Striker-fired polymer framed pistols…they’re everywhere. And let’s go ahead and call a spade a spade; polymer means plastic. Plastic framed guns are what we’re talking about here!
Because you’re reading this on Sporting Classics Daily, I already know who you are because I know our demographics. You’re probably old enough to still prefer a steel framed gun. You’ve probably disliked plastic framed pistols since you first saw them. They lack heft. They lack beauty. They lack tradition. They lack problems. What?
Now that I have your attention let’s look at what the Walther PPQ doesn’t lack. It doesn’t lack reliability. At 15 rounds it doesn’t lack capacity. With a high density plastic frame and an incredibly tough tenifer finish on the metal parts it doesn’t lack durability. Because of its high-quality Walther barrel and the ultra-smooth Quick Defense Trigger this pistol most definitely does not lack accuracy. There’s another area where the Walther blows most pistols out of the water, but you’ll have to make it to the end of this article to find out what it is.
Reliability is my first requirement for a pistol. Whether I carry a pistol in my waistband, in my glovebox or in my overnight bag on a hunting trip, I only own pistols for one reason – defense. If a pistol isn’t reliable, I have no use for it. In the field I carried a polymer framed duty pistol for nine years. I’ve carried one in uniform, as a plain-clothes agent, and undercover. I never cared about how the gun looked because I knew it was reliable. It was accurate enough and most importantly, I trusted it. It wasn’t a Walther, but it was a good example of what a defense pistol should be. I drew on my experience with that pistol in evaluating the Walther, which is why I can confidently recommend the Walther in terms of reliability. It’s been flawless on the range so far.
Capacity is another consideration for me when selecting a pistol. Since I’m no longer “on the job,” I’ll tell you that I don’t carry a spare magazine on me when I carry a pistol. I keep one in my truck and I’ll pack one in a backpack, but I won’t carry one on me. With most defensive shootings consisting of an average of 3.5 defensive rounds fired, the Walther’s 15-round capacity should almost always be enough for an encounter. Tactical nerds who carry 87 rounds in their fanny packs will argue that several spare magazines are better than my single magazine in a defensive situation. Well, carrying a rifle would be better for defense too but I’m not going to do that.
Durability is a big component in my choice of a pistol. I want something I don’t need to wipe down with oil every time I handle it. The polymer pistol I carried in the field had one small Achilles heel that we quickly discovered. With a lot of our time spent in a saltwater environment we discovered the sights would rust. The rest of the firearm resisted the elements pretty well but the sights, we found, were not coated. The Walther PPQ M2 has a tenifer coating on its metal parts to prevent corrosion…and it works. The sights won’t rust because they’re polymer as is the pistol’s frame so nothing to really worry about there. Just pay attention to dust/dirt/lint that may accumulate near the slide/frame mating area and you should be good to go. Periodic inspection and cleaning are more than acceptable with this pistol.
In the accuracy department, the Walther PPQ M2 should outperform most pistols in its class. Striker-fired pistols have always had one drawback; the trigger. Because of the difference in engineering the striker pistols just won’t ever have the same clean feel at the trigger as a hammer-fired weapon. This can affect the accuracy of a pistol, but it shouldn’t prevent a shooter from being, at the very least, practically accurate. One of the features of the Walther that has had people talking is the trigger. I don’t know how they did it, and I really don’t care, but the Walther’s trigger is leaps and bounds ahead of the pistol I carried in the field. What does this mean for you? You’ll be more accurate with less training. But you should still train.
One of the biggest standouts of the PPQ M2 is the overall design of the pistol itself. The ergonomics are perfect. You don’t need NBA hands to fit around the grip and everything just seems to mold to your palm. Walther definitely paid attention to the gripes pistol users have, and they made this pistol very comfortable to shoot. If you have larger hands you can install a larger backstrap on the grip in seconds, so this gun can be made to fit anyone.
I’m not going to focus much time on range reports in the Sidearms For Sportsmen column. If there’s a problem, I’ll inform you but I’m not evaluating these guns for extreme accuracy. I’m not measuring group sizes. I’m looking more at practical accuracy and reliability as these are the two most important factors for saving your life or the life of someone else…which is what the PPQ M2 was designed to do. And it will, if you should ever need it and if you’re able to keep your wits about you. That last part is why you train.
The Walther PPQ M2 is a “definite buy” for someone looking for a reliable, accurate, capable and durable defensive pistol. It’s built to last a lifetime with minimal care, and it should be comfortable for anyone to shoot. With a street price of $459.00 (EuroOptic.com) the pistol is an incredible value for a German-made product. You can’t go wrong with this one.