Walther Pp2 9mm - Also known as the Police Pistol Slim, the Walther PPS is a reliable self-defense tool for armed citizens and law enforcement officers alike. I was lucky enough to have one for several months to evaluate, and I was impressed with it.
The PPS proved to be an outstanding performer, however, it had one flaw so significant that I would not choose it for my own self-defense pistol.
Walther Pp2 9mm
However, I still recommend the gun as long as you are aware of this problem. I encourage you to read the entire review to understand why I love this gun and why I would not choose it for my own self defense needs.
Walther Ppq Classic Cal. 9mm Luger
Special Note: This is a revision of the original Walther PPS. If you are interested in an updated version of the gun, check out my Walther PPS M2 review here.
While there has been a lot of press recently about the Glock 43 pistol, the fact is that Walther has been selling a single-stock 9mm pistol for nearly a decade. For some reason I cannot fathom, the Walther brand is often overlooked by many shooters when considering defensive weapons. As a result, the PPS never gained the traction that other guns like the Smith and Wesson Shield did.
The Walther company traces its roots to the late 1800s and is responsible for the development and/or manufacture of several iconic pistols such as the PPK and P38. Modern, full-size pistols like the PPQ and PPX are respectable, combat-grade pistols. A heritage of gun manufacturing combined with legendary German engineering results in a brand that American shooters love.
The PPS is a polymer framed gun that is only 0.9″ wide. It has a very flat look with multiple textures in the grip area. The slide has the famous tenifer treatment to say the metal.
Gun Review: Walther Pps M2 9mm
An advantage of the polymer frame is the flexibility to change the fit of the weapon in the hand. In this case, Walther includes two different sized backstraps with the pistol.
To replace the backstraps, start by simply rotating the gun so that the slide is close to the ground and the magazine well is facing. You press on a small tab attached to the backstrap. This releases the backstrap, allowing you to remove it and snap the larger one into place.
For the 9mm pistol, the magazines can be of the 6-, 7- and 8-round variety. My pistol came with a 7 round and an 8 round magazine. Both mags had extended baseplates on them that helped fill the hand when inserted.
The magazines are released from an ambidextrous lever that moves below the trigger guard. This release ends up being the reason I don't pick up a gun for my survival needs. Scroll down to the Rank Rating section for the full story.
Walther Ppq M2, Semi Automatic, 9mm, 4\
Walther claims the trigger pull is 6.1 pounds. Using my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, I found that the weight is very dependent on finger placement. If I put the pull gauge at the bottom of the trigger, I get an average of 6 pounds 2 ounces.
However, if I put the gauge in the center of the trigger face, the pull measured an average of 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Keeping the gun dry with a normal grip, it felt like I got a lot of weight on most pulls. Scroll down to the Range section for more information on trigger pull.
The Walther PPS ships with three white dot sights. Even though it is a compact pistol, the sights are still large enough to use. However, you can change them if you want. Meprolite, Trijicon and XS sight systems offer upgrades to this gun. Click here to see my roundup of all PPS eye options.
Although the PPS was very small, Walther equipped it with an accessory train. This allows you to easily add a white light, laser or combination element. I tested the PPS with a Streamlight TLR-4 G (shown above.) This combination worked well and I encountered no problems.
Walther Pps M2 9mm Pistol 2805961
The following are the specifications for the 9mm PPS I tested. Walther also makes a PPS chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge. The .40 S&W pistol has identical specifications except for magazine sizes (5, 6 and 7 rounds).
I was excited to shoot PPS. I have shot other modern Walther pistols and they all performed well. So, I wanted to see if this little gun was a good match for its bigger brothers.
I have fired hundreds of rounds from this pistol on many range trips. Also, two others were shot with a gun. Here are some things I noticed.
If you read through some internet gun forums, you will see people saying that Walther makes the best trigger in defensive guns. Although I did not go far, I shot some of the guns and found the triggers to be great.
Walther Pps M2 9mm, 3.2\
PPS doesn't seem to have the same quality. There was a significant amount of slack in the trigger, which I don't mind in a defensive pistol. However, after it is taken, the trigger will have a significant amount of stacking half of the remaining trigger pull.
The rest is difficult, and I could not feel any trip too much. Reset is jerky, requiring a return to the full rest position before it fires again.
All this is quite consistent for rapid fire, self-defense work. However, to make an accurate target shot, the trigger is not suitable.
I should note that impulsive feelings do not prevent me from buying a pistol for its purpose. However, I believe this should be explained for you to decide for yourself if you want to further investigate this weapon for your needs.
Walther Pps M2 Slimline, Single Stack, Striker Fired Sub Compact 9mm Pistol With Shield Rmsc Mini Red Dot Reflex Sight For Concealed Carry (ccw): 'why Be Practical, When You Can Be Awesome?' (video!)
If there is an error in PPS, it is with the publication of the journal. Walther decided to use a lever-type magazine release in this gun.
I have reviewed pistols in the past with this common magazine release style and I have liked everything I have tried. However, I found the lever on this PPS difficult to manipulate and I made magazine changes noticeably slower when using my thumb to shoot.
To manipulate the magazine release with my thumb, I had to turn the gun over 45 š before I could push it down. People with longer thumbs may not have the same problem I encountered.
During one of my trips to the range, my wife accompanied me to try out some new weapons. He was looking to pick up a new concealed carry pistol and was comparing the M&P Shield, Glock 43 and PPS. Of the three, he liked how PPS shot the best. However, he found the launch of the magazine to be unnecessarily difficult.
Walther Pps M2 [the Ultimate Hands On Review] By Sniper Country
With a little experimentation, I found that I could activate the release with the middle finger of the shooting hand. Although I was relatively quick with this technique, it required me to loosen my grip on the pistol considerably - not something I would consider appropriate in a self-defense encounter.
Another problem with using this technique is that it goes against all the training I have done with weapons in the last 20 years. In an emergency, my training years are likely to kick in and I will be prevented from exchanging out the mag.
Yes - it's easy I'll need to change the magazine in the unlikely event I find myself shooting. However, with all the options on the market, why would I deliberately choose a device that works against decades of training?
I found while in the range that the extended magazine base plate can hang on the meat of the hand during ejection. Manipulating the release lever with my thumb, the heel of the base plate still stuck to my hand, requiring me to reach up with my support hand and pull the mag free.
Walther Pps 9mm Pistol
This is similar to the problem I experienced with both the Shield and the Springfield XD - they use sleeves on the extended magazines. There is a fix for his shield now, but nothing for the other pistols yet.
I have had no problems with magazine stops when using the alternative magazine release method described above. This is mainly because my grip on the pistol deteriorated significantly during this reloading technique.
I am lucky enough to have an in-house gun set that allows me to wear a chronograph and spend many hours on one of the lines. This allows me to have fairly stable conditions to check the speed of the ammunition.
For this review, I ran 13 different loads in the pistol. Blazer Brass FMJ ammo was the most common shot, but I ran into a lot of hollow point, frangible, and other FMJ loads in the pistol. Nine different manufacturers were represented.
Walther Pps M2 9mm 6/7rd
A distance of approximately 15′ from the muzzle of the pistol was measured with a Compete Electronics Prochrono digital chronograph. All measurements are one
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