John Robinson

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The PPQ .22 with temporary stop (double sided foam tape) fitted. The PPQ .22 has no conventional . The blade in the trigger does that job, preventing the from operating until it is fully depressed.

In the previous (Oct–Dec 2014) issue of GUNS Australia, we reviewed Walther’s latest manifestation of its PPQ 9mm autoloader – the PPQ M2 - that delivered very good performance from this polymer-framed auto. The Walther PPQ Family Has a New Baby

new addition to the PPQ line ar- loaded centrefire ammo used in these firing pin system and this has unintended rived shortly after the M2’s test- matches and does not require any time at consequences as far as the handling of the ing was completed in the form the reloading bench. Walther is concerned. of the PPQ M2 Competition .22 While there are no practical matches that The first shooting session with the ARimfire. The family resemblance between sanction the use of rimfire ammunition in PPQ.22 at my pistol club produced some the centrefire M2 and the rimfire version is competition, as far as I am aware, in Aus- disappointing accuracy results at 25m. obvious, but other than that, they do not tralia, there are no restrictions in using rim- I conscripted several of my member mates share much in common with respect to fire autoloaders for practice. to do some precision offhand shooting their internal design and operation. The Walther PPQ M2 .22 is not the pistol with the Walther using several types The growth of interest in autoloading for a serious bullseye shooter and one only of both standard velocity and high veloc- chambered for the .22 Long has to look at the specifications on the ity ammunition. that look and handle Walther SSP and GSP with respect to grips, Groups were not very impressive, being like their centrefire high-power siblings is sights, weight and trigger adjustments to barely within the black 7 Ring of a 25m one of the growth areas in sporting hand- draw that conclusion. ISSF target. Although the sight of the PPQ gun development. The internals of the PPQ .22 differ in .22 are mounted on the slide and are inde- Traditionally, .22 autloading that a number of ways to the centrefire are designed for serious competition are high- PPQ, the first logical difference be- ly developed shooting machines tailored for ing that the .22 has a simple blow- specific international target shooting compe- back operation with a fixed barrel titions, and Walther has been a leader in the while the centrefire PPQ is a locked development of these specialised target hand- breech design that is recoil operat- guns. The Walther SSP and GSP series are ed via a cam on the barrel that dis- prime examples of these developments. engages the barrel from the slide With the growth in participation in the during the recoil cycle. practical pistol shooting matches – IPSC in The other significant differ- particular – interest in rimfire handguns ence is in the firing mechanism. that handle in a similar way to the centre- The PPQ M2 centrefire has fire autoloaders used in these practical a novel striker firing arrange- competition matches has increased signifi- ment that utilises the striker cantly. This had been driven simply by cost from a semi-cocked position. and convenience as .22 Long Rifle ammu- The rimfire version uses a con- The grip on the PPQ is ambidextrous and big enough nition is less than half the cost of hand- ventional internal hammer and to provide a good hold in any position.

22 GUNS AUSTRALIA JANUARY/MARCH 2015 pendent of the barrel, the barrel to slide fit weight so a bit of fine tuning is required to Apart from the accuracy issues in the first on the test pistol was relatively tight. get the best result. shooting session, the functional perform- SPECS The PPQ’s sights are great. The front For a permanent and precise adjustment, ance of the Walther was 100% with both WALTHER PPQ M2 sight has a optic fibre insert but also pro- it would be a simple job to drill and tap the Federal 714, CCI Standard and CCI Veloci- vides a very clear Patridge-type sight pic- trigger guard and insert a hex set screw that tor HV ammo. One problem arose with one Manufacturer: ture via the steel element surrounding the could be precisely adjusted to limit the trig- batch of Federal 714 ammo that had given Walther fibre optic tube. ger movement on release. problems in a number of other pistols. While Going back to basic principles revealed The benefit of the temporary double sided it was relatively consistent (unfortunately), it Model: the potential weak link in the Walter PPQ tape technology was immediately evident was apparently loaded to a much lower ve- PPQ M2 .22 rimfire’s performance. Dry firing the when dry-firing the Walther, with the 2kg locity than a normal batch Federal Cham- Calibre: Walther highlighted a handling issue that trigger release on the pistol no longer having pion 714 standard velocity target ammo, and .22 Long Rifle was impacting on its performance. any effect on the sight alignment. simply would not cycle the Walther at all. : The PPQ .22 weighs around 700g. The other characteristics of the Walther Second time around, some very good groups semi-auto My RCBS trigger scale indicated that the PPQ that make it well suited as a companion were shot with the PPQ using another batch of – internal hammer trigger release weight was around 2 kg (actu- practice to its Big Brother. Earlier Federal 714 ammunition, with two 10-shot ally 4.2lb). The conventional trigger system PPQ centrefires has an unusual groups holding the 10 Ring of an ISSF target at Weight: on the PPQ .22 has a crisp let off once the release arrangement based on pulling 25m. The adjustable sights allowed the PPQ to 640g empty first pressure is taken up via the safety blade the trigger guard down. be quickly aligned and the high visibility fibre ABOVE: The Walther is Trigger: system used in the trigger system. The later M2 versions have a convention- optic insert in the front sight accommodated all easy to take down for Single action 2200g When the hammer falls, there is at least al magazine release via a button on the left lighting conditions during the shooting tests cleaning to this level. The release weight 6mm of backlash in the trigger till it hits side of the grip at the root of the trigger The PPQ .22 is not intended for serious take-down latch is just in Grip: the back of the trigger guard. The end re- guard that is reversible. This system is stand- ISSF competition but anyone interested in front of the trigger guard. sult of this 2kg’s of pressure to release the ard on the PPQ .22. The .22 comes with two shooting the practical matches with an au- Polymer with MIL) STD 1913 LEFT: The slide release trigger banging against the back of the trig- very well made stainless steel 10-shot maga- toloader would find the PPQ a very useful lever on the Walther is Picatinny accessory rail ger guard of an item that only weighs zines and unlike the PPQ centrefire, its rear practice tool. ambidextrous. The slide Dimensions: around 30% of the weight of the trigger re- sight is adjustable for windage and elevation’ For more information on the PPQ .22 and stays open after the L/W/H – 206mm / 135mm / 34mm lease, means that something has to give, When doing some internet research on other Walther firearms, contact the Austral- last round is fired from the magazine. Sights: and that is sight alignment. the PPQ .22, I came across a US site that ian distributor – Frontier Arms Company – Red fibre optic insert front sight. It proved difficult to hold the sights in stated that the PPQ .22’s slide was manufac- www.frontierarms.com.au. Adjustable rear sight alignment when dry-firing the Walther be- tured from aluminium alloy. As a metallur- cause of this arrangement and this distur- gist in my previous life, I found this state- Magazine: bance obviously flowed through to the ment to be worth investigating as the top 4814 2X stainless 10-shot magazines ™ ™ shooting of live ammunition.. end of the PPQ .22 seemed to me to be all THE NIGHTFORCE TS-82 XTREME HI-DEF 20-70x Slide release: After the first shooting session, I thought steel. This proved to be the case as a quick Ambidextrous a simple remedy was in order, using a high- check with a magnet verified that as a fact. THE Magazine release: tech system that has been used on other The slide is skeletonised to reduce its mass VERY Button on left side of grip - reversible handguns that have been affected by similar to accommodate its function on the blow- handling issues – particularly my double ac- back rimfire and as with all Walther prod- SPOTTING SCOPE Slide: tion only S&W revolver. This system in- ucts, the fit and finish of all the parts is very YOU CAN BUY. Steel ventilated with front volves using some laminated sections good. Another good feature of the PPQ pis- and rear grip serrations. of double sided foam tape stuck to the back tols is their user-friendly ergonomics. The BEST(BUT DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT) RRP: of the trigger guard to cushion and limit the PPQ .22 has a very comfortable ambidex- Around $1000 – shop around rearward travel of the trigger. Too much tape trous grip and handles well although it is will significantly increase the trigger release quite a light pistol.

LEFT: Good fun to shoot and you don’t have to look for your empty cases RIGHT: The blowback action on the PPQ .22 requires the barrel to be fixed. The steel hook protruding from the frame is the ejector stop. BELOW RIGHT: Unlike the centrefire PPQ M2, the rimfire model has a conventional internal hammer. Available with straight or angled eyepiece Accepts iPhone®4 and 5; a full line of Take the word of Field & Stream magazine, which awarded our TS-82™ Xtreme accessories is available. Hi-Def™ 20-70x with their 2014 “Best of the Best” designation in optics. “The image is edge-to-edge sharp without fringing,” they said. APO ourite glass provides the truest, most brilliant colour possible. Vivid, razor-sharp 28 Orsmond Street • Hindmarsh, SA 5007 images with superb contrast. Exceptional low-light performance. Fully In Australia: 1 800 03 03 08 waterproof and shock tested. Quick, precise focus even while wearing gloves. Intl: +61 8 8440 0888 We proved it to Field & Stream. NightforceOptics.com Have a look through a TS-82™, and we’ll prove it to you.

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