Range Report - Walther CCP

[NordicTexan]

I changed my mind and last weekend purchased the Walther CCP. I say that because in reading the Walther forums, the CCP is not without issues. I did my homework and most of the issues were ones that I can deal with or didn't apply to my particular situation. For those of you who don’t know the CCP uses Walther’s soft coil technology, basically a fixed barrel design with gas piston to reduce the felt recoil and lighten the recoil spring. It’s a small gun (single stack 8 in 9 mm) with very nice ergonomics.

I want to get my wife and son more involved in shooting, but my wife has a lot of difficulty in racking my Springfield's. I also suspect that recoil will be a bit of an issue, and I am pretty sure that my S&W Bodyguard, or any of my XDs' she won’t like. What I was looking for was an "entry level gun" that I can get them to the range with so that they can develop some of the proper skills to graduate to a more full size gun. My current plan is to start her off with the Walther P22 and then up to the CCP. I think when she gets used to those the Springfield models on up will be fine.

So, the CCP has been plagued with some units having failures (FTF, FTL, FTE, failure to return to battery, not locking back on the final round). It also suffered from very inconsistent manufacturing quality. There is also some concern about the design, in that a round could be loaded but the striker not engaged in the locked back position, allowing the striker to ride on a round. Basically the striker would be forward of the drop safety and possible allow a round to be discharged if the gun was dropped. It also has a very “gritty” trigger. The best description came from a vendor at the gun show who said it was a “squirt gun trigger”. Lastly, it has a fairly complicated take down procedure that utilizes a special tool. I am not yet looking at this as a carry pistol, so as a range gun I am okay with that, but it will need some close examination before it goes carry for me or any of my family members.

By diligently following the Walther forums, and reading with a grain of salt, I determined what to look for if I wanted to give this gun a try. My criteria was
• Find a high serial number gun ( in excess of 10XXX)
• Open the breech and look at the slide ramp
o Slide ramp must be close to vertical (many examples have the slide ramp cocked to one side)
o no manufacturing marks on the breech end of the barrel ( early serial numbers seemed to have a lot of those and indicate a general level of quality
• Find a silver barrel regardless of slide color ( the blued barrels seem to have corrosion issues and more early manufacturing issues, late models seem to be all silver)
I found several at the Pasadena Gun show and purchased a 13XXX serial number with a silver slide and barrel for a little over $400.
My BIL, Teamless, was kind enough to go with me to PSC where we put about 100 rounds through the gun. We didn’t take it apart or clean it prior to shooting it for the first time. Results were;
• We used cheap, steel target ammo from academy for the range.
• Groupings were very tight for such a small gun. I would have to say that the accuracy was comparable to my 4.5” XDM at the same distances. Teamless concurred as the accuracy for him was good. The sights of the box seemed spot on.
• The recoil was definitely lower that my other 9 mm guns and was pleasant on the range.
• In the 100 rounds, we have one FTL and one failure to lock back on the empty magazine.
• The gun is reportedly susceptible to “limp wristing” problems. We ran two magazines purposely trying to see if this was an issue, and did not encounter a problem.
• The frame in front of the trigger, gets hot. Not unbearably so, but definitely elevated in temperature due to the location of the gas piston.
• We asked a woman and her 12 yr old daughter at the range to give it a try. Each put a magazine through it and both said the recoil was less and it was a manageable, little gun.
• After the range, we took it home and cleaned it. Definitely some challenges in takedown and reassemble. However it’s not unlike my P22 or Teamless’s 1911 in that it has some “secrets” or “tricks” to the process that once you know, make it much easier.

Overall, I like the gun, and so far it’s been a pleasure to shoot. I’ll update after a few more rounds down the range.

[viking1000]

Along with my arthritis and having to wear special gloves most of the time, I have 2 Walther PK 380s .
If for nothing else the larger trigger guards, they shoot very well after they found a bullet they both liked.
The adjustable sights don't hurt ....
I have arthritis in the hips, so light pistols are a must.
Cant beat the price .

[Vol Texan]

My wife also carries a PK380 as her EDC, mainly because she works with her hands, and the recoil of a 9mm hurts her wrists too much to risk it.

I've had high hopes for the CCP, hoping that I could find a 9mm that she could practice with, and make a change of her EDC. Thanks for the range report - very informative. I think it's still a bit too kludgy, and I'm not ready to suggest it to her yet. I do hope that the engineers fix all the issues, as I really want her to try this out.