Walther PPS reviews?

I'd be interested to know if this is going to come to the MA market.

It looks like it would make a nice little pocket pistol! (I doubt it would replace my J-Frame though....)

-------------
*EDIT*
Called S&W - they don't know if it will be available in MA yet.
 
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noelephant said:
I'd be interested to know if this is going to come to the MA market.

It looks like it would make a nice little pocket pistol! (I doubt it would replace my J-Frame though....)

-------------
*EDIT*
Called S&W - they don't know if it will be available in MA yet.
Click to expand...
IIRC S&W is the US Importer for Walther guns, so I think the chances are good, but like everything, Free states will likely see more options, and see them first.
 
It looks nice, if S+W had an MA version they would probably sell
tons of them, because there are very few guns in that size class
around in MA,

Course I'm not holding my breath.... probably be a year before
the thing even ends up on the roster, and even then unless they
cripple it to meet the AG's spec (if needed) there will be even more
of a delay.

-Mike
 
I checked one out yesteday and the magazine release alone would stop me cold from buying one.

It is bar none the most unnatural to use magazine release I have ever found. Even the heel mag latch found in the P38 is a better design.
 
Jose said:
I checked one out yesteday and the magazine release alone would stop me cold from buying one.

It is bar none the most unnatural to use magazine release I have ever found. Even the heel mag latch found in the P38 is a better design.
Click to expand...

Ugh, yeah. One of the reasons I don't shoot my P22 any more is the mag release.
 
I actually rather like the magazine release on the P22. I've gotten used to it and it works well for me.

I question the safety of having it there since you basically have to stick your fingers into the trigger guard to remove the magazine.
 
Jose & pdm,

The mag release works using your trigger finger. Just drop it down on the bar. It's very natural. Once you get use to it, it is actual faster, and you don't have to loosen your grip.

noelephant,

Your finger dosen't go inside the trigger guard, it rides on the outside.



Common Sense...The Rarest Of All Senses
 
I want one!!!

I'd carry the hell out of it. I really like Walthers (and have no problems whatsoever with their mag release design) and this one would fit right in with my P22, P99 and P99C.
 
PPS

I purchased the First Edition PPS several weeks ago and have had it to the range several times. In my opinion, based upon considerable amount of pistol shooting, including competitive, as well as several years as a LE Firearms Instructor and Armorer, I beleive it is an outstanding pistol, I like it very much, and looks like it is going to replace my P99 Compact, H&K P2000SK and P239. It shoots great. For a small, light, thin pistol, recoil is very comfortable even with +P Corbon I prefer. Accuracy wise it is fine for me out to distances of even 25 yards. As far as carry, it is much thinner than all three of the above mentioned so if in the waist band carry, it is much more comfortable; with the shortest mag it is easily pocket carry in my dockers, but I prefer to always carry in a quality holster rather than pocket even for a small pistol, but for those that like pocket carry, this should work fine. Workmanship is typical Walther, excellent. All around excellent pistol. Reference the comments on the mag release, all I can say is that I have previously had both the full size P99 and the compact version and so have had time to get accustomed to it, have no concerns at all with this one, seems to me that it is a very quick and safe type of mag release, and while I have been shooting pistols with the traditional side button mag release for over 40 years, I prefer the Walther type now, find it quick to operate.
 
That's the same "Style" mag release that's on the the SW99... And I have to say, I really like it. It's really fast to change magazines, and is easier to get to than the button on the side..

Like M13 said, you don't even change your grip... so if you do a mag change, you're still in a good firing position and don't have to reset your grip... It's really easy to do.


I would love to see one of these, and I'm pretty sure that if it was available in MA, I would buy one in a heart beat.
 
I've got two SW99s, and while I'll agree that the mag release takes a little getting used to, once you do acclimate to it it's a fantastic location. I've trained myself to hit the release with my middle finger, leaving the trigger finger outside the trigger guard. I've found it faster than the standard button on the grip a la 1911 or new M&P.

I really hope it becomes MA compliant, although I would be surprised if it didn't - they've cleared pretty much all other Walthers, right?

Stosh, thanks for the review. How does the trigger safety (UGH) compare with that on Glocks? I waved off on a G19 because of that trigger safety - I hated the way it felt.

C-pher said:
That's the same "Style" mag release that's on the the SW99... And I have to say, I really like it. It's really fast to change magazines, and is easier to get to than the button on the side..

Like M13 said, you don't even change your grip... so if you do a mag change, you're still in a good firing position and don't have to reset your grip... It's really easy to do.


I would love to see one of these, and I'm pretty sure that if it was available in MA, I would buy one in a heart beat.
Click to expand...
 
Martini13 said:
Jose & pdm,

The mag release works using your trigger finger. Just drop it down on the bar. It's very natural. Once you get use to it, it is actual faster, and you don't have to loosen your grip.
Click to expand...

I tried with my index and middle fingers. Could not release the mag without undue twisting of my hand and force on the lever. Could it be perhaps that this gun was too tightly fitted? Maybe. I need to try others.

At this time, however, I am in favor of the traditional Browning-style magazine release. There are probably several good reasons why it is the world standard.
 
I have no problem releasing the magazine with my middle finger on my full sized P99-.40, with my trigger finger along the side of the gun. But, it is my very first handgun, so I didn't learn and "bad" habits early on with a conventional mag release.

On topic: I've love to own a PPS, hopefully it'll be considered "safe" in MAss someday.
 
Jay G,
The trigger has an excellent feel, think the magazine article that was published in one of the gun mags also commented on how good the trigger pull was. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised when you get to try one out.

Marcus,
I traded in a pistol toward it so I did not feel the full bite of the price, but the price before the trade was approx $640. I did not haggle at all, very good shop in southern NH that I like, owner very decent person so I am confident it was fair based upon whatever he had to pay his distributor this early in the product release and he gave a very fair price for my trade. And the case and three mags probably adds $40 or $50 over what the standard model will be, so figured it was reasonable. With regard to holsters, other than the generic ballistic nylon type I have a few of that the PPS fits into (Elite Survival Systems holster that I bought at Four Seasons last week and a Bagmaster that I previously purchased via their website for my S&W CS9) I see that DeSantis started listing two holsters. I have a few very nice holsters for the H&K and P239, a couple of Cobra Gunskin Holsters, a few Bianchi and my favorite is an El Paso Saddlery Holster molded for the H&K P2000SK that make carrying very comfortable with those. However, due to how incredibly thin the PPS is I literally do not feel it on my waist when either in the waist band carry or out. I am now using an El Paso holster that was molded for the H&K but has lots of adjustment and can be cranked down to hold the PPS very securely.
While DeSantis is not the best in my opinion and not my favorite, they are still a decent holster, just be careful dealing with them, I had to return a holster last year due to their mistake and while they sent me out a new one right away, they still hit my credit card 8 bucks for the shipping without telling me, evidently they retain the credit card info on file.
Think I am going to watch the El Paso Saddlery and Cobra Holster company websites for introduction of holsters for the PPS, as they my preferred holster companies, so hope they make them soon.

I took today off from work and went to the range this afternoon, put approx another 100 rounds of WWB though it, kept moving the targets farther out starting at 10 yards at which the groups were extremely tight, every third or 4th round touching a previous hole, at 15 and 20 yards while was not getting rounds touching previous holes grouping was still very good and seemed as tight as I get with my H&K P2000SK; getting to a level of proficiency now with the PPS where can touch off a second and third shot even quicker than with my H&K, so recoil and muzzle rise are not at all an issue with the PPS and I find this surprising for such a small pistol, evidently Walther still does know how to design pistols.
 
PPS holsters

I called Milt Sparks because I think one of their VM2 holsters would be perfect for the PPS, and given that it takes them nearly as long to make a holster as it does for massachusetts to approve a new gun, I wanted to order one. The guy I talked to said he has seen a PPS but he hasn't received a single inquiry about it, other than mine. Obviously, if there isn't much demand, they won't bother with making a holster for it. I told him I'd call back in a few months.
 
Stosh, thanks for the review.

I'm hoping that the PPS becomes MAss compliant as I love my P99s but often wished that my p99c had a slimmer profile. Curious how the PPS compares dimensionally to the P22?
 
The P99C is a great pistol, I liked my P99C a lot, but felt was a little too wide and a little too short on the grip, at least for me. The PPS is very slim in comparison and you can pretty much make the grip the length you like by selecting one of the three mags. I do not have the P22 to compare and no longer have the P99C, but here is a width comparison photo to my 9mm H&K P2000SK V3:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/stoshie/PPSHK.jpg


also
H&K on top of PPS
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/stoshie/HKontopofPPS.jpg

and
PPS on top of H&K
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/stoshie/PPSontopofHK.jpg

and
PPS in an El Paso Saddlery High Slide:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/stoshie/PPSHighSlide002.jpg
 
Update on PPS, in case anyone is interested

Approaching almost 2 years with my 9mm PPS -

Not sure exactly how many rounds through it as I do not keep track, however, certainly in the thousands at this point in time.

No noticeable wear anywhere on any mechanical parts that I can tell, all parts seem to continue to fit and work well.

Reliabilty is excellent, which does not surpise me because it is a Walther.

One aspect of it that does continue to pleasantly surprise me is the accuracy, it is just incredible accurate for such a small pistol.

I have settled on the 7 round mag as the most comfortable for me. However, I have found it useful to carry in addition to a spare 7 round mag to have also the 8 round mag as a back up with different type of ammo for different potential targets, think it is good to be able to tell by feel which mag has the different ammo.

The recoil system absorbs recoil well and I experience little muzzle rise. I have quite a few Corbon and Speer Plus Ps through it and the PPS is still pretty comfortable to shoot, some other small 9 mils I have had seem to sting a bit with Plus Ps, but the PPS does fine. Don't shoot a really huge amount of Plus Ps, but I do rotate older ammo out of the mags every few weeks, so usually a couple mag fulls monthly in addition to several boxes of WWB and Speer practice ammo. Bottom line on recoil and muzzle rise is that it is minimal and second and third follow up shots can be made accurately.

The action, magazine and feed ramp seem to feed any type of ammo, even the short, blunt Corbon hollowpoint feed fine, have never had a problem with any type of ammo.

Over past couple of years have read some reports on the Walther forum pertaining to the backstrap being problematic. I have not experienced any issues at all with that, but I almost never remove the backstrap so mine gets no wear on the tabs there. As a noteworthy point, if one observes the basic rules of firearm safety, it is not necessary to remove the backstrap for cleaning. I use backstrap as a way to deactivate the pistol in emergency situation only.

Read some reports about problems with spring on slide lock / release. I have not experienced that problem either. Mine is a First Editon, so not sure if that made a difference.

Read some complaints about mag release; I think the PPS mag release is great, works good for me, can make quick mag changes without a problem. Initially spare mags were in short supply, but appears they are available now.

Initially holsters were not available. Plenty of quality holsters available now. Purchased two holsters from Cobra, fit and finish is excellent, I can highly recommend them. Appears pretty much most of the holster makers can mold holsters for the PPS now. For an accurate 9 mil it is thin and small and so there is temptation to want to pocket carry. My suggestion is to still go with a suitable pocket holster if going to pocket carry just to be safe.

All of my experience has been with the 9mm PPS, not sure how the 40 cal has been doing, do not know anyone locally that has one.
 
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If I take a hacksaw to my current PPS, I can make one of these. I'll let you know how it works out when I'm done.[rofl]
 
I have had some problems with mine. I had to send it back to S&W twice the second time i recommended they change the disconnector and it seemed to fix my problem. I have shoot 200 rounds so far after the last fix with no issues. I will have to put another 500 before i am convinced though.
 
Shot a rental 9mm that the guy next to me at the range had. (he had just railroad tracked his support hand thumb so he needed a break) I was blown away by the fact I put 5 rounds in a grouping I could cover with a clinched fist at the 7 yard range. Picked it up, picked the skin out of the back of it and bam, bam, bam. very impressive.

I bought the next 40S&W one that came in. I've shot a couple hundred rounds, but the trigger was BAD. It scrunched, and stacked up before it released. I tore it down and cleaned it, lubed and dry fired the bajeez out of it. The trigger is greatly improved now that it's worn in a little. It has the 'S' disconnector. I am looking forward to getting tritium sites and a better holster than the crappy ankle unit I've got now.

The recoil is easier than my Kimber Pro Carry II .45.
 
Just posted this over on the firearms board.. But, posting here as well..

I picked up a pps last night. Got it at First Defense. Denis is a great guy (shameless plug there)! I had just come from the vet, and the dog was in the car, so I was rushed to get her home.
One nice thing is that Denis does the Nics check on line. I had never seen that before, and it is a lot faster than waiting for them to call in. That made it go quicker.

Price was in line with everybody else, and he's local.

The complaint, the PPS is now only shipping with 1 mag!!! Checking around, mags seem to be going for @ 45-60. For a 6-8 round current production gun? Are they serious?? WTF?!?!

Anyways.one interesting thing I really wanted to check. How slim is this? How small is it?
Compared to my p7m8. The p7 appears to be a tiny bit thinner from the top of the slide down to about the mag flare (then the p7 is @ 1/8" wider).
Length, eyeing it, seems about 1/8" shorter than the p7. and @ 1/8" shorter in the grip.

Weight.. p7 is substantially heavier..
 
stosh said:
Approaching almost 2 years with my 9mm PPS -


Reliabilty is excellent, which does not surpise me because it is a Walther.
Click to expand...


All my handguns are Walthers - does this make me a Walther snob? Once you get used to the release - you will not go back.

Kurt -

Proud owner of any Walther you can get for practical use [grin]
 

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