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Randy Ferris

Walther PPQ M2 5-Inch Review

Walther PPQ M2 5-inch review.

Walther’s 5-inch PPQ M2 in .40 S&W defies the blockiness of typical striker-fired pistols.

Last fall I acquired a Walther PPQ M2 with a 4-inch barrel in 9mm. It was one of those rare moments when you are handed a pistol, and as soon as you grip it, you know it’s going home with you. This immediately became my carry 9mm. Walther is now also producing the PPQ with a 5-inch barrel and as good as the 4-inch barreled model is, this one is even better.

Walther PPQ M2 Review.
Six weight-reducing cutouts and the serrated top rib break the glare on the sight plane.

The first thing you notice when you pick up a PPQ is the wonderful ergonomic feel of the pistol and the excellent trigger. The grip is slender with a width of 1.3 inches but still hand filling, and if for some reason it still doesn’t feel perfect, the gun comes supplied with three interchangeable backstrap inserts to fit a small, medium or large hand.

The texturing on the grip keeps the pistol from moving in the hand during recoil without imprinting an aggressive waffle pattern on your palm. The pull on my new pistol breaks at a very clean 5.4 pounds with a short take-up and a fast and prominent reset, all of which leads to excellent accuracy.

Even with the extra power of the .40 S&W cartridge, a shooter can still make fast, accurate follow-up shots without a problem. The top of the slide has been contoured with six weight reducing cutouts and a serrated top rib to break up potential glare on the sight plane. The frame also contains an accessory rail for those who wish to mount a light or laser device on the pistol.

Sights are enhanced with three white dots that seem to be pretty standard these days. The difference between the Walther and the rest of the pack is that the dot on the front is fairly large and easy to see. A nice touch is the windage adjustable rear sight. On the right side of the rear sight is a recessed adjustment screw allowing you to fine tune the sights in any direction.

Shots Fired

Using a standing two-hand hold in a modified Weaver stance the PPQ produced the following results. At 21 feet, eight rounds of Magtech 115-grain Full Metal Jacketed ammo grouped into 1.42 inches. Five of those rounds gave me a .77-inch cluster. Five rounds of Federal Premium 135-grain Guard Dog ammo came in at .75 inches. Five rounds of Winchester PDX1 180-grain Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point ammo produced four rounds in a .60-inch cluster with one flier opening up the group to still impressive 1.37 inches.

Five rounds of Dynamic Research Technologies 105-grain Hollow Point put four rounds into a .87-inch cluster with one flier opening the group up to 1.09 inches. At 35 feet, 12 rounds of the Magtech 115-grain ammunition came in at 2.7 inches with eight rounds giving me a 2-inch cluster. It didn’t really matter what I loaded the gun with. It shot tight groups and cycled all of the loads without fail.

Tested with a variety of loads, the PPQ delivered consistent groups. Author photo
Tested with a variety of loads, the PPQ delivered consistent groups. Author photo

The Winchester PDX1 ammunition had a little more kick than the other rounds, and I tend to think it would thump the bad guy pretty good. This is what I will carry in the PPQ. Due to its light weight and rounded grip, it is much easier to carry than a 5-inch barreled Government Model 1911, which is about a half-inch longer and a quarter pound heavier than the PPQ.

The accuracy is surprising, as I have never found the .40 S&W to be as precise as the 9mm and .45 ACP. While the PPQ M2 Long slide is a wonderful self-defense pistol, with its smooth trigger, it would also make a great competition gun for IDPA as well as Steel Challenge Matches for those who may be thinking along the competitive lines. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Walther’s PPQ M2 in .40 S&W. It’s a great handgun.

Walther PPQ M2 5-Inch
Caliber: .40 S&W
Capacity: 11 +1
Magazines: 2 11-round magazines
Barrel: 5 in.
Sights: 3-dot, rear adjustable for windage
Frame: Polymer, matte black finish
Slide: Tenifer coated, matte black finish
Length: 8.1 in.
Height: 5.3 in.
Width: 1.3 in.
Weight: 1.6 lbs.
Options: Mag loader, adjustable back strap panels,
gun lock. Metal self-illumination or metal
Tritium night sights also available.
SRP: $649
Website: waltherarms.com

Handgun Review: Smith & Wesson Model 629 V-Comp Performance Center

Smith-Wesson-M629-VComp-Lead

The Smith & Wesson Model 629 V-Comp Performance Center in .44 Magnum offers the variable power to handle anything from varmints to big game.

Let’s get reacquainted with the Smith & Wesson Model 629 V-Comp Performance Center .44 Magnum. This is one versatile and fun firearm.

The PC 629 V-Comp is topped with an adjustable black rear sight and drift-adjustable blaze ramp front. Author photo
The PC 629 V-Comp is topped with an adjustable black rear sight and drift-adjustable blaze ramp front. Author photo

In addition to a 4-inch barrel with a removable compensator, adjustable sights, stainless steel construction and synthetic grips, the PC 629 also features a non-fluted cylinder, chrome finishing on the teardrop-shaped hammer and trigger, and a trigger stop to eliminate unnecessary trigger over-travel. Additionally, the extremely skilled Performance Center gunsmiths have tuned up the action.

Upon first firing the revolver, I felt that the black synthetic grips that accompanied the 629 were too thin. I wasn’t getting a good grip on the revolver with my hands, and the thin grips focused the recoil into the web of my hand in particular. I chucked them and ordered a set of Super Rosewood grips from Altamont.

While these grips were absolutely beautiful, they also allowed my hand to slip down the back strap during firing, so I turned to Ahrens for a set of their cocobolo tactical grips.

It is tough to beat the beauty of the Altamont grips, but the Ahrens grips are still pretty good looking, too! They are also thicker, so they disperse the recoil energy over a wider area through your hands for added comfort.

The finger grooves fit well and are deeper, which helps hold your fingers in place, even when dealing with the recoil of follow-up shots.

Now one of the first things you’ll notice about this handgun is the compensator at the muzzle of the 4-inch barrel. The compensator is removable, but why would you? It’s just so darn cool.

At the rear of the top strap is Smith & Wesson’s fully adjustable all-black rear sight. Up front is a drift-adjustable blaze orange ramped front sight that is easy for my 58-year-old eyes to see.

Although the PC shop has tuned the action, it still required more than 12 pounds of pressure to fire the revolver, which is the limit that my digital scale can measure.

The double-action pull is extremely smooth, and before attempting to measure it, I had guessed that it was about 8 pounds. The single action has little take-up and a smooth 4.11-pound trigger pull.

OK, so it looks real cool, but the ultimate test of any firearm comes down to how well does it shoot?

Power Performance

The 629 preferred heavy magnum loads over lighter cowboy rounds. Author photo
The 629 preferred heavy magnum loads over lighter cowboy rounds. Author photo

I started off with a little warm-up using some Black Hills .44 Special Cowboy loads at 15 feet, and the light cowboy loads in the big 629 are very pleasant to shoot. I then moved back to see what she could do at 21 feet.

Quite frankly, I was a little disappointed with the spread of this group and seriously began to question my shooting skills.

My fears were put to rest when I set up another target at 21 feet and fed the 629 some PMC 240-grain .44 Magnum ammo. That group was much more respectable. Clearly this revolver suffered from some self-esteem issues when fed the puny cowboy loads, and it craved to show off what it could do when allowed to handle the full power magnums. But I do have to admit that after firing the first two rounds, I retreated to my range bag to grab a shooting glove.

As powerful as the Magnum loads were, the revolver was a lot of fun to handle. Power and accuracy combined can be quite a rush. So before packing up my gear and filing away all of the little bull’s-eye targets, I just couldn’t resist running a Zombified Nazi out to 31 feet and letting him have the last four rounds of the PMC Magnum ammo. To see all four rounds touching brought a big smile from yours truly.

Smith & Wesson Model 629 V-Comp Performance Center review.

Obviously a compensated .44 Magnum would be a great choice for the hunter who prefers to take game with a handgun. However, the 4-inch tube and the big front sight also make it a darn good choice for defending hearth and home. Whether you find yourself attacked by man, beast or a Chrysler 300 ala Dirty Harry, the punch of the .44 Magnum will always put the odds in your favor.

This article appeared in the May 15, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

S&W PC 629 V-Comp
Caliber:    .44 Magnum
Action:    Double/single
Capacity:    6 rounds
Barrel:    4” with removable compensator
Front Sight:    Dovetail adjustable with blaze orange insert
Rear Sight:    Adjustable black rear sight
Construction:    Stainless steel
Weight:    3.11 lbs.
Overall Length:    10”
Grips:    Synthetic
SRP:    $1,509
Website:    smith-wesson.com

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