Walther PPS 9mm a couple days at the range

[MLeake]

Picked up my PPS this past Tuesday, and have put about 600 rounds through it so far without problem.

It carries like a small gun, but shoots like a full-sized gun.

I installed the large backstrap, and fit a LimbSaver grip sleeve over that. Fits my hand and points beautifully. I never shot it without the LimbSaver, so I can't say how much perceived recoil was reduced, but perceived recoil is very low.

The rear sight was slightly right of center out of the box, and not surprisingly the PPS shot slightly to the right. A few taps with a brass punch later, the rear sight is centered, and the gun shoots nicely to center (Edit: on closer perusal, it's shooting slightly left, but closer to center than it was... I may need to tap it 1/3 back to where it started...)

23 yards, 100 rounds from Chapman.

10 yards, 50 rounds FMJ to chest, 7 rounds 124gn GDHP to head. Aim point in chest was slightly below the X.

10 yards, 50 rounds FMJ to chest. Aim point for this one was the high center number 9.

7 yards one-handed, 50 rounds RH to head, 50 rounds LH to chest. Chest aim point was the X. Missed one round to the head, slightly left in the black. Felt myself pull it at the time. Need to work more on my one-handed shooting.

So far, the PPS has been problem-free with a mix of PMC 115gr range ammo, Speer LawMan 124gr FMJ, Hornady Zombie Defense 115gr, and Speer Gold Dot 124gr.

I really like this pistol.

 

[mumbo719]

Got the same set up (PPS with Limbsaver) for the wife a couple of weeks ago.

I agree for a small slim gun it shoots more like the P99 Compact vs other single stack 9's in it class.

 

[MLeake]

I like the feel of the LimbSaver, but I actually bought it because of concerns I had seen raised about backstrap removal disabling the pistol.

I don't like to give Murphy any freebies. The grip sleeve makes inadvertent backstrap removal highly unlikely.

 

[ScotchMan]

Got mine earlier this week. Mine also shoots to the right. I'll have to look into moving the sights; you don't have to move any screws, just tap it? That seems like it could come loose when carrying.

It carries like a small gun, but shoots like a full-sized gun.

That was my feeling as well. I love it, and my former EDC has been getting acquainted with the safe.

 

[MLeake]

Just tap it with a brass or plastic punch, per the owner's manual. (I suppose teflon would also be ok; I have a tinker friend who uses teflon rods.)

It doesn't move easily enough to cause concerns about it coming loose at a later time, but it also doesn't require great amounts of force. I used a brass punch and a smallish gunsmith's hammer (borrowed both while at the LGS).

I aligned my rear sight with the channel, so that it now looks perfectly centered. That may have been a tap too far, as it seems mine should be slightly right of center.

 

[ScotchMan]

Awesome, I'll try that, thanks.

 

[Darmok]

Before you go messing around with the sights on any new handgun, you may want to make absolutely sure that it's not your technique that's causing the skewed POI. I thought my PPS was shooting right when I first bought mine, even though the sights were in the dead center position. So I immediately drifted my sights, and within another range session or two, I realized that it was not the sights, but my technique, that was the problem. So I ended up having to drift them back to center again once I fixed my technique.

It's a good idea to shoot any new handgun from a sturdy rest before messing with the sights. I use a sturdy camera tripod with a folded towel on top for padding my wrist, so that I have a rest that's at the proper height for normal shooting. Using a bench rest can make your head droop and affect the elevation, unless you're careful to position a chair at just the right height.

 

[ScotchMan]

Excellent advice. I was planning on shooting from a rest before messing with the sights, and if possible having someone else shoot the gun as well. I'm certainly open to the possibility its me. I looked at it though, and the rear sight is a little bit right of center, which would support the theory.

 

[MLeake]

The advice is valid. However, I shoot a lot (over 1000 rds per month).

Even if it is my technique, I don't care, as the gun will be regulated for me.

But I am pretty sure it is the sights.

 

[Darmok]

The advice is valid. However, I shoot a lot (over 1000 rds per month).

Even if it is my technique, I don't care, as the gun will be regulated for me.

But I am pretty sure it is the sights.

I shoot around that much per month too (a bit more actually, more like 1300 rounds), but every time I buy a new gun, I find that I need a bit of time to train myself how to shoot it dead-on accurately.

I should probably stop buying so many guns.

 

[Water-Man]

MLeake,

Nice shooting with a very good pistol. Good luck with it!

W-M

 

[fastbolt]

The PPS rear sight uses the newer Walther steel clamping sleeve under the sight base. The sleeve has clamping teeth that face the slide (meaning downward). This provides for optimum seating of the sight base in the slide's T-slot (it's not a dovetail) and protection from shifting.

When adjusting the rear sight for windage, Walther recommends the slide be removed from the pistol, the recoil guide rod assembly and barrel removed from the slide, and then the slide fixed in a vise with soft/padded jaws, taking care not to deform the slide.

If the rear sight in any particular pistol has a set screw, naturally the set screw must be loosened before any adjustment is attempted. (Once the sight has been adjusted, the set screw should be tightened again.)

A brass or plastic drift or punch can be used to adjust the sight within the T-slot for windage.

Using a sight pusher is an optional method for adjusting the rear sight for windage.

Walther says the clamping sleeve may only be used once, and if the sight is removed a new sleeve should be used.