Posted: 9/6/2009 4:09:48 PM EDT
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I just purchased my first firearm, a Walther PPS last week! I got it primarily for carry use. I have a couple of questions.
First, on the striker indicator on the back, I'm seeing a lot of websites have it colored red. Mine isn't red, it's just black. Is there a reasoning behind this? Second, what type of ammunition does everyone use in their pps? I was looking at speer gold dots or Federal HST but I'm unsure whether to get 124 gr, 124+P, or 147 grain ammunition. I'm kind of worried about full expansion with such a short barrel. Otherwise, I only put 50 rounds through it so far. So far, no jams or anything. I am finding it aims low and to the left, but I'm unsure if it's me or not. I'll take it out to the range one more time and see how I do with it then. I did notice that while cleaning it, on the right side of the firearm where the rail is, there seems to be like a copper color wear or something, it's not black like the rest of the firearm. I'll take a picture of it later but I just thought it was weird. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks! |
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I just purchased one yesterday in 9mm. I took mine to the range today and put about 150 rounds through it. Had 2 FTF but other than that it ran great!
I also noticed the copper color on the inside of the slide. Hubby thinks it is factory grease, as his Glock had the same color in it when he bought his. Hope you enjoy your PPS. I love mine so far! Just need to find a holster so I can carry. |
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Congrats on your PPS, I love mine. i carry the Gold Dot short barrel load in mine at the bottom on the link.
Gold dot |
Congratulations on your new PPS Xyas. 
My wife has carried one in 9mm for almost a year now and we have both been very pleased with it's performance. Accurate and reliable (we've put all types of ammo through it with zero failures). Jill carries it in a Galco handbag that has a special holster compartment. It's currently loaded with 124 gr +P Golden Sabers. I look forward to the pics of the "copper color wear" you describe, btw. |
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I prefer lower weight bullets out of the short barrels. I justify it by thinking the velocity is higher and the recoil is lower. I'm sure it's mostly my imagination, though. The PPS and P99 both get brass build-up on the center "rail" of the underside of the slide - where it rides on the case of the next round in the magazine. This will lessen with time. As for accuracy, the gun was sighted in at the factory. More practice should improve your skill with it. |
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Pics, as promised! Sorry about the image quality, my camera stinks and I am not a photographer. And how do I make my pictures smaller using photobucket/this website?
The striker without the red dot. http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/Xyas/IMG_1432.jpg On the underside of the upper. http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/Xyas/IMG_1443.jpg The weird copper spot. http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/Xyas/IMG_1436.jpg http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/Xyas/IMG_1434.jpg And finally, the Walther PPS (unloaded for the picture). http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/Xyas/IMG_1450.jpg |
| I would see what S&W has to say about a few things in the pictures. The non-colored striker is odd. The brass color in the second pic is normal. The copper colored spot in the last pics is kind of odd as well. My new PPS has the brass color just like the second picture and is normal. The other things are a little off. |
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Quoted:
I would see what S&W has to say about a few things in the pictures. The non-colored striker is odd. The brass color in the second pic is normal. The copper colored spot in the last pics is kind of odd as well. My new PPS has the brass color just like the second picture and is normal. The other things are a little off. +1 The second picture looks like my PPS after shooting. The other pics/issues look a bit unusual to me. Get in touch with S&W and let them take a look. They'll take care of you. S&W just replaced an extractor on my new M&P9 –– good people in CS there. Good luck, let us know how this plays out. 
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I got this from another forum about the copper coloring on the rail.
As far as the bronze coloring, I believe that I read an article on http://ppstalk.com/forum where a guy had the same problem. If I remember correctly, he called S&W and they told him it was from a manufacturing technique (brazing or something) and to send it in and they would repair it for him. I don't believe he did because it couldn't be seen unless taken apart and it had no adverse affect whatsoever. Along with, That copper color is from the factory. They brase the parts together in a jig and the color is what is left of that operation. Brasing is some times stronger than the materials that were brased together! Don't EVER give it another thought. So I'm not too worried about it. The red dot I think I'm going to go with some nail polish. |
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Quoted:
I just purchased one yesterday in 9mm. I took mine to the range today and put about 150 rounds through it. Had 2 FTF but other than that it ran great! I also noticed the copper color on the inside of the slide. Hubby thinks it is factory grease, as his Glock had the same color in it when he bought his. Hope you enjoy your PPS. I love mine so far! Just need to find a holster so I can carry. Alessi Gun holsters Call and ask for Tom and tell him Todd the PPS guy sent you. 
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Quoted: I prefer lower weight bullets out of the short barrels. I justify it by thinking the velocity is higher and the recoil is lower. I'm sure it's mostly my imagination, though. The PPS and P99 both get brass build-up on the center "rail" of the underside of the slide - where it rides on the case of the next round in the magazine. This will lessen with time. As for accuracy, the gun was sighted in at the factory. More practice should improve your skill with it. Heavier bullets lose less velocity from short barrels than light bullets due to giving the powder more time to burn and get the pressure up. This results in the bullet being deeper in its terminal operating envelope than a lighter bullet. Heavier bullets are also more likely to penetrate to minimum/ideal depths than light bullets. 147gr is best from short barrels especially. |
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I stopped at my local gun dealer the other day to see what he had new and became enamored with the PPS. The only thing I can see wrong with it are the following:
1. There is not much of an aftermarket with these pistols. There are (as far as I know) no aftermarket night sights for them. No decent holsters, magazine pouches, etc. There isn't a gun in the universe that is "perfect" from the factory. 2. The spare magazines are super expensive. Come on guys! $56 for a 6,7 or 8 round magazine is a bit expensive, plus you only get one with the gun. Kind of like making the gun itself wih a non removable magazine. I can get two 33 round magazines for my Glock or three 17 round magazines for the price of ONE Walther PPS magazine. 3. It had the kiss of death on the slide. I would be willing to accept this pistol with all of it's faults (listed above) if it had absolutely no partnership with SMITH & WESSON. To make it simple, S&W makes lousy pistols. I would be willing to go on record that S&W should market it's pistols to criminals just released from prisons, that way the police will have an excuse to shoot them without getting hurt. How about the many "generations" of the original metal framed S&W autos have there been? Then there were the "Glockma" plastic framed autos that were such a success that they had to team with Walther (S&W99) to get some of the market back. Now there are the M&P pistols they are pushing, please! This has nothing at all to do with their revolvers. They are the finest in the world when it comes to making wheelguns (IMHO). I would be willing to say that this is the pistol Glock should have made. Only with cheaper magazines and night sights. |
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Quoted:
I stopped at my local gun dealer the other day to see what he had new and became enamored with the PPS. The only thing I can see wrong with it are the following: 1. There is not much of an aftermarket with these pistols. There are (as far as I know) no aftermarket night sights for them. No decent holsters, magazine pouches, etc. There isn't a gun in the universe that is "perfect" from the factory. Having followed the PPS from early on and as an owner of one of the first "Limited Edition" run, I think this is wrong. I have no trouble finding quality holsters, don't use magazine pouches so can't comment on that. 2. The spare magazines are super expensive. Come on guys! $56 for a 6,7 or 8 round magazine is a bit expensive, plus you only get one with the gun. Kind of like making the gun itself wih a non removable magazine. I can get two 33 round magazines for my Glock or three 17 round magazines for the price of ONE Walther PPS magazine. This is true. On the other hand, my pistol came with three magazines of various sizes, so I was set from day one. I don't have a requirement for a dozen magazines for a CCW pistol. 3. It had the kiss of death on the slide. I would be willing to accept this pistol with all of it's faults (listed above) if it had absolutely no partnership with SMITH & WESSON. To make it simple, S&W makes lousy pistols. I would be willing to go on record that S&W should market it's pistols to criminals just released from prisons, that way the police will have an excuse to shoot them without getting hurt. How about the many "generations" of the original metal framed S&W autos have there been? Then there were the "Glockma" plastic framed autos that were such a success that they had to team with Walther (S&W99) to get some of the market back. Now there are the M&P pistols they are pushing, please! This has nothing at all to do with their revolvers. They are the finest in the world when it comes to making wheelguns (IMHO). This is a really uninformed statement, although I realize it is your opinion and you're entitled to it. There is nothing at all wrong with the metal S&W pistols and I have owned four of them and have had zero problems with them. As far as generations of them, who is going to deny the evolution of a design? You would rather not have improvements? Sure, the early Sigma was a misstep, but I think the M&P line is great and I for one am delighted in seeing S&W recover some of the police market. There is a serious lack of claim of personal experience with the pistols you are so critical of, and that really takes the weight out of what you're saying. I would be willing to say that this is the pistol Glock should have made. Only with cheaper magazines and night sights. This is about the truest thing you posted here. Congrats on this much. |
While I like my PPS a lot, the S&W mark on the side pisses me off. I think S&W makes fine guns (except the Sigma ) but its confusing to people who see the gun. "Wait I thought this was a Walther" Then comes the explanation. Its unnecessary, I certainly wouldn't call it the kiss of death though.
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FWIW
S&W has factory night sights from Walther..... they are hard to install but they have them.... also as seen at SHOT the PPS now can be ordered with night sights I have both a first edition and a regular 9mm and I don't understand why everybody is complaining about holsters.... there is comp-tac, blade tech, milt sparks, omg how many does one need to list... as to mag prices... yes they are expensive.... but nothing is cheap when it comes to Walther's and they are quality parts..... as to the S&W on the side.... if you go to Earl's site you can buy a PPS without the S&W on it.... and you pay for that...$995 edit better not ever look at the P7 if you think $56 is much for a 8 round steel mag |
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I really don't see the problem with having Smith and Wesson on the slide. S&W didn't have any part in manufacturing the gun, as far as I know it's made entirely in Germany by Walther. S&W is simply the importer for Walther firearms.
Either way, S&W has come a long way with their pistols. The M&Ps are good guns, and previous failures (Sigma, etc) shouldn't reflect negatively upon their current efforts. |
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I really don't see the problem with having Smith and Wesson on the slide. S&W didn't have any part in manufacturing the gun, as far as I know it's made entirely in Germany by Walther. S&W is simply the importer for Walther firearms. that is 100% correct..... why people can't get it in their heads is past me......... every gun that is not US made has to be Import marked since the 1968 GCA.... Walther used Interarms till 1999 and when they went belly up, Walther tried to do it themselfs for some time (even though the location was the same as Interarms in 2000 and then S&W's in 2001) and then started the "strategic alliance with S&W in 2002 CARL WALTHER USA LLC (until 2000) Alexandria/VA Walther USA LLC (until 12/31/2001) Springfield, MA what most people overlook though is that S&W has still the best CS in the industry and they have always taken care of people.... even though Walther's official warranty is only a year S&W has always tried their best to fix things, even when the warranty was up and not charged customers..... now what they have done to the PPK/s is an hole different storry and should not be brought into this picture as these are made by S&W under license ...... |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I stopped at my local gun dealer the other day to see what he had new and became enamored with the PPS. The only thing I can see wrong with it are the following: 1. There is not much of an aftermarket with these pistols. There are (as far as I know) no aftermarket night sights for them. No decent holsters, magazine pouches, etc. There isn't a gun in the universe that is "perfect" from the factory. Having followed the PPS from early on and as an owner of one of the first "Limited Edition" run, I think this is wrong. I have no trouble finding quality holsters, don't use magazine pouches so can't comment on that. What about night sights? Or don't you plan to get into gunfights in non well lit areas? 2. The spare magazines are super expensive. Come on guys! $56 for a 6,7 or 8 round magazine is a bit expensive, plus you only get one with the gun. Kind of like making the gun itself wih a non removable magazine. I can get two 33 round magazines for my Glock or three 17 round magazines for the price of ONE Walther PPS magazine. This is true. On the other hand, my pistol came with three magazines of various sizes, so I was set from day one. I don't have a requirement for a dozen magazines for a CCW pistol. Hey, that's great for YOU, but what about the rest of us? The last I checked the gun only came with ONE whole magazine. Gee, maybe the guys at S&W are stealing them and reselling them? 3. It had the kiss of death on the slide. I would be willing to accept this pistol with all of it's faults (listed above) if it had absolutely no partnership with SMITH & WESSON. To make it simple, S&W makes lousy pistols. I would be willing to go on record that S&W should market it's pistols to criminals just released from prisons, that way the police will have an excuse to shoot them without getting hurt. How about the many "generations" of the original metal framed S&W autos have there been? Then there were the "Glockma" plastic framed autos that were such a success that they had to team with Walther (S&W99) to get some of the market back. Now there are the M&P pistols they are pushing, please! This has nothing at all to do with their revolvers. They are the finest in the world when it comes to making wheelguns (IMHO). This is a really uninformed statement, although I realize it is your opinion and you're entitled to it. There is nothing at all wrong with the metal S&W pistols and I have owned four of them and have had zero problems with them. As far as generations of them, who is going to deny the evolution of a design? You would rather not have improvements? Sure, the early Sigma was a misstep, but I think the M&P line is great and I for one am delighted in seeing S&W recover some of the police market. There is a serious lack of claim of personal experience with the pistols you are so critical of, and that really takes the weight out of what you're saying. Smith & Wesson has made some real turkeys in the past and they will probably do the same in the future, I'm not just talking autos here, but some revolvers too. In the past some of my revolvers have needed retimed FROM THE BOX!!!! Would I not have improvement? No, I'd rather have it done right the first time (a la 1911 and J.M. Browning) I would be willing to say that this is the pistol Glock should have made. Only with cheaper magazines and night sights. This is about the truest thing you posted here. Congrats on this much. |
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What about night sights? Or don't you plan to get into gunfights in non well lit areas? Hey, that's great for YOU, but what about the rest of us? The last I checked the gun only came with ONE whole magazine. Gee, maybe the guys at S&W are stealing them and reselling them? I guess you did not read my reply........ nightsights are available from Smith&Wesson..... you can order them or call them also there is other guns with metal mags that cost as much if not more ala HK P7 and the recent imports of surplus P7 only came with one mage too (or was that only the bastards from CDNN that sold them that way so they could sell the P7 mags for over $60) |
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where can i find specs on the PPS trigger? travel, reset?
I held one the other day and dryfired it some. The pull seemed nice, but the reset was long and gritty. Was that my imagination or is it longer than say a glock or m&p? I am about to buy a CCW. I have narrowed my choice down to a PPS, M&P9c, G19. In that order. But the reset bothered me, I found trigger pull weight, 6lbs. That is between the G19(5.5lbs) and the M&P9c(6.5lbs). What about Travel distance and reset distance? thanks Edit: i bought one today. see thread |