4-8-2011 (5 pages).
Bob (De-Nay) Denis, NRA Certified and AZ DPS Certified Firearms Instructor
Hello Jason,
Thanks for your question and continuous interest in our AZ DPS Licensed Firearms School.
Your question:
How do you compare your Walther PPS with Ruger LC9, or with Taurus Slim 709, if you’re familiar with these two? Answer: Carefully. Below I give you some opinions.
Taurus "Slim" 709B
Not much I can give you here Michael from a personal perspective since I don’t own this gun but have friends that do. And yes they have let me fire it. Taurus did jumped into the market with their "Slim," a slim (natch!) 7+1 9mm, 19 ounce semi-auto but a price point of $485, less on the street. Much like a Glock but very thin. Some play in bottom of mag. Adjustable rear sights. Great overall gun for Concealed Carry. Shoots great, recoil is light, purchase is good and the pistol does not move around in my hand when I shoot.
Ruger LC9...note manual safety
This I own. The LC9 essentially "splits the baby" between the SR9c and the wildly successful LCP .380. At various times I have carried an STI-LS9, one of the thinnest single actions available and a superb little gun.
The LC9's length is 6 inches (same as the Taurus Slim, longer than the Kahrs and the Sig) with a barrel length of 3.12 inches. Weight is 17.10 ounces; width of only .90 inches, consistent with the Kahrs, the Slim and the new Sig and compared to the 1.2-ish width of the SR9c. To compare, the LCP has a length of 5.16 inch, a width of .82 and an unloaded weight of 9.4 ounces.
My first purchase day I put about 60 rounds of mixed 124-gr ammo through the gun, most of it WW white box ball. I won't lie to you Michael — the LC9 barks. But interestingly enough when I shot it alongside my LCP with Carbon defense loads, I'd have to say the .380 definitely had a sharper bite. The LC9 magazines come with an optional butt plate with a pinky grip...I've never paid that much attention to similar butt pads for the LCP, but I have to say the extra finger on the grip of the 9mm made a big difference to me. Depending on how the gun carries, my inclination would be to install the extended butt pad on all the magazines.
The LC9 has an excellent set of fixed sights (with those annoying 3-dots!), including a dovetailed front. In fact, when I changed from the LC9 to my carry LCP, I really missed the sight picture! The LC9 has a strong-side only manual safety a la the SR series...not really necessary for a long double-action-only trigger, but I'm still going to come down on the side of "plus." As you know, I am a huge proponent of a manual safety in a gun carried off-body or in a forward of the hip carry like appendix or forward cross draw. The gun also has a magazine safety, which sucks. Hopefully, if you purchase this Michael it's as easily removable as the ones in the SR series guns. All four magazines dropped clear, and the mag button is where God and John Browning intended it to be.
The trigger pull is long but not particularly heavy (I ran this gun to the range straight from the FFL person, so I didn't have a lot of my tools and toys with me). There is a small bit of roughness — not stacking — at the end of the stroke, but it didn't seem to be an issue with my shooting. The trigger smoothed out some as I shot it.
Okay, here's the question of the day...is the LC9 a pocket pistol by the conventional definition? I'll give you a qualified "maybe." I have had it in my pocket before, and weight wise it feels like steel J-frame revolver, but bulkier. DeSantis pocket holster should fit the LC9.
Do I think Ruger has found the tipping point here? A question asked of me a lot these days. My answer is yes, they have, and in exactly the same way they drove the LCP to best-seller status. There were a host of .380 pocket pistols before the LCP, but the Ruger captured the market with its name recognition, quality, price point and canny mix of features. The LC9 exhibits those very same traits...it's a Ruger, which means Michael that not only will it likely work, but the company will stand behind it. At a $443 MSRP, it's substantially less than the top-end Kahrs, but not hugely more expensive than the bottom end. The sights are exceptional; the trigger pretty good. It's a handful, but not an uncontrollable handful.
I think the LC9 will appeal to the Gun Culture Ver. 2.0 people who came into the culture through CCW with a pocket pistol like the LCP and are now ready to step up to a larger caliber. They've had more time behind the gun, understand both shooting and carrying a lot better, and I believe the first gun they're going to be looking at is the one most similar to what they're already carrying.
Last but not least my favorite the S&W Walter PPS 9mm.
How cute is this?
Yes I am partial to this pistol and here is why:
Walther PPS is short recoil operated, locked breech pistol that uses modified Browning type locking with tilting barrel. Frame of the gun is made from impact resistant polymer. Trigger is of double action only type, striker fired, with pre-cocked striker system, similar to QA system used in Walther P99 pistols. This system requires a manual re-cocking (by partial slide retraction) in the case of misfire. Gun is fitted with automated trigger safety and firing pin block; additional "storage type" safety is provided by removable back strap of the grip; once back strap is removed, the firing pin is automatically decocted and gun is blocked until the back strap is reinstalled. This patented system is called QuickSafe by Walther. Sights are low profile, with rear sight adjustable for windage.
Walther PPS 9mm Fixed Sights #WAP10001 The Walther Police Pistol Slim (PPS) model narrows the margin between concealment and confidence by packing Walther innovation into an unbelievable 1.04 inch profile. It's amazing how much professional-grade design actually fits into this lightweight sub-compact. All in all, the PPS embodies both the legendary quality and tradition of innovation that make it not just a great pistol — but a great Walther pistol.
In 9mm or .40 S&W, the PPS has several notable features aimed at better fit and safe performance in its narrow dimensions. From my choice of perfect-fitting back strap (small or large) to the patented QuickSafe innovation, no one packs in the power and features like Walther:
* Ambidextrous Magazine Release
* Includes 1 Magazine
* Loaded Chamber & Cocking Indicators
* Small & Large Back strap
* Trigger Safety
* Internal Striker Safety
* Walther QuickSafe Safety
One 7 Round Magazine Included
Caliber: 9mm
Length: 6.3"
Height: 4.4"
Overall Width/Width without slide stop lever and takedown buttons: 1.04"/.91"
Barrel Length: 3.2"
Sight Radius: 5.4"
Weight (without Mag): 19.4 oz.
Action: Striker Fire Action, Pre-Cocked
Trigger Pull: 6.1 lbs.
Frame: Black Polymer
The Walther PPS is a great gun and quite comfortable in an IWB holster for concealed carry. I have never owned a gun so easy to field strip and reassemble! No struggle with this one! First range trip was a very positive experience. Michael in my opinion this is a gun that really deserves your consideration.
Michael, I hope the aforementioned is helpful in your pistol decision process. Stay safe.
From your Instructor for Life!
Best Regards
Bob
Bob (De-Nay) Denis, CEO
CCWAZSCHOOL.COM - Email Address: bob@ccwazschool.com
Office Phone 480-275-6995
No comments:
Post a Comment