So glad you did this video! I'm mostly a historical firearms collector, but I actually picked up a PDP last week for some modern target shooting. Awesome timing and a great handgun, especially for the price.
I find my FS 5 “ PDP with a SRO very accurate; something about the trigger and grip shape . It draws fast. I manage recoil well with it but I use very high grip with my support index finger over the front of the trigger guard. It has some other quirks with the mag release and some resistance to cocking on a full mag . I’m committed to the P320 Max as my IPSC gun but the PDP will make it to some IDPA matches in CO. I like it a lot , but for me it’s not quite a racegun like my Shadow 2 or P320 Max.
I got one because ergonomically it initially felt great and the trigger is by far the best stock striker fired trigger. I got a 5" full size with the intent of it being a carry optics gun. I've now shot the gun a couple times and while the trigger is still incredible, I find I'm having difficulty shooting the gun well. I feel like I can't get a nice high grip on it like I can with my Glocks and it's almost as if I have to completely relearn how to grip and shoot the gun. I find I can transition between Glock and M&P notably easier, I guess since they both have a low bore axis. With the PDP I'm getting the "flippy" characteristic everyone talks about but it doesn't return back to zero or track very well for me. I feel like there's much more mass above my hands that I can't get on top of the way I can with many other guns that I shoot much flatter (i.e Glock, M&P, and more). The slide feels like it reciprocates very slow compared to my G17 as well. All in all I love the trigger, but that's about where the love ends. I'll be selling my PDP.
Shot one for about a year and 5000 rounds, wondering if it was worthy to replace my Glock 17s. To me the grip felt extremely well shaped and the texture is pretty much perfection, as far as I am concerned. The trigger ist phenomenal for an out of the box striker fire gun and you get a lot of performance and features (like optics ready) for the price. Coming from the glock it took a bit to get accustomed to the different grip angle, but didn't take too long. However, I noticed an almost instant increase in draw speed because of the good grip ergonomics. It took me a lot less time/confirmation to get my hand exactly where I wanted it to go on the grip before pulling out. However, and thats very personal, for me with quite big hands (glove size XL to XXL) the grip is still to small. Trigger reach is to short, and grip front to back thickness is to short, and thats with even the largest backstrap. Comparing trigger reach and front to back grip thickness, the PDP with it's largest backstrap comes in at about Glock Gen4+ with NO backstrap at all. So hardly any space for my left hand to put, and I constantly prevented the excessivly long slidecatch/release from catching the slide on the last round (which isn't a real problem for ipsc/uspsa type competitive use, but still annoys at times). Also after 5k rounds my firing pin tip broke, which however seems rather atypical for this gun. Never cleaned it, shot 5k runds without missing a beat and has a very interesting chamber design, with a tight neck area and a wide base area. It would accept rounds with a too wide base that the glock wouldn't fully lock with, but still got slightly higher muzzle velocity. So for me personally is back to glocks (with largest beavertail backstrap), but if I had "normal sized" hands it would be a very appealing option.
That's a nice comparison, thank you. Walther pays a lot of attention to ergonomics -- and it seems those ergos are skewed toward medium-large glove range hands. With hands as large as yours, I bet that reloading during a match might've resulted in some pinches & blood blisters.
@@seanoneil277 On the Fullsize PDP I never had troubles reloading. I just don't like it's long lip at the stock Basepad that much. You need to space magpouches a bit more to prevent the next one from accidentally catching, they catch more easily on slings when running a 2gun setup, and it makes the mags a bit less natural to reload, because of the large lip the index finger doesn't lay flat on the mags front, but at an slight angle. But actually reloading in a macth was very trouble free. The (partly) empty mags pop out a lot more motivated than on glocks. It's on the older PPQs, Steelframes and G19 sized pistols where I run into the risk of pinching my bottom edge of the hand between grip bottom and basepad.
@@impactaustria I was thinking of the compact frame, which is the only frame size I've seen & had in hand. I know what you mean about lips on magazine baseplates/extensions. Do people really dig magazines out of magwells with a fingernail? That's the only reason I can think of for those lips on the baseplate. Or maybe they're just aesthetic. The lips do like to catch on things like your rifle sling, versus a more rounded (in x, y and z planes) baseplate. I say this from similar experience with magazines from a different pistol (XD-M Elite).
Hi Ben. I just came across this video and couldn't help but to share my experience with PDP review. I pointed out that the PDP was snappier compared to its competitor. I simply saw it as a characteristic, not a flaw... However, I received some criticism from the fanboys who adamantly claimed that there was no discernible difference and that my grip was weak. It's funny to read these comments as I doubt many of them have actually taken the time to compare it side by side with its competitors. Unfortunately, on the internet, people claim all kinds of things, and believe whatever they see. It's like test driving both a Civic and a Corolla and somehow concluding that they drive identically. It's just absurd. While both cars serve similar purposes within their respective segments, they accomplish their tasks in distinct ways. The mental gymnastics required to convince oneself otherwise is unbelievable. But I suppose that's what fanboys do. Once they're emotionally invested, they don't let go lol
Did a comparison of the PDP and the Canik Rival for my new "production optics light" division pistol. The PDP has by far the best ergonomics. The Rival has a slightly better trigger and much less felt recoil in my opinion. Would still have bought the PDP over the Rival, was it not for the high price in Scandinavia (1k$-1.3k$) on the PDP.
I took both to the limit - tungsten guide rods, brass magwells + backstraps, Walther DPT in the PDP / Freedomsmith in the Rival, springco kits from BSPS, extended mag release, SRO's on both. I prefer the Rival with 147gr 130ish power factor loads but its only a preference - you can't lose picking either one. The PDP is a HELL of a pistol.
@BenStoeger187 did you ever feel that the frame to slide fit was loose while holding frame and lightly shaking firearm side to side? The tolerances on mine allows it to rattle a bit.
I had one Pdp full size 5’ for 10 month with performance trigger and tungsten rod with lighter spring. No problem with 18 rond - shoot ipsc around 130 loads but load the mag full during training. I have shoot around 10000 round. I use vogels Glock fiber sights (works perfekt )and GR holster. Was it the 5 or 4,5 version you guys use? Im thinking of going with with an second one in 4,5 to see wath differ it makes in recoil and how fast it recycle
I have just spent 2.000€ in a new Q5 SF. I have ordered a new recoil guide and 13 lb spring. I hope to solve with it the extractions problems. Any other known problem?
The 18 round mag issue is interesting. I run a canik and those 18 round mags have been perfectly reliable for me even if I up-load some of them to 19 for competition. Have you tried canik mags in the PDP?
I think you touched on this but the one thing I’m not sure I like about the PDP is the grip only allows the web of the hand to only get so far up into the beaver tail and no further. It just doesn’t allow you to, no matter how much you try. By contrast most any other handgun models allow you to get higher the more you ‘smush’ it up. Thoughts?
thats the only area I found shaped not very comfortably. The beavertail got a rather sharp edge at its end, punishing you for a bad draw (maybe thats a good thing though), and the rounding off from the frames side to the upper back area underneath the beavertail feels too edgy and too wide, kinda fighting your thumb knuckle. In contrast CZ shadows, tanfoglios etc are very shallow in this area, almost allowing the hammer to touch the knuckle.
Yeah a lot of people called me a liar for talking about the recoil. The felt recoil on this is worse than the hk vp40 I have. Also, ben that’s definitely a ec wisco house 😂
Holy crap. You said it felt snappy. A bunch of guys gave me crap when I said that. My P320 isn’t as snappy as the PDP. I like the gun but it is snappy stock.
Not needed, the XR920 is actually a better option. Basically, a Glock 45 version but a lot better than a Glock. I you have an optic, especially in the USPSA Carry Optics division barrel length isn't a factor~ Shorter barrel allows the end user for a faster draw too! But yes, Shadow System is a nice pistol but their trigger isn't the best! But a lot better than a Glock!
@@chgofirefighter barrel length affects velocity, so you can get away with a marginally lighter load. The weight distribution of the slide also affects the recoil and return to battery impulses. There's a reason that plenty of CO shooters still opt for G34s and G17s when the G45/19x exists. Faster drawtime argument is splitting hairs. It's so negligible it doesn't matter. The functional difference between the DR and the XR is very small, but the DR is slightly softer shooting imo.
@@swiftaudi Significantly more robust optics mounting system, wayy better front slide serrations, better factory trigger, no MIM components (fewer parts breakages over high round counts), better grip texture, factory undercut trigger guard (no more Glock knuckle), and the ability to change the grip angle from glock-ish to cz-ish to 1911-ish depending on your preference via included backstraps. It's not a miracle wondergun or anything like that, but it fixes all of the common complaints about Glocks for less money than it would cost to fix those complaints on your own with aftermarket parts and mods, and with more polish.
I would like to see more pistol reviews from Ben
So glad you did this video! I'm mostly a historical firearms collector, but I actually picked up a PDP last week for some modern target shooting. Awesome timing and a great handgun, especially for the price.
That's my gun! 4.5 inch. Thanks for the cleaning tip on the striking pin oil.
This is a great review of the positives and negatives of this gun. Thanks for putting it out
The perceived recoil issue is easily fixed with a stainless guid rod and 13 or 15 pound spring. Very cheap fix that works wonders.
Appreciate the solid info
excellent discussion gents!
I find my FS 5 “ PDP with a SRO very accurate; something about the trigger and grip shape . It draws fast. I manage recoil well with it but I use very high grip with my support index finger over the front of the trigger guard. It has some other quirks with the mag release and some resistance to cocking on a full mag . I’m committed to the P320 Max as my IPSC gun but the PDP will make it to some IDPA matches in CO. I like it a lot , but for me it’s not quite a racegun like my Shadow 2 or P320 Max.
I got one because ergonomically it initially felt great and the trigger is by far the best stock striker fired trigger. I got a 5" full size with the intent of it being a carry optics gun. I've now shot the gun a couple times and while the trigger is still incredible, I find I'm having difficulty shooting the gun well. I feel like I can't get a nice high grip on it like I can with my Glocks and it's almost as if I have to completely relearn how to grip and shoot the gun. I find I can transition between Glock and M&P notably easier, I guess since they both have a low bore axis. With the PDP I'm getting the "flippy" characteristic everyone talks about but it doesn't return back to zero or track very well for me. I feel like there's much more mass above my hands that I can't get on top of the way I can with many other guns that I shoot much flatter (i.e Glock, M&P, and more). The slide feels like it reciprocates very slow compared to my G17 as well. All in all I love the trigger, but that's about where the love ends. I'll be selling my PDP.
I've never had an issue with the 18 round mags, but I am running the 4" slide so I'm sure that makes the difference.
Golden!
I run a ZR tactical guide rod and a 15lb spring , cleans up the snap a bit. Just waiting to a re-stock of walther triggers DPT
Yeeeesss.. Yeeeeeeesssss. Get them to make a steel- or aluminum-framed PDP.
Nah. We need a pure tungsten frame PDP
Shot one for about a year and 5000 rounds, wondering if it was worthy to replace my Glock 17s. To me the grip felt extremely well shaped and the texture is pretty much perfection, as far as I am concerned. The trigger ist phenomenal for an out of the box striker fire gun and you get a lot of performance and features (like optics ready) for the price. Coming from the glock it took a bit to get accustomed to the different grip angle, but didn't take too long. However, I noticed an almost instant increase in draw speed because of the good grip ergonomics. It took me a lot less time/confirmation to get my hand exactly where I wanted it to go on the grip before pulling out. However, and thats very personal, for me with quite big hands (glove size XL to XXL) the grip is still to small. Trigger reach is to short, and grip front to back thickness is to short, and thats with even the largest backstrap. Comparing trigger reach and front to back grip thickness, the PDP with it's largest backstrap comes in at about Glock Gen4+ with NO backstrap at all. So hardly any space for my left hand to put, and I constantly prevented the excessivly long slidecatch/release from catching the slide on the last round (which isn't a real problem for ipsc/uspsa type competitive use, but still annoys at times). Also after 5k rounds my firing pin tip broke, which however seems rather atypical for this gun. Never cleaned it, shot 5k runds without missing a beat and has a very interesting chamber design, with a tight neck area and a wide base area. It would accept rounds with a too wide base that the glock wouldn't fully lock with, but still got slightly higher muzzle velocity. So for me personally is back to glocks (with largest beavertail backstrap), but if I had "normal sized" hands it would be a very appealing option.
That's a nice comparison, thank you. Walther pays a lot of attention to ergonomics -- and it seems those ergos are skewed toward medium-large glove range hands. With hands as large as yours, I bet that reloading during a match might've resulted in some pinches & blood blisters.
@@seanoneil277 On the Fullsize PDP I never had troubles reloading. I just don't like it's long lip at the stock Basepad that much. You need to space magpouches a bit more to prevent the next one from accidentally catching, they catch more easily on slings when running a 2gun setup, and it makes the mags a bit less natural to reload, because of the large lip the index finger doesn't lay flat on the mags front, but at an slight angle. But actually reloading in a macth was very trouble free. The (partly) empty mags pop out a lot more motivated than on glocks. It's on the older PPQs, Steelframes and G19 sized pistols where I run into the risk of pinching my bottom edge of the hand between grip bottom and basepad.
@@impactaustria I was thinking of the compact frame, which is the only frame size I've seen & had in hand. I know what you mean about lips on magazine baseplates/extensions. Do people really dig magazines out of magwells with a fingernail? That's the only reason I can think of for those lips on the baseplate. Or maybe they're just aesthetic. The lips do like to catch on things like your rifle sling, versus a more rounded (in x, y and z planes) baseplate. I say this from similar experience with magazines from a different pistol (XD-M Elite).
I shoot 124 gr remanned and I’ve not had an issue with the 18th round yet. Only shot about 600 rds through it so far.
Hi Ben. I just came across this video and couldn't help but to share my experience with PDP review. I pointed out that the PDP was snappier compared to its competitor. I simply saw it as a characteristic, not a flaw... However, I received some criticism from the fanboys who adamantly claimed that there was no discernible difference and that my grip was weak. It's funny to read these comments as I doubt many of them have actually taken the time to compare it side by side with its competitors. Unfortunately, on the internet, people claim all kinds of things, and believe whatever they see.
It's like test driving both a Civic and a Corolla and somehow concluding that they drive identically. It's just absurd. While both cars serve similar purposes within their respective segments, they accomplish their tasks in distinct ways. The mental gymnastics required to convince oneself otherwise is unbelievable. But I suppose that's what fanboys do. Once they're emotionally invested, they don't let go lol
Did a comparison of the PDP and the Canik Rival for my new "production optics light" division pistol. The PDP has by far the best ergonomics. The Rival has a slightly better trigger and much less felt recoil in my opinion. Would still have bought the PDP over the Rival, was it not for the high price in Scandinavia (1k$-1.3k$) on the PDP.
I took both to the limit - tungsten guide rods, brass magwells + backstraps, Walther DPT in the PDP / Freedomsmith in the Rival, springco kits from BSPS, extended mag release, SRO's on both. I prefer the Rival with 147gr 130ish power factor loads but its only a preference - you can't lose picking either one. The PDP is a HELL of a pistol.
@BenStoeger187 did you ever feel that the frame to slide fit was loose while holding frame and lightly shaking firearm side to side? The tolerances on mine allows it to rattle a bit.
Nice video
When you run the 18 round mags with an extension does it function pretty well?
I easily outshoot my much longer owned glocks and I got the compact 5” for 498 cheaper then a Glock as well.
I had one Pdp full size 5’ for 10 month with performance trigger and tungsten rod with lighter spring. No problem with 18 rond - shoot ipsc around 130 loads but load the mag full during training. I have shoot around 10000 round. I use vogels Glock fiber sights (works perfekt )and GR holster.
Was it the 5 or 4,5 version you guys use? Im thinking of going with with an second one in 4,5 to see wath differ it makes in recoil and how fast it recycle
@Kim Have you ever tried lok palm swell grips on the q5?
Did you manage to fix the extraction issue? If so how?
I like the part where Ben looks at his "top of the legs just below the abdomen area" a lot.
70,0000? Damn…
Have a couple Walthers. The PDP shoots beyond my skills.. I like the grip angle and feel in comparison to my Glocks… convert your spring to titanium.,
I have just spent 2.000€ in a new Q5 SF. I have ordered a new recoil guide and 13 lb spring. I hope to solve with it the extractions problems. Any other known problem?
The 18 round mag issue is interesting. I run a canik and those 18 round mags have been perfectly reliable for me even if I up-load some of them to 19 for competition. Have you tried canik mags in the PDP?
Canik mags work because they are both P99 derivatives.
what dot is that?
I think you touched on this but the one thing I’m not sure I like about the PDP is the grip only allows the web of the hand to only get so far up into the beaver tail and no further. It just doesn’t allow you to, no matter how much you try. By contrast most any other handgun models allow you to get higher the more you ‘smush’ it up. Thoughts?
thats the only area I found shaped not very comfortably. The beavertail got a rather sharp edge at its end, punishing you for a bad draw (maybe thats a good thing though), and the rounding off from the frames side to the upper back area underneath the beavertail feels too edgy and too wide, kinda fighting your thumb knuckle. In contrast CZ shadows, tanfoglios etc are very shallow in this area, almost allowing the hammer to touch the knuckle.
What red dot survived 180k rounds? Still using it?
Yeah a lot of people called me a liar for talking about the recoil. The felt recoil on this is worse than the hk vp40 I have. Also, ben that’s definitely a ec wisco house 😂
Think your 18 round issue is because you have the older mags with the orange followers? The blue follow mags don’t have any issues with the 18 rd mags
NEW PDP FS GRIP IS LONGER THAN G 17.
The Compact PDP grip is a bit shorter than G17 but a bit longer than G19 Folks!
What optic is that? wow 180k rounds on a optic ?
Holy crap. You said it felt snappy. A bunch of guys gave me crap when I said that. My P320 isn’t as snappy as the PDP. I like the gun but it is snappy stock.
Same lol.
I shoot a VP9 in USPSA, I live for the snappy
You guys are influencers now??????? LOL
If you want a G17 that points more naturally and still fits regular glock holsters, check out the Shadow Systems DR920.
Not needed, the XR920 is actually a better option. Basically, a Glock 45 version but a lot better than a Glock. I you have an optic, especially in the USPSA Carry Optics division barrel length isn't a factor~ Shorter barrel allows the end user for a faster draw too! But yes, Shadow System is a nice pistol but their trigger isn't the best! But a lot better than a Glock!
Or just buy a Glock 17. How is the shadow systems better?
@@chgofirefighter barrel length affects velocity, so you can get away with a marginally lighter load. The weight distribution of the slide also affects the recoil and return to battery impulses. There's a reason that plenty of CO shooters still opt for G34s and G17s when the G45/19x exists. Faster drawtime argument is splitting hairs. It's so negligible it doesn't matter. The functional difference between the DR and the XR is very small, but the DR is slightly softer shooting imo.
@@swiftaudi Significantly more robust optics mounting system, wayy better front slide serrations, better factory trigger, no MIM components (fewer parts breakages over high round counts), better grip texture, factory undercut trigger guard (no more Glock knuckle), and the ability to change the grip angle from glock-ish to cz-ish to 1911-ish depending on your preference via included backstraps. It's not a miracle wondergun or anything like that, but it fixes all of the common complaints about Glocks for less money than it would cost to fix those complaints on your own with aftermarket parts and mods, and with more polish.
@@swiftaudi Thank you. It’s not. The solution is to not have 20 different guns and focus on a single one.