarms228; February 16, 2013 at 01:21 PM.

February 16, 2013, 11:00 AM	#3
TxFlyFish Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2011 Posts: 1,246	its not just the light trigger but also the abnormally snappy recoil for a 9mm...i've managed to inadvertently double tap it mid recoil, round 2 hit way high on the indoor ranges ceiling

February 16, 2013, 01:41 PM	#7
TxFlyFish Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2011 Posts: 1,246	imho in interest of discussion the more pronounced "stop" in the glock is a good thing. If something gets caught in that trigger the glock has a higher chance of stopping the trigger movement. The benefit of the PPQ is that allows you to shoot more accurately. for me, I'd rather have a safer trigger and sacrifice a fraction of an inch of bench accuracy

February 16, 2013, 03:32 PM	#8
balance Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2010 Posts: 396	This question is all about preference and opinion. I'll say that it is not too light as far as I'm concerned. I've carried my PPQ since I bought it about one and a half years ago, and I haven't shot it unintentionally yet. If you swipe the safety off of a 1911 on the draw, how is an unlocked 1911 with a lighter and crisper trigger with less pre-travel and a similar length reset any safer? It is also interesting to hear from Glock owners that the Glock trigger is safer than the PPQ trigger, when there is only about a half a pound difference in pull weight and almost no difference in the length of pull. I thought the Glock owner's common response to any suggestion that the pistol had an unsafe trigger was, "keep your finger off the trigger until you want to shoot". I don't think the 1911 trigger is unsafe. I don't think the Glock trigger is unsafe. I don't think the PPQ trigger is unsafe. If you think a 1911 trigger is unsafe, you will probably think a PPQ trigger is unsafe. If you think a Glock trigger is unsafe, you will probably think a PPQ trigger is unsafe. I think the lighter and shorter you go as far as triggers are concerned, the less margin of error there is in regards to unsafe gun handling. But comparing the trigger of a Glock and a PPQ, I don't see much difference in pull weight or length. The stock PPQ trigger is better than the stock Glock trigger. This is probably the reason people think it is lighter or shorter than it really is.

February 17, 2013, 09:52 PM	#9
kinoons Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2008 Location: las vegas, NV Posts: 409	The only real issue with the PPQ trigger is the very short and light reset. If you release the trigger the entire way with each shot you will never have any issues. If you shoot off the reset you may have some issue with unintentional doubling until you learn the reset.