I've been waiting for this to come in for a little while now and I'm very excited to finally have this here. It's a Walther PDP full size with the 4.5" barrel. Today we're going take a first look at the gun and what it comes with, and talk about one significant way that this PDP is different from PDPs that have come before it.
The first thing you notice is the case. This thing is HUGE compared to other gun cases. It has the Walther branding on the front, as well as having these raised areas that echo the slide serrations on the PDP. Opening it up, it's obvious that Walther packed in the extras. Up on top is the usual Walther paperwork and cable lock. Just south of that are some grip modules that are interchangeable with the one that comes on the gun, to tailor the grip to the shooter's hand a bit better.
Then we have the two magazines that come with the weapon. They have metal bodies and plastic base plates, and as others have noted they look like they are made by Mec-Gar even though they aren't marked as such. They have blue followers, so they are more easily distinguished from other mags. Both of them hold 18 rounds, and Walther includes a magazine loader as well which aids in loading mags at the range.
There's also a little baggie with the chamber flag and the tool for the screws that hold the optic plate in.
And now for the PDP itself! Its worth it to note that the PDP comes in 2 different frame sizes and 2 different barrel lengths, and that's how they are referred to. The frames are either Compact or Full Sized, and available barrel lengths are 4, 4.5, and 5 inches.
This is the full sized PDP with the 4.5-inch barrel, which puts it about the same size as a Glock 17 for reference. I thought that this would be a good middle ground since there are so many models to choose from in the PDP lineup. Looking over the features of the gun, one of the most notable are the slide serrations. Walther is really proud of these (remember they put them on the case too) and they're calling them "Super Terrain" serrations. They're very prominent, very easy to use both front and rear.
Another of the new features is the grip texture. Walther is calling this their "Performance Duty Texture". It's a really interesting texture that is relatively smooth when you brush across it, but becomes pleasantly grippy when you firmly grip the weapon. Speaking of gripping the weapon, Walther also added in a small angle at the base of the grip that is ostensibly designed to help the weapon point more naturally with a slide mounted optic on it.
The trigger is one of the best parts of the PDP. Its called the Performance Duty Trigger, and it's an improvement/evolution of the PPQ's already very good trigger. For the PDP, Walther says that they have shortened the travel and made the break more tactile. The trigger has a short initial travel, then hits a very solid wall. The break is short and crisp, with a very short reset. Trigger pull weight comes in at an average of 5.5lbs on my scale, which is right in line with what Walther lists.
Other features of the PDP are the frame mounted pic rail, and the factory sights that are adjustable for both windage and elevation from the rear sight.
Finally we come to one of the most notable features of the PDP: the fact that it comes optics-ready from the factory. The PDP mounts optics by the use of adapter plates that are provided by Walther which interface with the cut in the slide that's under a plastic cover.
Taking the cover off, it is apparent that the cut for the optic is very deep, so deep that the striker channel is partially exposed. We also see one of the biggest changes Walther had made in the newer versions of the PDP: these load-bearing sections that have been added to the the optic mounting area. When the PDP first came out, there was a lot of complaint in the shooting community that the optic cut was completely flat, which meant that there was no interface between the slide and the optic plate. This meant that all of the forces on the optic and plate caused by the recoiling of the slide were being borne by just the screws holding the plate. Eventually these screws would fail, since they're not designed to withstand shear forces, and owners would end up with their optic falling off and likely some broken screws that would have to be removed somehow from the slide.
Walther listened to these complaints, and the newer models of the PDP like this one have these cuts that now allow the slide itself to help absorb the forces being exerted during recoil. There is a large center spine here that supports the optic against side-to-side forces, and cuts that interface with the mounting plate lugs to support against fore and aft forces.
Speaking of that plate, Walther has redesigned that as well to work with the new optic cut. Most notable are the addition of lugs on the plate that interface with the slide to mitigate those fore and aft recoil forces. Its still made of steel, it's still free from Walther, and you still need to contact Walther after your purchase to get the plate that matches your optic footprint. This means that new owners still have to wait a while before being able to mount an optic to this weapon. Mine took about a week total, which isn't bad considering that I submitted the order on a Friday.
So that's the PT overview of the Walther PDP. Next up is a trip to the range to put some rounds through it. After that, we're going to start adding mods to this, because you know I can't leave anything stock. If you're interested in that ( and you should be!) watch this space for that article coming up soon. You can check out the PDP at Brownells. Anyways, that's all I've got for you this time, so until next time, stay safe!