By: Friedrich Seiltgen

Founded in 1886, the Carl Walther company has been producing firearms and air guns in their Ulm and Arnsberg, Germany facilities for more than a century. While Walther has produced many fine firearms over the years, their most well known is the PPK. Small enough to carry while wearing a tuxedo when chasing SPECTRE agents at a Monte Carlo casino, the favorite sidearm of Commander Bond will go down in history as the most famous Walther ever.

Walther’s newest offering is the PDP – Performance Defense Pistol. The PDP is offered in full-sized and compact models and joins a crowded field of optics-ready, striker fired pistols.

The ergonomics are super! The PDP frame has molded in checkering and comes with three backstraps for a secure grip. The magazine release is big and reversible, and the slide stop is ambidextrous. The PDP offers great modularity. The two different frame sizes and three different slide lengths are interchangeable allowing any combination needed by the shooter!

The PDP features Walther’s new Performance Duty Trigger. Walther achieved this repeatable accuracy by shortening the length of travel and increasing the tactile definition of the trigger break.

The slide comes standard with three dot adjustable sights with the same dovetail cut in the slide as the Glock. It’s also ready for optics with a separate area in front of the dovetail for various optics mounting plates. So, when Murphy strikes, and your optics battery dies, you can use the standard sights. The “Super Terrain” cocking serrations on the slide rise above the surface of the slide and allow the shooter a secure grip.

The PDP’s accuracy comes from its stainless steel, ramped barrel with stepped chamber. This design uses a tapered chamber which gives you a tighter seal on the chambered round. This increases accuracy and velocity.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Recoil operated, striker fired, semi-automatic pistol

Caliber: 9mm

Magazine capacity: Full size 18 rounds; Compact 15 rounds (Free States Only)

Sights: 3 dot adjustable & optics ready

Barrel Length: Full Size 4.5”; Compact 4”

Overall Length: Full Size 8”; Compact 7.5”

Weight: Full Size 25.4 oz; Compact 24.2 oz.

MSRP: $649

There are a lot of choices in the personal defense market to choose from, and Gunpowder readers have to be careful where their dollars go. The PDP is a great overall pistol! A great price, reliable, great ergonomics, and outstanding craftsmanship!

The Walther Company proclaims, “It’s Our Duty to Build the Best Performing Firearm…Its Your Duty to Be Ready.” Walther has certainly held up their end of the deal with the PDP, now it’s your turn!

That’s all for now folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s be careful out there.”

Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism, Firearms, First Aid, Active Shooter Response, and Law Enforcement Vehicle Operations in Florida. His writing has appeared in The Counter Terrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].

Photo from: https://waltherarms.com/pdp/