Enter FREE GUN FRIDY and win a RUGER(r] LCP(r] MAX or CALDWELL PABLE TARGETKIT Close I have been a huge fan of Walther guns my whole life. But, I hadn’t found the right model. The Q5 is a great gun, but it’s a little too big. My PPQ and PPS are great for the range, but a bit heavy for everyday use. They were too heavy for me to carry comfortably. The Walther Arms PDP Compact is the solution. RELATED STORY Walther Arms’ PDP Compact Expands with 5-Inch Models. I was immediately attracted to the Walther Arms booth at the 2020 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. The pistol didn’t look like any Walther before. I grabbed the new mystery pistol, grabbed a loaded 15-round mag, and began shooting. Walther asked me what I thought of it. I replied, “I don’t know, I think I need a couple more magazines.” This was because the gun is amazing and I couldn’t wait to get it back. The mystery pistol turned out be the Walther PDP. Walther offered both the Full-Size PDP and the Compact PDP. The compact version was my favorite. Defensive Design Although the PDP Compact isn’t exactly what I would consider “compact,” it’s still what the market calls these guns. The PDP Compact is a Glock 19ish gun in size. This makes it an incredible carry-size gun. The Walther Arms PDP Compact was clearly designed for carry and duty. For shooters who wish to use a red-dot sight (RDS), the pistol is ready to go. Walther offers a variety of mounting plates that can be used with almost any RDS. The PDP also comes with a coverplate to keep the factory look and feel if you don’t want to use an RDS. The cover plate fits perfectly and features the factory serrations which give the gun a strong grip. These same deep serrations can also be found on the slide’s front, giving it a great grip for performing press check. These are what Walther calls “Super Terrain” serrations. I don’t know what that means. However, naming serrations that deep can be a problem in a gun like this one is. A decent, but basic, set iron sights can be found on the slide. The rear sight can be adjusted for elevation and windage. The new Walther Compact pistol has a 4-inch barrel. The unique and innovative Walther stepped chamber is designed for better performance and long-term dependability when using any ammunition. Performance in Hand A Performance Duty Trigger, (PDT), with a crisp break. It also has a short, light, and smooth reset that improves accuracy and shooter confidence. Unfortunately, the trigger shoe is made of polymer and has a typical curved design. Polymer does work, but I don’t like plastic triggers. It is one of the most ergonomic frames that I have ever used. It almost feels like Walther created this grip from a mold of my hands. You can customize the grip for each hand with the different backstrap panels that are included in the PDP. Amazingly, the grip texture almost feels like a hand-stippling job. The triggerguard has a slight undercut and subtle finger grooves give it a performance-based feel. The frame’s front has a basic accessory rail that can be used to install lights and lasers. The slide stop is ambidextrous and can be reverted to release magazines. Range Time I didn’t do much shooting at the media event so I was ready to take on the PDP by myself. I started shooting after I had gathered as much ammo as I could. To get a feel of the gun, I installed the cover plate and ran iron sights for the first 100 shots. It was easy to get my shots on target with the basic sights. I was shooting a silhouette target from 20 feet. I was able to get consistent 1-inch groups. I was at an indoor range that has fancy target systems. I tried a few speed drills to get the feel for the PDP. Then I installed the Leupold plate using a DeltaPoint Pro to try the same drills with a dot. After zeroing in on the RDS, I was able to achieve tight groups of paper size that were sub-1-inch and cut down my drill times by seconds. It just felt so good in my hands. The ergonomic grip and incredible grip made recoil feel minimal. The gun pointed so naturally at the target, it was easy to get the iron sights. I was able fire 350 rounds through the PDP. I was able to fire 200 rounds in one session, with only one ammunition malfunction. It was probably a bad primer in the reloaded round. The round didn’t fire despite striking hard. It failed again when I tried it again. Defensive Shooting At close–what I call “defensive”–distances of 25 feet and less, I was consistently able to put rounds on paper shooting five-round groups. They all fell within 1.5 inches of iron sights at 20 feet and less than an inch using the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. While shooting a slightly higher load, I was able to achieve my best group with PDP Compact. The Federal 138-grain Syntech Defense and Hornady Critical Defense, 124-grain Syntech Defense consistently produced the best results at 20 feet. Shooting one-handed with my non-dominant arm, I double-tap, rapid fire, and even from the hip, I was able to go through multiple magazines at once with no cool down. The PDP performed flawlessly. 150 more rounds were fired through the gun with ammunition from HSM Black Hills, Hornady, Hornady, Wilson Combat and some random reloads that I was able get from a local retailer. All the different bullet weights and types were assimilated by the PDP without any problems. Then, I was more concerned with speed than accuracy. I needed to let off steam and range therapy was necessary. That kind of shooting is fast and furious, as you all know. Sometimes, that kind of shooting can be very accurate in resembling the real world. Although it would have been more beneficial to send more rounds downrange for testing, 9mm ammo can be difficult to find right now. The 350 rounds proved that the PDP Compact is a performance-driven pistol designed to be used and carried. Final Notes: Walther seems to have met all the needs and requirements of almost all shooters. The Walther PDP is the right gun for you, whether you’re new to concealed carrying or have been carrying for many years. A pistol with so much thought and expense comes with a high price tag, making it difficult for many people to afford it. The PDP Compact’s MSRP of $649 makes it an extremely affordable and excellent option. WaltherArms.com has more information. Walther Arms PDP compact Specs Caliber 9mm
Barrel: 4 Inches
OA Length: 7.5 inches
Weight: 21.4 ounces (empty).
Grips: Polymer
Sights: Optic ready and adjustable white dots
Action: Striker-fired
Finish in Black
Capacity: 15+1
MSRP: $649. This article was originally published by Personal Defense World in the October/November 2021 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Call 1-800-284-5668 or email [email protected] to sign up for the Personal Defense World newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter I have read and understood the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy and I hereby accept them. Athlon may collect, store, process, and transfer my Personal Data and Non-Personal Data for the purpose of signing me up for the email newsletter. Next: The SIG Sauer Spectre Comp reduces recoil by up to 30% This pistol is now upgraded for personal and home defense. This is only the beginning of the popular platform. There will be more in the near future. […]
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