Walther PPQ 45 has landed...Range and pictorial review.

The Walther PPQ45 has landed in my hands.





Walther just shipped my LGS a special PPQ45 for our upcoming gun expo. Needless to say that the PPQ45 was mine soon after. I will start the review off as saying I had extremely high expectations for the 45 PPQ. I love my classic PPQ in 9mm but these days shoot/carry 40 and 45acp more. I have 28 handguns in my collection and teach a CCW class as well as act as a RO so I have shot about every handgun as they are available. In MY hands.... The PPQ 45 is THE most accurate polymer 45acp I have ever shot. It is the best PPQ I have shot. Yup, its that good.

This is the first magazine I shot out of the big PPQ45.




Lets back up and I will give you the specs. 12 + 1 45acp. The size of the gun feels the same as my PPQ 9mm. Fits my hand identical. It is a German pistol and it feels like it with its build quality. Build quality and fit and finish is top shelf.



Factory test target:




The PPQ45 magazines load 12 rounds of 45acp and they load all 12 rounds easily. The last round fits nicely. As you can see the mags are made in Italy and are very high quality with a anti friction coating. The mags shoot out of the bottom of the gun loaded or empty or even with the slide open. Think IDPA ready out of the box 45acp.



The slide racks as easy as my 9mm PPQ. Recoil management is where the PPQ 45 rises above all the other 45acp polymer guns I have shot. I dont know what magic Walther did to this PPQ but the PPQ45 feels like a 9mm PPQ. Its wasnt just me either. All those that shot the gun at the expo couldnt believe it was a 45acp. We had some very seasoned pro shooters shoot this gun and all were in agreement that it was one of the smoothest polymer 45acp they have shot.

The trigger: THE best in the industry. This one had absolutely no creep or mush at all. Even better than my well shot in PPQ 9mm. It is a match grade trigger by any ones standard. Reset was short and rapid fire was easily kept under control. I shot well past 40 yards with it and groups were unbelievably small (still looking for the target). Stacking bullets seemed almost effortless.





Sight were the typical 3 dot adjustable PPQ sights. Didnt have to touch them. They had a slight under target hold that I love. I will eventually put night sights on it but for now they are crisp and easy to see and will do nicely.



The PPQ45 feeds everything. I tried to get the gun to fail by shooting it left handed, limp wrist, etc.... Perfectly reliable and this gun is duty ready for me. HST 230jhp and Gold Dot 230jhp are what I like to carry in my 45's and the PPQ45 shot both equally well. In fact, I shot 250 rounds of mixed ammo from cheap to premium and all were accurate and their POI remained consistent.
I believe Walther may have bested the original PPQ Classic with the PPQ45. I also will go on record that it is the best polymer striker 45acp you can buy. The gun seems to mitigate recoil better than the competition yet still being very light weight. Accuracy seems to be consistent with every body that shoots it. Those two alone make it a extremely easy 45acp to shoot fast and with alot of control.
So I will wrap this up by saying that the PPQ45 exceeded my high expectations. The only problem that I can see with the PPQ 45 is finding one. These are going to sell and sell fast.

Oh, great. How am I going to explain this to my trophy wife?
"Yes, dear, I have one in 9, and one in .40, but, hey, there's now a .45!!!"
I mean, I know you all understand that, but she somehow misses the obvious, sometimes.
And it's soooo obvious. Right?

A quality German gun shooting the 12 + 1 American 45acp is news worthy. You will really be impressed if you already own a PPQ.

If you can find a PPQ 45 when they are released in October, buy it. They are going to be extremely rare for a long time.
Other than the "45" on the slide and the big barrel, she wouldn't know it's another PPQ. Go for it man. I didn't tell my wife simply because I have so many guns that she doesn't care anymore.


One other major point I failed to mention in the original review. The recoil push or pulse of the 45acp seem to fit the ergos of the PPQ better than a snappier caliber recoil. I think this is why many at the gun expo felt the PPQ 45 felt like a 9mm. There is a "X" factor between the 45acp and PPQ design that really works together and gives you a pleasant shooting experience. No trigger slap or any of that. I comfortably shot 250 rounds and could have shot all day with less fatigue than other 45 polymer handguns.

RV4driver said:

Oh, great. How am I going to explain this to my trophy wife?
"Yes, dear, I have one in 9, and one in .40, but, hey, there's now a .45!!!"
I mean, I know you all understand that, but she somehow misses the obvious, sometimes.
And it's soooo obvious. Right?

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Very good essay on this new gun, Mystro. Good shootin', too!

So the size is no different than the 9?

Arik said:

So the size is no different than the 9?

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Top to bottom the slide looks huge to me. Is that how they get extra mass into it for proper operation?

The grip looks huge to me but it may be the angle of the pic

The slide is the same. The grip is a tad longer but not by much. You would have to compare the two side by side to notice the difference.

Arik said:

So the size is no different than the 9?

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Here are two pics of the PPQ9 and PPQ45. Not quite the same angle or distance but same log chip so you can use it for scale.

Have you tried the Sig 320 and if do how does the trigger compare?

Yes, I own two Sig P320. A Sub Compact 9mm and Compact 40. The triggers are crisp on the P320 and rank in the top three striker fire triggers (good VP9, better P320, best PPQ ). This example of the PPQ 45 is better than them all. It is better in every category. Crisper, shorter reset, and no mush/grit/perceivable friction. It probably weighs in at a honest 4.5lbs- 4.75lbs but feels lighter and certainly not hair trigger. It is THE best striker trigger I have ever felt stock or modified. My PPQ 9mm has about 1500 rounds through it and it is broken in to a 4.5lbs range. Most noticeably lighter than the P320 and VP9. The PPQ45 with 500 rounds through it feels better and more crisp. When you pull the take up of the trigger to the wall, it is rock solid. At that point it breaks clean and crisp only moving slightly back against the final wall that is rock solid. The trigger then moves foward only .1" to reset with a audible click for the next shot. Hands down the best polymer trigger I have ever felt.
It feels like a custom trigger job right out of the box and would be considered a outstanding trigger by anyone's standard.

Now what I am wondering is because this particular PPQ45 was hand picked for the expo event as pre released gun, if it wasn't cherry picked from the best of the initial production. It's possible but highly unlikely. I will go on record as saying It is THE best striker fire I have ever shot modded or stock.

Arik said:

Have you tried the Sig 320 and if do how does the trigger compare?

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UPDATE:

Here are a few quick size comparison pics of some of my big bores I pulled from safe. Note that the mid size USP Compact 40 isnt that much smaller than the PPQ45.







Here is a good demonstration on the size of the grip and its excellent design. Note that my grip doesnt change going from shooting to releasing the magazine. I can easily activate the mag release without changing my grip at all. This is extremely rare for a 45acp that holds 12 + 1 rounds.


Here is a DeSantis leather holster for the G20 I wet molded to fit the PPQ45 exactly. The PPQ45 isnt as blocky as the gG20 so by remolding the lines, it gives a precise fit. The Blackhawk IWB holster I use for my USP Compact fits the PPQ45 great.

great write up! I wonder what the price point will be for it?

Excellent write up and photos, thanks for sharing.

I hate to be he mosquito at the BBQ, but its "aesthetics" reminds me too much of a Highpoint.

MOONDAWG said:

Excellent write up and photos, thanks for sharing.

I hate to be he mosquito at the BBQ, but its "aesthetics" reminds me too much of a Highpoint.

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You should be banned instantly if not sooner!

The Glock is actually a little misleading since it's just straight lines. It's actually physically slimmer then many other guns.

G21 - width 1.27 inches

Sig P220 - width 1.5 inches

PPQ 9 - width 1.3 inches

FYI:

I just want to let everyone know I am having both Trijicon and Meprolight night sights being delivered for the PPQ45. I will be the first to test their fitment and to verify the poi/poa. I am working with both companies regarding the fitment for the new PPQ45.

I also will be having another forum discount for Massammo and will be reviewing a new brand of range ammo through Massamo. I was very clear with them that my review will be a honest report good or bad. They were very excited and felt it will be a quality based range ammo consisting of brass cases and fmj in popular calibers and bullet weights. My test selection they sent me looks good. I wil report back when I get a chance to thoroughly test them out.

MOONDAWG said:

I hate to be he mosquito at the BBQ, but its "aesthetics" reminds me too much of a Highpoint.

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+1

How did this gun get so ugly when the SW99 in .45 looked so good? The tall slide makes the gun look kinda goofy.

The slide is exactly the same size and dimension of the original PPQ. Nothing has changed up top.

clang444 said:

+1

How did this gun get so ugly when the SW99 in .45 looked so good? The tall slide makes the gun look kinda goofy.

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I love my 9mm PPQ M1, but just wish I could shoot the center out of a target like you can. Holy ****! O_O

Nice piece though. Definitely wouldn't mind having one.