Walther PPQ 45 has landed...Range and pictorial review.

[Mystro]

The Walther PPQ45 has landed in my hands.

Walther just shipped my LGS a special PPQ45 for our upcoming gun expo. Needless to say that the PPQ45 was mine soon after. I will start the review off as saying I had extremely high expectations for the 45 PPQ. I love my classic PPQ in 9mm but these days shoot/carry 40 and 45acp more. I have 28 handguns in my collection and teach a CCW class as well as act as a RO so I have shot about every handgun as they are available. In MY hands.... The PPQ 45 is THE most accurate polymer 45acp I have ever shot. It is the best PPQ I have shot. Yup, its that good.

This is the first magazine I shot out of the big PPQ45.

Lets back up and I will give you the specs. 12 + 1 45acp. The size of the gun feels the same as my PPQ 9mm. Fits my hand identical. It is a German pistol and it feels like it with its build quality. Build quality and fit and finish is top shelf.

The PPQ45 magazines load 12 rounds of 45acp and they load all 12 rounds easily. The last round fits nicely. As you can see the mags are made in Italy and are very high quality with a anti friction coating. The mags shoot out of the bottom of the gun loaded or empty or even with the slide open. Think IDPA ready out of the box 45acp.


The slide racks as easy as my 9mm PPQ. Recoil management is where the PPQ 45 rises above all the other 45acp polymer guns I have shot. I dont know what magic Walther did to this PPQ but the PPQ45 feels like a 9mm PPQ. Its wasnt just me either. All those that shot the gun at the expo couldn't believe it was a 45acp. We had some very seasoned pro shooters shoot this gun and all were in agreement that it was one of the smoothest polymer 45acp they have shot.

The trigger: THE best in the industry. This one had absolutely no creep or mush at all. Even better than my well shot in PPQ 9mm. It is a match grade trigger by any ones standard. Reset was short and rapid fire was easily kept under control. I shot well past 40 yards with it and groups were unbelievably small (still looking for the target). Stacking bullets seemed almost effortless.

Sight were the typical 3 dot adjustable PPQ sights. Didnt have to touch them. They had a slight under target hold that I love. I will eventually put night sights on it but for now they are crisp and easy to see and will do nicely.


The PPQ45 feeds everything. I tried to get the gun to fail by shooting it left handed, limp wrist, etc.... Perfectly reliable and this gun is duty ready for me. HST 230jhp and Gold Dot 230jhp are what I like to carry in my 45's and the PPQ45 shot both equally well. In fact, I shot 250 rounds of mixed ammo from cheap to premium and all were accurate and their POI remained consistent.
I believe Walther may have bested the original PPQ Classic with the PPQ45. I also will go on record that it is the best polymer striker 45acp you can buy. The gun seems to mitigate recoil better than the competition yet still being very light weight. Accuracy seems to be consistent with every body that shoots it. Those two alone make it a extremely easy 45acp to shoot fast and with alot of control.
So I will wrap this up by saying that the PPQ45 exceeded my high expectations. The only problem that I can see with the PPQ 45 is finding one. These are going to sell and sell fast.


I will try to answer any questions you have.

 

[Mystro]

 

[TunnelRat]

12+1 is pretty darn good. If you get a chance, please post a picture comparing it size wise to the regular 9mm PPQ. Nice first impressions!

 

[Pgfins]

Great review Mystro. I've seen a bunch of post in other forums and respect your opinion. I know your a big fan of the Sig 227 but it sounds like you found your new favorite. Didn't think I was going to be able to resist this gun.

 

[Uncle Malice]

Great review as usual. I'm glad to see this thing turns out to be a winner.

Something about the looks seems... 'off' to me... it looks top heavy or something. I can't quite put my finger on it. Looks like a good size for it's capacity. Seems similar to the M&P 45 mid size which is my second favorite 45 and favorite striker fired 45 (USP 45 being my #1). Of course, the M&P is only 10+1. I'd be curious to check them out side by side.

 

[Mystro]

For those that don't know, I am a hard core Sig and HK owner. That said, the PPQ 45 does the polymer striker fire thing better than anyone else I have owned or shot. It truly is a stand out in the 45 polymer gun offerings. I am a gun nut so when I am telling you this blows my skirt up, it is a "have to shoot" pistol even if you are not a Walthers fan. The only down side to this gun is its gonna be harder than hell to find once they officially are released in October.


FYI...I am getting a Massammo discount comming soon for the forum.

 

[marine6680]

Something about the looks seems... 'off' to me... it looks top heavy or something.

It looks like someone who put on a little weight after marriage or something.

The slide and grip look a bit fatter to me.


Looks like a good option for the 45 crowd though.

 

[Mystro]

Not exactly the same angle or distance but here is the PPQ 9mm and PPQ 45acp.
They both feel exactly the same in the hand event thow the 45 is slightly bigger in the grip. Leather holsters between the two seem to fit the same.

One other major point I failed to mention in the original review. The recoil push or pulse of the 45acp seem to fit the ergos of the PPQ better than a snappier caliber recoil. I think this is why many at the gun expo felt the PPQ 45 felt like a 9mm. There is a "X" factor between the 45acp and PPQ design that really works together and gives you a pleasant shooting experience. No trigger slap or any of that. I comfortably shot 250 rounds and could have shot all day with less fatigue than other 45 polymer handguns.

 

[fire4606]

Mystro,

I was as excited as you with my first PPQ, fit, feel, finish, range time loved it.

However then I started practicing for matches and shooting rapid fire and found that it did not shoot as fast as my Glocks, shot similar to my M&Ps....

Attributed it to the higher bore axis slowing down follow up shots, wasnt as quick to get back on target as my 19.

Have you done much with the PPQ 9 as far IDPA/USPSA, did you feel it was as quick on follow up shots etc as other pistols??

I too like the grip, ergonomics, trigger on a pistol i loved really wanted to shoot it in competitions but it eas just slower for me... Still have it of course and im curious about the 45 very much...im just wondering how its going to perform in rapid fire situations....

 

[Mystro]

No rapid fire issues with the PPQ today. The recoil piulse is very controllable. Double taps are a breeze. It's a new gun and this rapid fire target was shot as fast as I could pull the trigger. 2 shots a second. The PPQ 45 would be my first choice for a IDPA 45acp striker fire.

 

[Slimjim9]

Wow, great review. I've been seriously considering the Sig P320 45 as my next or maybe one-after-next handgun. If I just wanted the full size, the PPQ sounds like a worthy contender. But I'm probably more interested in the compact for carrying. Are there any plans for a smaller PPQ? Would it lose the X factor?

 

[Mystro]

For me it's all about the weight. Empty weight of the PPQ45 is very close to my P320 Compact 40. I would say both will EDC the same. I want to weigh the PPQ45 fully loaded in the next few days. Tonight I am wet molding a leather hosted for the new PPQ45 for a perfect fit.

 

[Ride Madone]

Looks really nice and I want one. However, I think I will wait for the VP45. Don't even know if there will be one, but I think I will wait awhile and see.

 

[Mystro]

With fresh eyes and ears and comparing the new PPQ45 with other guns in my safe, here is how I can best describe the trigger.

The triggers are crisp on the P320 I own two and rank them in the top three striker fire triggers (good VP9, better P320, best PPQ ). A light weight trigger is good but crispness and short reset are better.. A hair mushy trigger is crap and what many modded triggers end up feeling like.
crap and these can be the dangerous ones to EDC. If they don't break clean regardless of weight, accuracy suffers.

This example of the PPQ 45 is better than them all. It is better in every category. Crisper, shorter reset, and no mush/grit/perceivable friction. It probably weighs in at a honest 4.5lbs- 4.75lbs but feels lighter and certainly not hair trigger. It is THE best striker trigger I have ever felt stock or modified. My PPQ 9mm has about 1500 rounds through it and it is broken in to a 4.5lbs range. Most noticeably lighter than the P320 and VP9. The PPQ45 with 500 rounds through it feels better and more crisp. When you pull the take up of the trigger to the wall, it is rock solid. At that point it breaks clean and crisp only moving slightly back against the final wall that is rock solid. The trigger then moves foward only .1" to reset with a audible click for the next shot. Hands down the best polymer trigger I have ever felt.
It feels like a custom trigger job right out of the box and would be considered a outstanding trigger by anyone's standard.

Now what I am wondering is because this particular PPQ45 was hand picked for the expo event as pre released gun, if it wasn't cherry picked from the best of the initial production. It's possible but highly unlikely. I will go on record as saying It is THE best striker fire I have ever shot modded or stock.

Have you tried the Sig 320 and if do how does the trigger compare?

 

[Mystro]

UPDATE:

Here are a few quick size comparison pics of some of my big bores I pulled from safe. Note that the mid size USP Compact 40 isnt that much smaller than the PPQ45.







Here is a good demonstration on the size of the grip and its excellent design. Note that my grip doesnt change going from shooting to releasing the magazine. I can easily activate the mag release without changing my grip at all. This is extremely rare for a 45acp that holds 12 + 1 rounds.


Here is a DeSantis leather holster for the G20 I wet molded to fit the PPQ45 exactly. The PPQ45 isnt as blocky as the gG20 so by remolding the lines, it gives a precise fit. The Blackhawk IWB holster I use for my USP Compact fits the PPQ45 great.

 

[Pgfins]

Great pics and sorry to ask given all the info you've already provided but can you compare pics of just the PPQ 9 & 45?

Thanks

 

[OhioAmerican]

Thank you for the new review - I saw one around my neck of the wood for around $699 with one mag, care to share how much you spent on the toy?

I didn't have a very good experience shooting Glock 38 (45ACP duh), your thoughts when comparing the two systems?

 

[Mystro]

The PPQ45 is not to be released until mid October.

FYI:

I just want to let everyone know I am having both Trijicon and Meprolight night sights being delivered for the PPQ45. I will be the first to test their fitment and to verify the poi/poa. I am working with both companies regarding the fitment for the new PPQ45.

I also will be having another forum discount for Massammo and will be reviewing a new brand of range ammo through Massamo. I was very clear with them that my review will be a honest report good or bad. They were very excited and felt it will be a quality based range ammo consisting of brass cases and fmj in popular calibers and bullet weights. My test selection they sent me looks good. I wil report back when I get a chance to thoroughly test them out.

 

[Fishbed77]

If I'm in the market for a polymer .45 anytime soon, this may have to be at the top of my list.

Too bad it has the wrong mag release.

But I could get over that since the mags wouldn't be compatible with the P99 anyway, due to caliber (unlike the silly 9mm PPQ M2).

 

[Independent George]

Can you post a comparison pic of the grip thickness? That's my primary concern about the .45 compared to the 9mm. Otherwise, I'd probably buy it sight unseen just because of how much I loved the PPQ.

I'm also holding out for a version with a threaded barrel.