Striker-fired pistols have dominated the self-defense market in recent decades. Now the popular style of handgun is making inroads in another facet of the shooting world — competitions.
Walther Arms has continued to expand its offering for this niche with the addition of a decked out competitive pistol. And at first blush, the German-American gun maker’s Q5 Match looks to have the chops to shoot for the top of the podium.
There are two elements in particular that have the potential to get sport shooters to give the new Walther the once over: it’s trigger and sights.
In regards to the former feature, the company has outfitted the extension of its PPQ line with its Quick Defense Trigger. The trademark blue trigger has a fairly standard pull weight for a striker-fired; Walther lists it at 5.6 pounds. But the travel and reset on the 9mm appears to be the selling point. With a short .4-inch trigger travel and .1-inch reset, the Q5 Match should have the ability to rapidly send rounds downrange, accurately.
As far as the sights are concerned, the pistol comes outfitted with a fiber optics front sight and a fully adjustable rear target sight. But it's what Walther has integrated into the rear sight that gives the Q5 Match an advantage over many other competitive pistols. The company has designed the polymer-framed handgun to include an optics-mounting platform that facilitates the quick addition of a reflex sight. The gun comes with plates that make it compatible with optics from Trijicon, Leupold and DOCTER red-dot sights.
The 5-inch barreled pistol is right- and left-hand friendly with an ambidextrous magazine release and slide stop. It features aggressive cocking serrations both fore and aft, making the pistol easier to manipulate and quicker to reload. It has a Picatinny rail under its muzzle for the quick addition of an accessory. And it has an undercut trigger guard and ergonomic grip, allowing for a higher purchase on the gun, thus also giving more control over it, while mitigating recoil.
Presently, the MSRP on the Walther Q5 Match is $849.
Walther Q5 Match Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Trigger Pull Weight: 5.6 pounds
Capacity: 15 rounds
Height: 5.1 inches
Width: 1.3 inches
Weight: 26 ounces
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