Walther PDP 9mm pistol
Walther USA introduces the new Walther PDP "Performance Duty Pistol", the most recent entry in the Company's vast and famous line of striker-fired, polymer frame pistols: featuring an optics-ready slide, a redesigned trigger for combined safety and accuracy, and is available in three variants
Walther Arms, Inc. – the US-based subsidiary of Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Germany, a company defined by over a century of history in top-class gunmaking – is introducing a new flagship élite handgun for duty and personal defense uses on the US market: the Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol is a modular, striker-fired, polymer frame semi-automatic pistol offering several improvements over the previous iterations of the P99 and PPQ designs.
Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol, Compact 4" model
Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol, Full-size 4" model
Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol, Full-size 4.5" model
The Walther PDP is available in three variants: the PDP Compact, the PDP Full-Size 4" and the PDP Full-Size 4.5"; aside from key design elements, they all share a 9x19mm chambering and the double-stack metal magazine – holding 15 or 18 rounds depending on the variant, and also available in a 10-rounds version for sales where magazine capacity restrictions apply.
Both the PDP Compact and the PDP Full-Size 4" versions are 7.5" / 19 cm long overall, 1.34" / 3,4 cm wide, and feature a 4" / 10,16 cm long, polygon-rifled barrel with a stepped chamber. The difference between the two is in the grip length, slightly shorter for the Compact.
The PDP Full-Size 4.5" is a longslide variant, featuring a 4.5" / 11,43 cm barrel; it is 8" / 20,32 cm long overall and weighs 22.3 oz (632 grams) without a magazine, against the 21.4 oz (606 grams) of the Compact model and the 21.5 oz (609 grams) of the Full-Size 4" model in the same condition.
All versions of the Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol feature a polymer frame that does without the slight finger grooves found on the PPQ variants, replacing them with a new and improved texture dubbed the "Performance Duty Grip Texture", patterned after the improved grip pattern already implemented on the Company's own Q5 Match SF and Q5 Match Steel competition pistols. The grip texture and ergonomics were specifically tweaked with to make the new pistol easier and more comfortable to shoot with a micro red dot sight.
All PDP pistol frames offer a forward accessory rail and three interchangeable backstraps to make the pistol comfortable for shooters of any hand size; they also come with an ambidextrous slide stop release and a reversible push-button magazine release. Two frame sizes are available – compact and full-size – and all other components adapt to the relevant size frame, making Walther's Performance Duty Pistol a fully modular system.
The Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol slide is machined out of black steel and features a three-dot iron sights system, a set of improved serrations – dubbed the SuperTerrain serrations, uniquely shaped to protrude above the surface for a quicker and more responsive hands-on engagement – and a factory red dot sight interface.
Also new on the PDP is the Performance Duty Trigger, shortens the length of travel to 0.28" (7,1 mm) and increases the tactile definition of the trigger break while retaining an integrated trigger safety and a good 5.6 lbs (2,54 kg) trigger weight – an overall improvement for duty and defensive purposes.
The Walther PDP Performance Duty Pistol will be available in the U.S. at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $649; it's unknown when, or if, it will be available elsewhere, and if it will retain its name or be called something else on the export markets. After all, another product is sold as the "PDP" under the Walther brand in Europe – specifically, a pepper spray self-defense pistol.