Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

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BigNate
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Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

#1

Post by BigNate »

OK – I finally got out to the range after getting this thing assembled. First impressions are important – and they are almost all good.

How I got Here
My eyes are starting to age and I’m running into age related farsightedness (I am still 20/20 at distance – but I can’t get good focus on things near my face – like a front sight post) so I thought I should probably start looking at an optic equipped gun EDC gun. I had already excluded subcompacts based on the size of my hands, and a general dislike for how they shoot, their capacity, and their ergonomics. Additionally, as an old boomer nerd I still hold the view that a personal defense gun should be “bone stock.” So I was in the market for things that were factory optic ready, not tiny, dead reliable, not huge, and reasonably accurate. I tend to be a trigger snob – so that was one of the other significant factors.

The Gun and Bolt-On Stuff
After a bunch of shopping, reading, and Youtube-video-watching, I settled on a new “newer model” Walther PDP Full Size with 4” barrel. I say “newer” because it appears that they modified the optic mount machining and call this out in the optic plate order form – but they don’t seem to have created a “Gen 1 / Gen 2” nomenclature for this change. It has an SN that fits the pattern that they say gets the new style plate. I found one youtube vid on the PDP that said “your PDP WILL BREAK” in which they referenced the lack of shear resisting structures between the slide and the optic plate. My optic plate and the factory cut look different than the gun in that video. My guess is that Walther quietly agreed with the guy in that video and made a design change to remedy the concern – and they didn’t want to advertise the change so they did it “quietly”(without branding it as a new version). Anyway - I put my hands on a bunch of other guns but it ended up boiling down to the Walther PDP and the HK VP9 (more on that in the original thread here: https://www.arizonashooting.org/forum/v ... 25&t=16216). I chose the PDP primarily because I found the two to be nearly even, but I liked the PDP trigger better, and it was less expensive, so decision made. If the trigger had been the same I probably would have bought the HK based on my previous experience with the two brands - but I couldn't see spending more for a trigger that I liked less when both are reasonably expected to be rock solid guns.

I did less research on the optic as my son carries a gen5 G17 MOS with a Holosun 507C and has been very happy with this optic – and given that it is something that can be replaced if I decide I don’t like it, I also really like the idea of the “circle dot” reticle – a 2MOA dot inside of a 32MOA circle. So, based on these things, and his positive experience, I just grabbed one. Will I regret not buying an RMR. Who knows - but if I do, I'll save my pennies and get one.

I decided that despite the fact that the trend seems to be moving at least somewhat towards no cowitness sights for pistol RDS – I still wanted iron sights and wanted to be able to see them through the RDS if it failed. The PDP platform was designed to use Glock style sights (a nice selling point) so I added AmeirGlo ‎AMGGL-611 based on some interwebs recommendations. These are listed as “Optic Compatible Sight Set for Glock – with a .315 front and .394 rear sight. I very much like how they cowitness with the RDS – but I wish I’d bought a set without the luminescent dot on the front post. I did choose a set with the green Tritium dot so as to not be confused with the red of the RDS. I could not get my phone to focus – but you get the sense of the irons cowitness through the RDS (ironically – the phone camera picks up just about what my eyes see when trying to use the iron sights… 😊 ). As you can see - they rise just above the bottom of the RDS frame. I found that when shooting with the RDS on, I truly did not notice them.
CoWitness.jpg
I added a Streamlight TLR7-A micro light on general principle as it truly does not dramatically expand the footprint of the platform and it gives me that additional tool as part of the carry package.

As it sits – it looks like this:
As It Sits.jpg
I then took the gun down to We Plead the 2nd in Tempe – and so far I’m very happy with the holster that they made for me. It is comfortable, and it secures the weapon well - what more can I ask.
Holstered.jpg

Shooting / Carrying the Gun
The Good
First impressions are important – and they were generally great! The gun feels at home in my hand. The grip angle works well for me and the fact that it comes with multiple backstraps to allow adjustment for my hand is very nice (I’m using the biggest of the backstraps – and I like it). I suspect that I’m going to learn more about the “pinky squeeze” that this is designed to promote as I work on shooting an RDS equipped pistol. The texturing on the grip is great – I’d say it is a fantastic balance of a reasonably aggressive texture with a relatively supple material. I’ve not started carrying it regularly – but I’ve worn it around the house for a few days – and at the end of the day I did not regret having it there.

The gun functioned flawlessly through a few hundred rounds of a variety of factory ball rounds. I know I shot S&B 115gr FMJ ball, S&B 124gr FMJ ball, PMC Bronze 115 FMJ Ball, and 20 or so of some other factory ball rounds left over from a previous shoot that got put into a ziplok bag when their box got used as a container for brass at the end of the day – maybe Winchester white box – but who knows. I’ve not yet put defensive rounds through it but the next time out it will get a box or two of 124gr +P Federal HSTs through it. Assuming that it eats these without issue that is what it will carry (and if it doesn’t – then I can’t see it being an EDC gun).

I've seen comments about the PDP being "snappy" due to a highish bore axis on a plastic gun. I did not find it particularly snappy but then again I did not bring anything to compare it to. The next time out I'll try to bring some other carry type guns to compare it against - but candidly there was nothing there that made me think "lord - 2nd shots are going to be slow" (like when I shot a friend's Glock 33). Time, and many drills, and some hotter rounds will tell whether there is anything there worth worrying about.

Its worth noting that the heavy serrations / grooves at the front of the slide were something that I'm glad to have. I've been told that it is totally acceptable to cycle the slide by grabbing the RDS - I simply don't like doing this. I'm sure that it makes sense to know that I can cycle the slide by jamming the RDS into my waist, or against a fence post, or whatever - but the idea of routinely smacking around a piece of highly calibrated electronics when you don't actually have to doesn't sit well with me - even if it is supposed to take it - so I found myself cycling the slide from the front - and grateful for the grooves. As noted elsewhere, they look like they might take off a finger - but they are nicely machined and chamfered - there was never any discomfort.

In terms of accuracy - the gun is better than me. When shot intentionally, it consistently puts bullets through the same hole at ranges through 10 yards. Given that I was sighting in, and ran out of time, I did not go out past that. The trigger is the best trigger I’ve ever had in a striker-fire gun. Is it as good as the CGW stuff in the Shadow 2? No… but it’s not meant to be – this is not a race gun it is an EDC gun and as production triggers in a defensive / duty weapon go – this one is really fantastic. The draw is longer than I would want on a race gun – but totally appropriate for a defensive striker-fire weapon. The break is very clean and the reset is short and obvious.
While sighting in and breaking in I shot seated from a sandbag (I call this “braced” below) and standing 2 handed. The following are a few pics.

These is the first three aimed shots - shot braced from 5 yards.
First 3rds at 5 yards.jpg
A 3 round group, standing, unsupported, at 10 yards (still during sight-in). I shot it at 5 yards, then 7, adjusting, then lost focus and moved to 10 without finishing my adjustments.
3 rounds standing at 10 yards.jpg
I did eventually bring the groups to zero. While this was the best 3 shot group at 10 yds, there were a number of others that were close. The gun works, and when I do my part it really puts rounds where you want them.

I took more pictures but it looks like the board only allows 5 per post so these will have to do...


The Bad
I’ve found two negatives.
1) When researching the gun I saw mentioned in a number of the reviews that for those with big hands (me) there is a tendency to unintentionally ride the slide release. This happened consistently during the first shoot. In fact – I think the slide only locked back once during perhaps 70-80 empty magazine conditions (I was loading and shooting 3 per mag – over and over again for sight-in and familiarization). If I rack the slide on an empty magazine and manage hand placement – it catches. The gun is not “broken” but I would call this a design flaw. My hands are large – but they are not Andre-the-giant large. As mentioned in a number of videos, if you practice a manual of arms that includes cycling the slide on a mag change – this becomes a non-issue. That said - this is something that Walther should fix going forward.

2) On my first tear-down and reassembly of the gun “something” went back together wonky. The slide seemed to seize on the barrel and while the gun was reassembled, it was not in a condition where the slide would cycle freely. It took me a minute to jimmy the thing apart. I don’t know if I had the spring / guide rod misaligned, or something else – but it was not in good shape. I wondered if I had a lemon. After this I tried REPEATEDLY to replicate this condition and I've not been able to do it again. I had my wife (a casual and mostly a revolver shooter – who has probably torn down a semi-auto pistol 20 or fewer times) tear it down and reassemble it – she did it without issue. I don’t know why it happened and it has not repeated – but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Overall
So far I really love the gun. If the initial experience holds true and it does not fall apart or develop some tendency to fail to function, then it is probably the best dead-stock defensive handgun I’ve owned. It consistently puts bullets through the same hole and in the first few hundred rounds there were zero malfunctions. It is compact enough that even with the micro light and RDS it conceals reasonably and is more comfortable than other guns that I’ve carried strong side IWB (I’m too fat for AIWB – or at least I think I am). Some of this may be credited to the great holster, but the gun itself plays a part too. Assuming that I can build skillset around shooting with the RDS - I expect it to become the EDC tool of choice.

Next up will be getting it out into the sticks and putting a bunch of rounds through it against steel – while working target and sight acquisition through the RDS. I’ve got a brick of ball rounds with its name on it. If my opinion changes / evolves – I’ll update here.
Last edited by BigNate on June 21st, 2022, 2:59 pm, edited 4 times in total.


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blasternaz
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Re: Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

#2

Post by blasternaz »

Thank you, sir! Very complete report. Here's wishing you many years of happy carry!
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kenpoprofessor
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Re: Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

#3

Post by kenpoprofessor »

Get a laser trainer, they are worth the few dollars spent, even the cheapies on Ebay, to get that sight picture on target, and, you get to get that trigger press down so you're not pulling. I've got laser targets (cheap reflective stickers I cut up) all over, 2", and I can consistently hit them at random.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... r&_sacat=0


Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde
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BigNate
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Re: Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

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Post by BigNate »

kenpoprofessor wrote: June 21st, 2022, 2:57 pm Get a laser trainer, they are worth the few dollars spent, even the cheapies on Ebay, to get that sight picture on target, and, you get to get that trigger press down so you're not pulling. I've got laser targets (cheap reflective stickers I cut up) all over, 2", and I can consistently hit them at random.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... r&_sacat=0


Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde
Thanks Sir - I have one.
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BigNate
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Re: Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

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Post by BigNate »

Got out late last week with an old friend who is a federal law enforcement officer and who spends a LOT of time training with RDS equipped handguns. He was kind enough to provide a couple of hours of 1:1 training.

I put about 400 rounds through it and it and I'm seriously happy with the setup. We worked at 5, 7, and 15 yards (probably 90% at 7) and had zero rounds off the paper and maybe 20 rounds out of the black. When shooting slow it consistently puts rounds through the same hole. I shot 300 rounds of ZQI 124gr NATO ball, 100 rounds of Blazer (I think it was 115 stuff) and 20 rounds of Federal 124gr HST +P. I had one failure to feed very late in the shoot - and I was really "smoked" (his term - I was tired and losing focus) - and I believe that I limp wristed the shot. The round simply didn't make it all the way into the chamber - tap/rack and the problem resolved and did not return.

"Finding the dot" got significantly faster by the end of the session - although I'm guessing I'll have 1000 or so more rounds through it before I feel comfortable relying on it as a carry solution. I'm going to try to shoot it once a week for the next couple of months. Hopefully that will get me to the place where finding the dot is automatic / natural.
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Jack Dupp
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Re: Range Report - Walther PDP Full Size - 4"

#6

Post by Jack Dupp »

Good review. I have the Q4SF, which came out shortly before the PDP....I hope my gun isn't susceptible to breaking at the optic plate like you mentioned in your original post.

If you want to lighten your trigger pull even more, you can get a Sprinco PPQ competition trigger spring for cheap from Ben Stoeger Pro Shop. It dropped my trigger pull by a pound and a half and has been 100% safe and reliable.
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