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Posted: 3/30/2013 4:39:32 PM EDT
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** Mods, feel free to move this thread if you really think it does not belong, but I see lots of newer suppressor owners here asking about hosts, so I thought Id put it here. **
Yesterday, I received a call from the local gun shop saying that my 300 BLK Handi Rifle had come in and was ready for transfer. While I was waiting on the background check, I perused the pistol cases. I have become a suppressor snob in the last few years, and I always keep my eyes peeled for the unmistakable outline of a pistol with a thread protector on it. Ive got about 15 9mm pistol hosts right now, and I'm not afraid to grow that number. Anyway, I spotted the new PPX with the threaded barrel and asked to see it. I wasnt even aware that these were out yet. The sticker price was 499, and this shop tends to run a little on the high side. Not a bad price for anything with a threaded barrel, so I bought it. 
The only thing about this pistol that I knew going into it was that it is supposed to be a budget-minded follow up to the PPQ, and its hammer-fired. Obviously, this gun is ugly. People say it looks like a Hi Point, and I can agree. Definitely not a contender for a dedicated picture thread on AR15.com. It has a high bore axis, which most recent-manufactured, clean-sheet-design pistols have moved away from. The gun has a trigger mechanism that is, for all intents and purposes, a Single Action Only (SAO) configuration. Technically speaking, the PPX system partially cocks the hammer when the slide is cycled, and you are completing the double action pull when you squeeze the trigger. However, the trigger doesnt feel this way or act this way. Its obvious that the hammer is moving, but the trigger pull is nice and smooth and behaves like a SAO gun with a bit of takeup. Certainly not a 1911-ish trigger, but not quite a Beretta 92-style SA trigger either. It has a very small amount of pre travel right before the break, which I would normally say is distracting, but not in this case. It just works. The trigger consistently breaks at 5.5 lbs, but it has a long reset, roughly 60 percent of trigger travel. Despite the reset, I like it. The PPX has a pic rail, square trigger guard, button mag release and two 16 rd mags. The sights are plain white dot low profile sights. They look miniscule on that gigantic slide, but they work well for low mount, white dot sights. I firmly believe every threaded barrel gun should come with tall sights, but Im in the minority on that, so I can deal with it. The grip profile feels almost identical to me to a HK P30. In fact, aesthetically, this gun looks like a P30 lower with a Hi Point upper. 
The important part, the barrel, is threaded 1/2-28 and comes with a thread protector that actually covers the crown a bit, instead of being open ended like the average protector. I like that, though I dont shoot with the protectors on, so I cant comment on whether that will affect groups. I shot it with a few different loads, but I concentrated on my go-to load, which is a Delta Precision 147 gr FMJ over 4.0 grains of Unique, loaded to 1.130. I shoot this the most, so every suppressor host I have has to shoot it. The PPX shot almost perfectly today. After running a few mags though it without the can, I threaded on my trusty Multi-Mount and proceded to wear out some paper targets. The very first round stove-piped on ejection, but after that, every round of the following 300 or so cartridges performed without failure. Suppression was on par with all of my other pistols, and I made a point to compare it to my HK USP 9 SD that I had with me. The HK tends to be the industry standard for suppressor hosts, in my opinion. I dont think the HK is the best (not by a long shot), but it doesnt really do anything poorly, other than fit small hands. The PPX compares nicely, in my opinion. Its definitely built tighter than the HK, with much less slop in all the assemblies. There are no rattles or play anywhere in this pistol, as far as I can tell. As to whether it can last as long as the nearly indestructible USP? Who knows. Accuracy is on par with the HK, if not slightly better with the 147's. The gigantic slide does seem to give it slightly more muzzle flip than the HK, Id say about 10 percent more, just to pull a number out of my ass. Its not objectionable to me. I feel that I could run a row of steel plates just as quickly with this gun as the HK. The pistol vents gas about as much as a Glock 17 does when suppressed. This is what I consider the high end of acceptable. As I like to shoot Unique loads, this gun gets dirty quick. I can shoot my Sigs, Berettas, M&P's and XD's suppressed and not get my hands nearly as dirty. This is not a white t-shirt pistol if you intend to shoot more than 200 rounds out of it. My point of impact shift was 1 lower at 7 yards, 3 inches at 25. The threads were concentric, as far as I can tell, as my groups didnt move as the suppressor loosened up a turn or so throughout the mag. I try to make note of that, as I have an EFK barrel in an XD that will walk the groups significantly (2-3 inches at 25 yds throughout 1 turn) with this same MultiMount. My other pistols dont do that, so I blame the threads or the crown. Not very scientific, I know. 
If you can get past the looks, this is an awesome host for under 500 bucks. The trigger, the smoothness, and the reliability with a can mounted to it make the PPX a good deal in my book. From everything Ive read about it in the last day or two, I can say that its seriously under-rated. I now feel that there are three polymer 9's out there that deserve more credit than they get. The first, and quite possibly the best suppressor host under 1000 dollars is the CZ P07 Threaded Barrel. The second is this PPX. The third is the Sig 2022. Once people realize that this is nothing like a PPQ, and not intended to be, they will warm up to it, I think. If this gun proves to be reliable, Id say its a top quality pistol and an excellent host. Goddamn its ugly though. |
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Well, my hands are probably what you would call "medium". I wear size 10 gloves, but my fingers are pretty callused.
Im comfortable with the overall size of the USP grip, so the PPX grip was slightly smaller than what I use on pistols with replaceable backstraps. As far as the shape of it the grip, it works for me. I would say that it points about as naturally as an XD. Definitely better than a gen 3 Glock. The pad of your palm fits nicely into the "cutout" area of the grip and helps to stabilize it. With a regular thumbs forward grip, I was comfortable. If you have very small hands, I would say you definitely need to make sure the gun points properly for you. If you have medium or large hands, youll have no problem pointing it, Id think. |
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