By: Warren Gray
Copyright © 2024
“The CCP M2 .380…is designed with the new shooter in mind…
those new shooters prioritized reliability, shootability, safety,
and cost…the Walther stood out as being softer to shoot than
nearly all of those other guns…a solid contender for best in
class…well thought out, well-built, and very easy to operate
and carry concealed.”
— Brad Fitzpatrick, Guns and Ammo magazine, August 3, 2022
It’s quite a rare honor to be named as “Best Pistol of 2024” by The Gun Zone, but the Walther CCP M2 in .380 ACP, which was actually released at the 2020 SHOT Show, has since gained quite a following in these trying times of the recent Covid pandemic, an unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants across our southern border, surging crime rates as police forces are defunded, and criminals are often not prosecuted for their crimes. In fact, the past four years have seen by far the largest increase in first-time gun buyers for self-defense purposes in an increasingly uncertain world.
This is where Walther CCP M2 (Concealed-Carry Pistol, Magazine Release No. 2) in .380 ACP really shines. The original CCP handgun was introduced in 2014 in 9x19mm, but for new shooters and gun owners, the snappy recoil of a 9mm pistol is often an undesirable trait. First-time concealed-carry shooters want a pistol that’s comfortable in their hands, lightweight, easy to rack back the slide, and with very low recoil.
Generally, the .380 ACP is at the lowest range of acceptable self-defense ammunition, with reasonable stopping power. I’ve owned three handguns in this caliber, including a Walther PPK/S, a Ruger LCP, and a Ruger LCP Custom, but I sold the Walther, and gave the two Rugers to my sons, since I now carry a very compact Ruger LC9s Pro in 9mm for self-defense. I still own a Walther P22Q target pistol/trail gun in .22 Long Rifle, however, and I really like the design, simplicity, and excellent ergonomics.
The Walther CCP M2 is the world’s first polymer-framed handgun to feature SoftCoil gas technology since 2014. According to Walther Arms, “When the trigger of the CCP is squeezed…the bullet…passes the barrel’s gas port…(and) the ignited propellant is directed through the port into a gas cylinder…against a piston that’s attached to the slide, opposing its rearward motion, which effectively lowers felt recoil.” When the gas pressure drops, the slide moves rearward to cycle the action. This truly makes the CCP M2 one of the softest-shooting, centerfire pistols on the market.
Photo credit: Walther Arms
The SoftCoil system also permits the use of a softer recoil spring, wrapped around the barrel like on a Walther PPK or PPK/S, which makes it easier for new, inexperienced shooters to operate the slide. In addition, the entire slide is fabricated from 7075 aluminum for reduced weight, with front and rear serrations for an improved grip. Two eight-round, single-stack, stainless-steel magazines are included with the pistol, and the magazine-release button is reversible, as desired.
The pistol is fairly lightweight, at 19.4 ounces (the 9mm version is 20 oz.), with a fixed, 3.54-inch, high-quality, stainless-steel barrel, and a trigger pull of 5.5 pounds. It’s a striker-fired pistol, like the Glock series, and the rear sight is adjustable for windage. The overall shape and ergonomics of the gun are superb, with Guns and Ammo magazine noting that, “The CCP M2 .380 does feel good in the hand! Walther nailed the CCP’s grip geometry. With the magazine in place, even shooters with large hands will find this pistol comfortable…The Walther CCP M2 .380 is a pleasant gun to shoot. It’s a pistol that’s suitable to almost any shooter. The slide is light, and required minimal racking force, and…the recoil impulse is mild and more manageable than most modern .380s.”
Accuracy testing resulted in the best five-shot groups measuring 1.2 inches at 25 yards, which is quite impressive, with Norma MHP 85-grain ammunition at 1,076 feet per second. This is advertised as, “The most-expanding bullet in the world.” It’s a solid-copper bullet (MHP stands for “Monolithic Hollow Point”), with a very small, visible cavity at the nose, which peels back quite a bit into four large petals, like a copper flower, expanding quite dramatically. I’ve tested the 9mm version in wet clay blocks, and attained 9.5 inches of penetration, with the bullet expanding to an incredible .937-inch!
Photo credit: Norma Ammunition
Norma MHP 9mm expansion to .937-inch. Photo by author
Most other ammunition, including Barnes, Federal, Hornady, and Remington, reached muzzle velocities of 838 to 906 feet per second, but with group sizes of 2.0 to 2.7 inches, so the Norma MHP was clearly the most accurate, and the best-expanding of all.
Walther’s glowing successes with the CCP M2 in .380 ACP over the past few years have led to equivalent improvements in their original 9mm model, which is now dubbed the CCP M2+. Walther Arms states that, “The all-new, CCP M2+ models will now have a precision-machined slide that increases durability and reliability…in the most comfortable and accessible firearm offered in the market today…Once again pushing beyond the boundaries.” It retails for $499.
Returning now to The Gun Zone’s “Best Pistol of 2024,” the Walther CCP M2 in .380 ACP, Guns and Ammo magazine concluded that, “When loaded with high-quality, personal-protection ammo, the CCP M2 .380 offers better performance than many of its rivals…A lightweight, compact (pistol)…the CCP M2 in .380 is a better pistol than its (9mm) predecessor. It’s a totally different breed of…gun that’s better suited for a wide range of shooters.” With a current MSRP of $499, it’s also very reasonably priced, especially for a fine-quality, German-manufactured pistol.
While it’s not my personal first choice for a concealed-carry, self-defense handgun, it may very well be an excellent first choice for novice shooters who want light weight, an easy-racking slide, and light recoil. In these uncertain times, with more first-time gun buyers and shooters than ever before, the Walther CCP M2 in .380 ACP rises to the top of the list because of these remarkable features.
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Warren Gray is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism, and is an NRA member. He served in Europe (including four years in Germany) and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.