Walther PDP

Matt Landfair

Matt Six Actual
Staff member
Administrator
IMG_20210216_083307_818.jpg

The fullsize Walther PDP 9mm with Trijicon RM06, Surefire X300u, and Modlite handheld.

Last September, Walther sent me and several others to a media event for the release of the PDP series. The event was structured around the Walther Defense Division courses as a working introduction to the pistols. There we had access to both the fullsize and the compact PDPs with or without optics depending on the shooter's preference. We could shoot as much as we wanted and we all definitely did. After the event, we all recieved a fullsized and compact PDP for our own.

My impressions of the pistol then as well as now are quite favorable. The pistol has features that I find important such as being optics ready, it uses Glock sights, easily manipulated controls, the outstanding Walther striker fired trigger, incredibly effective forward serrations, and a well textured fullsized grip that allowed 18 round capacity magazines. The accuracy is as good if not better than the leading competitors. I shoot these better than I shoot most of my stock polymer striker fired guns. For a relatively lightweight gun, its recoil is rather soft. In a world of many options, this one offers pretty much only positives, I have not yet encountered any negatives. I am a big fan of having options.

The fullsize PDP has a standard 18 round capacity magazine, while the compact uses existing 15 round PPQ magazines.

At release, aftermarket support will already be in place. I already have several holsters for these pistols from Phlster, Dark Star Gear, and even a Safariland duty holster.

Would I carry this edc? Yes.
Would I carry this on duty? Yes.

#waltherdefensedivision #walther #pdp #waltherpdp #surefire #trijicon #modlite #edc #gunsofinstagram #PrimaryAndSecondary
 

Arioch

Amateur
How does the grip length compare to the PPQ? Looks like they kept the ability to swap out the back strap, am I correct on that?

Copying the grip texture from the SF line seems smart, does it feel pretty much the same as the SF line despite being polymer?
 

Matt Landfair

Matt Six Actual
Staff member
Administrator
How does the grip length compare to the PPQ? Looks like they kept the ability to swap out the back strap, am I correct on that?

Copying the grip texture from the SF line seems smart, does it feel pretty much the same as the SF line despite being polymer?
PPQ and Compact PDP use the same mags.

The textures are quite similar it seems.
 

Default.mp3

Established
I see these, right off the bat, causing owners to put their other pistols in the safe because they are being replaced with these new Walther pistols.
So, uh, I'm not seeing anything in the first post here that would warrant that kind of hype. Looks to me like just another modern polymer SFA handgun. Probably one of the nicer ones, but hardly something to actually replace anything that one already has the familiarity and gear for.

Also, no paddle mag release? Wack.
 

Matt Landfair

Matt Six Actual
Staff member
Administrator
So, uh, I'm not seeing anything in the first post here that would warrant that kind of hype. Looks to me like just another modern polymer SFA handgun. Probably one of the nicer ones, but hardly something to actually replace anything that one already has the familiarity and gear for.

Also, no paddle mag release? wack.gif

You must not see the people going through pistols looking for the right one as I do.
 

Derek Cox

Amateur
You must not see the people going through pistols looking for the right one as I do.
This is the hoop I've been jumping through for a while. I settled back to a G45 MOS but I'm still not really happy with it, it's still a Glock after all for better or for worse.

The PDP is really checking a lot of boxes for me personally. Is Friday the official release at dealers? Do we have any indication of street price? If I can snag one the G45 might be taking a back seat or a one way road trip.
 

Derek Cox

Amateur
So, the dilettantes that chase guns for supposed incremental improvements instead of just buckling down and mastering one system?
Shooting Glocks for thousands of rounds has still left me with annoyances and quirks I strongly dislike. Spending more money in the aftermarket space to resolve some issue areas that a stock handgun fixes doesn't make sense, especially when the starting price of that stock handgun is lower.

There is no negative to competition. Competition is the only reason Glock has made any updates to their design.
 

Default.mp3

Established
Shooting Glocks for thousands of rounds has still left me with annoyances and quirks I strongly dislike. Spending more money in the aftermarket space to resolve some issue areas that a stock handgun fixes doesn't make sense, especially when the starting price of that stock handgun is lower.

There is no negative to competition. Competition is the only reason Glock has made any updates to their design.
Sure, I'm not saying that this is a worthless/superfluous gun, just go get a Glock, etc. What I am saying is that the original post I quoted was making it seem like it would be a superior option to most other handguns out there... which I'm simply not seeing. There are many other viable alternatives to the Glock, from FN, H&K, S&W, Sig, Beretta, etc. If you're unhappy with the Glock or whatever gun you're already shooting and have worked at it awhile, sure, go for it. But how many people are in that camp? Versus how many are fairly content with what they already have? The original statement made it sound like many in the latter camp would also convert to the PDP, and I'm just not seeing anything that would cause that.

Like I said in my first post here, it's probably going to be a nice gun, and one of the better options. But nothing suggests it'll be the obvious leading option, certainly nothing that makes it so compelling that many folks would dump their current gun for it.
 

Arioch

Amateur
This is the hoop I've been jumping through for a while. I settled back to a G45 MOS but I'm still not really happy with it, it's still a Glock after all for better or for worse.

The PDP is really checking a lot of boxes for me personally. Is Friday the official release at dealers? Do we have any indication of street price? If I can snag one the G45 might be taking a back seat or a one way road trip.
https://www.recoilweb.com/walther-pdp-match-grade-performance-and-bar-brawl-toughness-165755.html This article indicates the MSRP will be $649, which sounds about right.
 

Matt Landfair

Matt Six Actual
Staff member
Administrator
Sure, I'm not saying that this is a worthless/superfluous gun, just go get a Glock, etc. What I am saying is that the original post I quoted was making it seem like it would be a superior option to most other handguns out there... which I'm simply not seeing. There are many other viable alternatives to the Glock, from FN, H&K, S&W, Sig, Beretta, etc. If you're unhappy with the Glock or whatever gun you're already shooting and have worked at it awhile, sure, go for it. But how many people are in that camp? Versus how many are fairly content with what they already have? The original statement made it sound like many in the latter camp would also convert to the PDP, and I'm just not seeing anything that would cause that.

Like I said in my first post here, it's probably going to be a nice gun, and one of the better options. But nothing suggests it'll be the obvious leading option, certainly nothing that makes it so compelling that many folks would dump their current gun for it.
And you were the only person to post the leaked flyer...
 

marcusa

Member
Looks like it has some nice features. The PPQ trigger is great but a more tactile wall wouldn't be a bad thing.

I'd be curious about the parts compatibility (besides mags) with the PPQ (springs, barrels, etc). The Walther website mentioned that the recoil spring is the same between 4/4.5/5" barrels so I'm guessing that's different at least.

I'd also wonder if the optics cut is the same as the Q4/Q5 or if they went a different direction. The CHPWS cut is nice but I wouldn't mind if the dot-to-plate connection was a little beefier. Sights compatibility with Glock was a good play.
 

Arioch

Amateur
I'd also wonder if the optics cut is the same as the Q4/Q5 or if they went a different direction.
This looks to be a somewhat different cut than the Q5. On the Q5 the rear sight comes off when mounting an optics plate. I suppose having the option to keep the irons on is good, I'm pretty new to the red dot game though.
 

marcusa

Member
Looks like it has some nice features. The PPQ trigger is great but a more tactile wall wouldn't be a bad thing.

I'd be curious about the parts compatibility (besides mags) with the PPQ (springs, barrels, etc). The Walther website mentioned that the recoil spring is the same between 4/4.5/5" barrels so I'm guessing that's different at least.

I'd also wonder if the optics cut is the same as the Q4/Q5 or if they went a different direction. The CHPWS cut is nice but I wouldn't mind if the dot-to-plate connection was a little beefier. Sights compatibility with Glock was a good play.

They already put up the parts compatibility - way to go Walther.

 

Derek Cox

Amateur
The prepared nature of the initial launch documentation, promos, videos on top of the feature set is pretty great. Well done, Walther.

 
As a guy that only shoots Glocks and 1911s. I really like this. It’s nice to see something come from the factory with about everything I’d want ready to go.

I enjoy my Glocks more than most. However tearing apart a gun to change out triggers and sending it off for slide cuts right out of the box, then ending up with a significant investment in the gun is not what I consider ideal. Though I’ll likely keep doing it because the end results eventually end up exactly where I want to be.

I appreciate companies that want to give me out of the box guns that only need sights and optics.
 

MacDaddy

Newbie
Do these pistols have the same issue as the PPQ of decocking the striker when the trigger is pulled while the slide is slightly out of battery i.e. if a body contact shot is attempted?
 

rudukai13

Pro Internet User
Do these pistols have the same issue as the PPQ of decocking the striker when the trigger is pulled while the slide is slightly out of battery i.e. if a body contact shot is attempted?

Mentioned in the other thread but it would appear they fixed that issue, no
 
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