Walther’s reputation for building quality concealed-carry pistols began with the company’s first pocket pistol, which was introduced at the turn of the 20th century. Now well into the 21st century, Walther is still at the top of its game producing accurate, safe and reliable pistols that give those who carry concealed a sense of comfort and security.
The PPS (Police Pistol Slim) is bred for concealability without compromising on caliber. Although it is the size of most .380 ACP pistols on the market today, it is chambered in either 9mm or .40 S&W, which are serious calibers normally reserved for full-sized pistols. Not only compact, the PPS is also slim—noticeably slim—with a slide width that measures less than an inch thick.
The exterior is smooth and snag free. The slide stop, magazine release and takedown lever are inset into the frame and flow seamlessly with the lines of the pistol, affording the user fast retrieval when needed. The rear slide serrations offer a good grip when racking the slide, an advantage when operating a small pistol. At the rear of the slide is a cocking indicator that protrudes from the rear of the slide to give a user both tactile and visible status of the pistol. On top are rugged three-dot sights.
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The ergonomic polymer frame comes with two backstrap sizes, small and large, that allow the grip to be adjusted to fit a user’s hand size. With the backstop removed, the PPS is unable to fire.
The striker-fired pistol’s trigger uses a blade safety that requires the trigger to be fully pressed to fire the weapon. Trigger pull is about 6 pounds. The ambidextrous magazine releases is built into the rear of the triggerguard, and it’s been slightly extended and serrated for ease of use. The PPS feeds off single-stack magazines available in three sizes—small, medium and large. The small six-round 9mm or five-round .40 S&W magazines fit flush with the butt. The medium and large sizes add extra rounds and extra overall height.
The new CCP (Concealed Carry Pistol) was designed specifically for just that. Rounded edges allow the CCP to be fast into action, and the ergonomic grip makes it a natural pointer. Unique with the CCP is the gas-delayed blowback system that uses gas from a fired round to slow down and delay the rearward motion of the slide. What this means is the CCP is a soft-recoiling pistol with less muzzle flip, which can translate into more rounds on target in rapid fire. This system also allows for the use of a lighter recoil spring assembly, making the slide easier to manipulate. An easily racked slide on a small pistol is a plus since small pistols have less surface area to grab onto, making some difficult to operate. The sights are of the three-dot variety. A manual thumb safety and internal firing pin safety are built in for added safety. The magazine release can be reversed to suit either right- or left-handed shooters. The single-stack magazine holds eight 9mm cartridges and the floorplate has a built-in finger rest. With an 8+1 capacity and a carry weight of just over 22 ounces, the CCP is a very concealable and user-friendly pistol.
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The PK380 is a more traditional pocket pistol in the sense that it uses a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger with an exposed hammer and a manual thumb safety that blocks the hammer. Those traditional features, however, are built into a polymer frame and an aggressively contoured steel slide to create a pistol that’s ergonomic, lightweight and which naturally fits your hand.
The ambidextrous safety is mounted on the sides of the slide so the thumb of either a right- or left-handed shooter can flip it up to fire the gun or rotate it downward to put it on “safe.” The magazine release on the PK380 is similar to the PPS; it is ambidextrous and built into the triggerguard. The three-dot sights are large and fast on target.
Though the DA trigger pull is about 11 pounds, it feels like a lot less. In SA it is about 4 pounds. A finger rest is built into the magazine floorplate for a complete grip.
The iconic PPK has been in Walther’s lineup since 1931 and is a benchmark in pocket pistol design. Although the PPK is constructed with a traditional steel frame, it weighs less than 23 ounces. The trigger system is also traditional DA/SA with a 13- and 6-pound pull, respectively. The PPK features a decocking safety that lowers the hammer.
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The Walther pocket pistol lineup runs deep with high-quality, no-compromise designs.
For more information, call 479-242-8500 or visit http://www.waltherarms.com.
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