I bought this full-size 4.5" Walther PDP about 10 months ago and since then, I haven't shot much else in my collection. That's because it shatters every reasonable expectation of how a $600 polymer-frame handgun is supposed to perform straight out of the box. WTH. And it isn't like it's the first one I have ever owned. I've gone thru several during the past few years but, never had one I really liked well-enough to keep until I got a Walther PPQ 45 back in 2018. When Walther began promoting the PDP as the next generation of PPQ a few years later, I was interested but, not in a huge hurry to get one.
I still enjoy shooting my 1991-vintage Sig P220 but, since 9mm is far more economical to shoot than .45 ACP, I've been spending more time with my PDP than any other pistol.
Shooting steel has been almost too easy, so I took it to a Pins match last weekend and did well-enough to be encouraged to try it again next month. Most will tell you that 9mm is a marginal caliber for Pins. It kind of is. While it's capable enough to shoot a pin completely off the table, it's gotta be an almost perfect shot to do it consistently. Most participants shoot either .45 ACP or .40 S&W because they're more forgiving. Usually, if a pin is hit with a .45 or a .40, it's gonna go off the table with one shot. Usually. It still has to be a good shot but, it doesn't need to be quite as good of a shot as 9mm has to be. 9mm tends to leave "floppers" - pins that fall-over but, don't go completely off the table. Those cost a 5-second penalty. Complete misses are a 10-second penalty. The rules are simple: shoot six pins completely off the table at 30-ft as fast as possible.
I shot seven relays with the PDP last Saturday and only had 4 'floppers' total. Zero complete misses. It did so well that other shooters thought I was using +P ammo. When I showed them I was only using Federal 124gr FMJ range ammo, the looks on their faces were priceless. Nobody shoots 9mm at our Pins matches.
Some general observations about the PDP after 1000-or-so rounds:
The pistol is stupid-accurate and reliable. I have owned handguns that cost 4x more that don't shoot all that much better and I have had zero malfunctions of any kind.
The PDP has no discernible ammo-preference. There is very little difference in POI using bullets of the same weight between brands of ammo. 115gr impacts about 2" higher than 124gr does but, I haven't tested any other weights yet.
The PDP basically fixes everything that the PPQ was lacking in its design: improved slide serrations, improved trigger and improved grip texture that all adds up to a pistol that's incredibly easy to shoot well, even for an old, decrepit fart, like yours truly. WTH, indeed.
