Walther slide racking?

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I have a PPKS .380 for me its very easy to rack the slide. But my wife has arthritis and she could not do it reliably for self defense purposes so I got her a S&W Model 60.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
I have a PPKS .380 for me its very easy to rack the slide. But my wife has arthritis and she could not do it reliably for self defense purposes so I got her a S&W Model 60.

Thanks, Johnny. I was really looking for those two specific models.
Did you buy the PPk/S because of James Bond?
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
I have a PPKS .380 for me its very easy to rack the slide. But my wife has arthritis and she could not do it reliably for self defense purposes so I got her a S&W Model 60.

Thanks, Johnny. I was really looking for those two specific models.
Did you buy the PPk/S because of James Bond?
smile.gif



No I'd always liked that little gun because of its compactness. I went to a local gun show and a guy had one for sale that was irresistible. I've shot it quiet a bit and it shoots very well. Right at the moment I can't find a target for it but if I do my part it will easily keep them inside a 3" circle at thirty feet. With Titegroup (3.0 Gr.) it will push a 95 Gr HP along at close to 1000 fps!
 
I had a PPKs. Really like that one.

I know its not what you asked, but I got my wife a Sig P238.
Very easy to rack. She has issues racking alsmost anything else.

Sig P238, Kimber Micro, Colt Mustang and the new Springfield 911 should all be about the same.
 
The Walther CCP is easier to rack simply because it uses gas to retard the movement of the slide and not the spring, meaning it can use a slightly less powerful spring than a Browning style action or a straight blowback. I have not shot one, but usually a gas retarded gun will also shoot a bit softer.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
The Walther CCP is easier to rack simply because it uses gas to retard the movement of the slide and not the spring, meaning it can use a slightly less powerful spring than a Browning style action or a straight blowback. I have not shot one, but usually a gas retarded gun will also shoot a bit softer.


Agreed.

In fact, I bought my wife a CCP. It's a remarkably soft-shooting gun for a single stack 9mm...I would say that it has 60-70% of the perceived recoil of a G43. My wife tried the G43, the CCP and the Springfield XDM. All very good guns. But one round through the CCP, and she said, "Oh! This one!"...and I just shot it last week, and I am still impressed with how easy it is to shoot.

The slide is super easy to rack.

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

That said, the recoil is so remarkably better than any other single stack 9mm, that I really like the pistol. Under rapid fire defensive drills, it's not that noticeable. Try and target shoot with it, and you'll really notice the trigger.

But on every shot, and every reload, you'll appreciate how easy the gun is to shoot. How ergonomic, and how compact. I really like it.

8+1 capacity doesn't hurt, either...
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
The Walther CCP is easier to rack simply because it uses gas to retard the movement of the slide and not the spring, meaning it can use a slightly less powerful spring than a Browning style action or a straight blowback. I have not shot one, but usually a gas retarded gun will also shoot a bit softer.


Agreed.

In fact, I bought my wife a CCP. It's a remarkably soft-shooting gun for a single stack 9mm...I would say that it has 60-70% of the perceived recoil of a G43. My wife tried the G43, the CCP and the Springfield XDM. All very good guns. But one round through the CCP, and she said, "Oh! This one!"...and I just shot it last week, and I am still impressed with how easy it is to shoot.

The slide is super easy to rack.

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

That said, the recoil is so remarkably better than any other single stack 9mm, that I really like the pistol. Under rapid fire defensive drills, it's not that noticeable. Try and target shoot with it, and you'll really notice the trigger.

But on every shot, and every reload, you'll appreciate how easy the gun is to shoot. How ergonomic, and how compact. I really like it.

8+1 capacity doesn't hurt, either...



The soft shooting is why I really wish the old HK P7 series guns were still being made (or were not so darn expensive used). I would love to carry the old squeeze cocker HK's.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
The Walther CCP is easier to rack simply because it uses gas to retard the movement of the slide and not the spring, meaning it can use a slightly less powerful spring than a Browning style action or a straight blowback. I have not shot one, but usually a gas retarded gun will also shoot a bit softer.


Agreed.

In fact, I bought my wife a CCP. It's a remarkably soft-shooting gun for a single stack 9mm...I would say that it has 60-70% of the perceived recoil of a G43. My wife tried the G43, the CCP and the Springfield XDM. All very good guns. But one round through the CCP, and she said, "Oh! This one!"...and I just shot it last week, and I am still impressed with how easy it is to shoot.

The slide is super easy to rack.

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

That said, the recoil is so remarkably better than any other single stack 9mm, that I really like the pistol. Under rapid fire defensive drills, it's not that noticeable. Try and target shoot with it, and you'll really notice the trigger.

But on every shot, and every reload, you'll appreciate how easy the gun is to shoot. How ergonomic, and how compact. I really like it.

8+1 capacity doesn't hurt, either...


How are the sights?
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

Realizing that the reset is very important for an accomplished SD person. Its really not a problem with even a "decent " SD shooter (including me)-IMHO As such I am guessing it won't affect your wife's SD shooting. A longer trigger pull (relatively speaking) is actually a good thing for the individual I am describing.

Actually sounds like a good gun for a women. Not being sexist but women have a difficult time racking a pistol without muzzliong themselves. I confess, I can not rack the G42 wihout covering the breech with my pinky, ring finger and middle finger.
frown.gif


Just curious..can she rack it with her thumb and index finger?

I would try the thing, but it would take an act of Congress for me to carry anything but a Glock..agaion..that's just me. Not downing other firearms.
 
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I meant to say below can she rack it (AND engage the slide lock!) with say her pinky, ring, and index finger?
33.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: Astro14

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

Realizing that the reset is very important for an accomplished SD person. Its really not a problem with even a "decent " SD shooter (including me)-IMHO As such I am guessing it won't affect your wife's SD shooting. A longer trigger pull (relatively speaking) is actually a good thing for the individual I am describing.

Actually sounds like a good gun for a women. Not being sexist but women have a difficult time racking a pistol without muzzliong themselves. I confess, I can not rack the G42 wihout covering the breech with my pinky, ring finger and middle finger.
frown.gif


Just curious..can she rack it with her thumb and index finger?

I would try the thing, but it would take an act of Congress for me to carry anything but a Glock..agaion..that's just me. Not downing other firearms.


Al - In response to your question above (modified by the edit) - she has no trouble racking it without muzzling anything. It's really easy to rack. Far easier than the G42/43. I'll have to try racking it as you suggest, but it's so easy, I suspect I could rack it with pinky and thumb.

And while I think that this is a great gun for a person of limited hand strength because of the ease of racking it and the low perceived recoil, my wife is not a good example to apply to the "typical" woman/small-handed shooter.

She is a 27 year military veteran who has been assigned as the intel officer to a SEAL Team and deploying expeditionary units. She has qualified expert with the M9, M4, and M16 on dozens of occasions. She used to keep her battle rattle in a "go bag". Any woman in continuous possession of camouflage, helmet, armor plate and holsters isn't exactly "typical"...and the first gun that she bought was a Beretta 92, because that's what she was comfortable with. In fact, when I'm away, that's what sits loaded at home - with a 17 round magazine full of Federal 124gr HST.

Back OT.

The Walther is a great gun for someone with limited hand strength. It's ease of use, good ergonomics, and soft recoil make a 9mm accessible to folks who would otherwise be looking at a .380 or even .32ACP. I really like it, I just don't like the trigger. She really likes it, period.

The sights on the pistol are average - plain black. Not great, not terrible.

One final point on the pistol: it can be picky about ammo. I've put about 400 rounds of Federal HST 124gr ammo (not +P) through it. Not one issue. But some other ammo doesn't work as well. Winchester White box made the pistol unhappy. Of course, WWB made my Glock 19 unhappy, so...I don't buy it anymore... The CCP runs great on Speer Lawman 124gr 9mm, too.

Some writers have reported that +P ammo makes the CCP unhappy. I believe that the gas piston recoil mechanism could potentially be unbalanced by weak or +P ammo. If someone were to get a CCP, I would be certain that they shoot a LOT of their intended carry ammo through the pistol to be certain that ammo functions properly in their pistol. Always my recommendation, but particularly important with this pistol.

Again, I'm a fan of this pistol. An 8+1 single stack that is easy to conceal and very easy to shoot. I was going to buy her a G43, but this has some real advantages (and a few drawbacks: trigger and ammo preference) compared with the Glock. For the record, I like Glocks. I own 7 of them, but the little Walther is good gun with some great features.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: Astro14

I am not a fan of the trigger. It's long, spongy, and with an ambiguous reset. I've polished all the components, and it's only marginally better. It's just a long pull, with so many moving/rotating parts, that it's never going to be crisp.

Realizing that the reset is very important for an accomplished SD person. Its really not a problem with even a "decent " SD shooter (including me)-IMHO As such I am guessing it won't affect your wife's SD shooting. A longer trigger pull (relatively speaking) is actually a good thing for the individual I am describing.

Actually sounds like a good gun for a women. Not being sexist but women have a difficult time racking a pistol without muzzliong themselves. I confess, I can not rack the G42 wihout covering the breech with my pinky, ring finger and middle finger.
frown.gif


Just curious..can she rack it with her thumb and index finger?

I would try the thing, but it would take an act of Congress for me to carry anything but a Glock..agaion..that's just me. Not downing other firearms.


Al - In response to your question above (modified by the edit) - she has no trouble racking it without muzzling anything. It's really easy to rack. Far easier than the G42/43. I'll have to try racking it as you suggest, but it's so easy, I suspect I could rack it with pinky and thumb.

And while I think that this is a great gun for a person of limited hand strength because of the ease of racking it and the low perceived recoil, my wife is not a good example to apply to the "typical" woman/small-handed shooter.

She is a 27 year military veteran who has been assigned as the intel officer to a SEAL Team and deploying expeditionary units. She has qualified expert with the M9, M4, and M16 on dozens of occasions. She used to keep her battle rattle in a "go bag". Any woman in continuous possession of camouflage, helmet, armor plate and holsters isn't exactly "typical"...and the first gun that she bought was a Beretta 92, because that's what she was comfortable with. In fact, when I'm away, that's what sits loaded at home - with a 17 round magazine full of Federal 124gr HST.

Back OT.

The Walther is a great gun for someone with limited hand strength. It's ease of use, good ergonomics, and soft recoil make a 9mm accessible to folks who would otherwise be looking at a .380 or even .32ACP. I really like it, I just don't like the trigger. She really likes it, period.

The sights on the pistol are average - plain black. Not great, not terrible.

One final point on the pistol: it can be picky about ammo. I've put about 400 rounds of Federal HST 124gr ammo (not +P) through it. Not one issue. But some other ammo doesn't work as well. Winchester White box made the pistol unhappy. Of course, WWB made my Glock 19 unhappy, so...I don't buy it anymore... The CCP runs great on Speer Lawman 124gr 9mm, too.

Some writers have reported that +P ammo makes the CCP unhappy. I believe that the gas piston recoil mechanism could potentially be unbalanced by weak or +P ammo. If someone were to get a CCP, I would be certain that they shoot a LOT of their intended carry ammo through the pistol to be certain that ammo functions properly in their pistol. Always my recommendation, but particularly important with this pistol.

Again, I'm a fan of this pistol. An 8+1 single stack that is easy to conceal and very easy to shoot. I was going to buy her a G43, but this has some real advantages (and a few drawbacks: trigger and ammo preference) compared with the Glock. For the record, I like Glocks. I own 7 of them, but the little Walther is good gun with some great features.


Thanks very much. This information is exactly what I was looking for. Plus a great story!
 
Just ordered a CCP from Davidson's. I am going to see if wife will like it. If not, she'll stay with the LCRX 3" .38. I need a smaller 9mm around, either or.
 
Picked up the CCP yesterday. Wife is out of town, so I can't get her reaction yet. I actually kind of like it. I compared it to the Kahr CT9. Slide is easier, although it is not as much difference as I thought it would be. I think the wife should be able to handle it. Slides are almost exactly the same length(!). The CCP grip is shorter and a little fatter, although more ergonomic. Slide release is a little tough. It has a safety, which I am not fond of, but as safeties go, it's pretty good. I've read reviews on the trigger, and it is normally unliked. I see what they mean, but if you do a smooth consistent pull, you don't notice. You notice when you do it slowly and try to pre-load it. Sight radius is very good, due to length of slide for barrel and where they place the rear sight at the very back end of the slide. Sights themselves are very good white dots. Quality, I'd say, is on the high side. Comes with a case, two mags, and some extras. I got two extra mags with the order. Manual is all in High German (just kidding
smile.gif
). This is not a subcompact pistol. If you are an IWB kind of person, it would be all right. My wife going to have it in a Coronado purse, so not an issue.Of course, it hasn't been fired yet, so this is all preliminary.
 
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