I get it, I’m late to the game, Guns and Ammo, The Truth About Guns and a few other firearm review publications have already covered this newcomer from Walther. But when you’re offered the opportunity to get your hands on one to put your own promiscuous pointer finger behind the driver’s seat, do you really turn it down?
That’s what I thought…..
On my way to pick up the CCP at my FFL I decided that I wasn’t going to clean this pistol until it malfunctioned. Was that the most sound thought process, probably not but I figure if a dirt dry or factory gunked up gun can run without skipping a beat, then it’s a true “count on me every time” knockout in my book.
So with a newly transferred handgun in tow and a Noah’s ark assortment of 9mm including, Tulammo, hollow points, and my personal favorite, Freedom Munitions 124gr FMJ, I headed to the range to let her rip.
The Stats…
Caliber: 9mm
Operation: Delayed Gas Blowback
Barrel length: 3.54″
Trigger Pull: Single Action 5.5lbs (It feels lighter)
Capacity: 8 +1
OAL: 6.41″
Height: 5.12″
Width: 1.18″
Weight Empty: 22.2 ounces
440 rounds and a month later, what do I think?
-The extra mag that’s included is really nice in this day and age when manufacturers think it’s okay to sell a gun with only one.
-Like I said in my Top 5 Guns Under $500 article, it’s about as ergonomically ergonomic as you could ever want/need.
-While the handful of “experts” I eavesdropped on at SHOT complained of having to adjust your grip to hit the mag release on this pistol, in real world usage I never once even thought of actually changing my grip to hit it.
-Taking down this gun is definitely not something you would want to do at the range.
-This gun dry+Tulammo= stovepipe city. Wishful thinking when picking up the gun led to at least one stovepipe per mag when running the steel cased stuff.
-After a little bit of lube, the pistol chewed up and spit out every type of 9mm ammo I had on me that day.
-The extreme concealability of the gun. Since it’s fairly new holsters are hard to come by so I stuffed it in a Galco Tuk-N-Go for the time being. Situated at my 2’oclock, I quickly forget it’s even there.
-The slide stop is a little too difficult to drop but then again the “slingshot” method is my go-to way to put the firearm in battery.
-Slightly gritty in the beginning of my testing, the trigger on this sub compact 9mm was smooth as butter by the time I hit that 400 round break in.
-One thing to note about the trigger is that while it’s smooth and light, the reset is long and takes a bit of getting used to.
-The gas blowback system makes this truly enjoyable to shoot for extended periods of time, not so with other tiny nines.
-My biggest gripe is with the safety on this gun. It is hard to engage/disengage and once activated completely disables the striker. I would’ve preferred that once they safety is engaged the trigger is locked in the fully extended position. Why? Let’s say you’re one of those guys that uses the safety, if you were to draw this gun under duress and pull the trigger you would complete one full trigger pull before realizing that the safety was on. Sure you should train to take it off in your draw but as we know when the stuff hits the fan things don’t always go to plan. That extra split second you take to bottom out the trigger on safe could make all the difference. For this reason alone, I’ll be leaving the safety off while carrying or when the gun is holstered and loaded.
-The sights are actually a pretty nice 3 dot set, but since they’re replaceable and I can’t leave anything alone, I’d probably upgrade them to a tritium option.
-I’m a big fan of how easy it is to rack the slide. That’s not to say I’ve had an issue doing the same with any other pistol but throughout my experience, female shooters that I’ve brought to the range have had trouble chambering that first round due to stiff recoil springs. That is not the case with the CCP. I don’t want this to come off as if I’m saying this is a “women’s gun” far from it but you would be hard pressed to find a member of the fairer sex having difficulties with charging this gun.
With the gun scrubbed and cleaned to surgical sterility and nestled safely back in storage, what do I really think of the Walther CCP?
First off it did have a few little issues mostly due to no lube but you have to remember not everything is built like an AK with tolerances so loose it could run for political office. That little bobble alone is not enough to write the gun off as a pile of German junk. Over a little more than a month of doing everything from carrying the pistol daily to dry firing with a laser trainer cartridge from concealment many times, I have to say I’m sold on it as carry gun.
Should you buy the CCP? Do you fancy a pistol chambered in 9mm that’s fun to shoot at the range? Is a comfortable and easy to conceal handgun high on your list of requirements? I too checked YES for both of those questions and that’s why I’ll be slapping down the plastic to purchase this T&E model Walther sent out. You guys can drool over the Glock 43, I’ll take the CCP over it any day.
Thinking about taking a closer look at the Walther CCP yourself? Let me know in the comments below! As always guys, shoot-em straight and be safe.
If it goes bang or has to deal with the outdoors then I am most likely passionate about it. If I'm not at the gun range then I'm either hiking, mountain biking or kayaking. Follow along as I dive into outdoor gear related products and topics.
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26 Responses to Walther CCP-Single Stack 9mm Carry Pistol
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Hello is this Walther lefty compatible? Which lefty would you recommend?
Yes, I myself being left handed/right hand shooter. It has a mag release you can switch to the other side.
Did you skip over the breakdown and maintenance on purpose or is this the Mercedes of the pistol industry? Advise.
Comparing the CCP to a Glock 43 is not a good comparison. Closer in size to a Glock 19, in which case there is no comparison. Glock hands down.
The breakdown on the gun is similar to other Walthers in as it requires a key and reading the instructions. You press the key into the back “button” then lift the slide up and forward and reassembly requires the key as well.
Every other Walther Ive ever owned or sold was always a B***** the first 40 or 50 times but as they break in between 500-1000 rounds they loosen up and after 5000 rds are smooth as butter. This gun hasn’t been out long enough for people (including myself) to put 5K through it but given how every other Walther has followed this formula id think its safe to assume it will get easier and it breaks in.
For the people complaining about availability i don’t know what to say other then your looking in the wrong places? I always manage to keep 2 or 3 in stock as do all the other dealers in my area
“Comparing the CCP to a Glock 43 is not a good comparison.”
Wrong. It IS closer to the 43, being a single-stack.
Better pics of the firearm you are reviewing would be much appreciated….
I thought this was supposed to have the same trigger as their PPQ? I remember reading that ages ago on their website, mind you it took a while to find that statement and I only found it once.
Looked great from the get go, but has not been available except as allocation only allotments. Can’t find one anywhere.
Woodbury Outfitters is advertising them IN STOCK…
I am on waiting list at several places for the CCP for a customer and myself but so far my little gunshop is not high enough on the list to get one or two.
I read your review, and quite interesting. My question is, what is the cost of this firearm?
$399-429 seems to be the range online, no shipping. I bought mine at my fav gun shop for $445.
less than a pps and more than a sheild around 400 hundred $. I like it.
I was able to buy two for $440 apiece from a private FFL dealer on Armslist.com.
I’m looking for a conceal carry gun for my daughter. The problem she has is pulling the slide back on most of the ones she’s tryed.Not sure on this model but is the slide fairly easy for a woman to pull back?Also do you know the general price of this model?Please let me know.Im located in Ohio.Thank you for taking the time to read this and looking for a reply soon.God Bless you&I stay safe out there. Sincerly: Arlo E.
Hi Arlo,
The slide is very easy to rack on this Walther CCP. You can find this pistol in the mid $300 ballpark on most sites like buds or kygunco.
My wife struggled with other guns and can run this one with ease.
The reasons I will not be buying the CCP is I already own a small easy to conceal 9mm handgun, the Walther PPS, which is PPK size and only 0.9″ thick. Walther also make a fantastic general purpose handgun the PPQ, which I own both a 5″ and a 4″. Had Walther combined the ergonomics and trigger of the PPQ into a small package like the PPS they would have a winner. But they headed a different direction and created a handgun with a crappy trigger; heavy, long pull and just as long of a reset. If the only gun you own and shoot has a trigger like a revolver then yes, you can get used to it and learn to shoot accurately, but you will never shoot accurate and fast. If you shoot Glocks, 1911’s and guns with a good triggers then a trigger like this the CCP will have you pulling against the frame on a second shot because of the long reset. Then to top it off Walther installed a safety on the CCP. I don’t have a problem with safeties but by all accounts,the CCP safety is difficult to use, making it a real problem for those that may shoot a box of cartridges every couple of years, and that is the market for this handgun. In my mind Walther had an opportunity the make a great gun and missed the boat.
I love the safety the way it is. Being infanty in the army it just like using my m4. It comes natural for me to use my thumb for the safety. Its a no look or guess for me. Easy off and on. Thanks walther great pistol. I just wish the was better sights on it. They are pretty sad. Its like having a beautiful show car with stock black steel rims and plastic caps on it. Lol
I own this gun- Walther is indeed the Mercedes of handguns. I own a number of comparable single stack 9mm, as well as a couple Glock 19s (which people seem to be comparing this to). I am a fan of Glock, but it’s insane to compare these two. The Walther makes the G19 feel like a brick. A good brick, but still a brick. And the purpose is entirely different. The G43? That is the correct comparison. But, I haven’t shot that one nor held it, so I won’t comment further.
In my hands, the mag release and safety are easily accessible. Flip the thumb up or down and you are in fire mode without much effort at all. Plus, this concept that you won’t know the safety is on until you fail to fire is incorrect- there is resistance on the pull when the striker is cocked and the safety is off. If the safety is on it just slams right back, no resistance. If you have an issue with carrying with the safety, just leave it off… simple fix.
The second trigger pull complaint is valid- full reset is required. The trigger in general is a secondary complaint to me- I think a lot of folks are giving it such a hard time because the PPQ trigger is such a dream. If comparing it to other manufacturers, I’m not sure the trigger is anywhere near as bad as people are saying. Get used to the reset- you shouldn’t be carrying a gun you aren’t completely comfortable with (aka have extensive muscle memory using) anyway.
The takedown is absurd. The tool that comes with to pop the slide is worthless- I ended up using a Bic plastic pencil instead. Apparently it was a design necessity with the fixed barrel etc, but my god. Don’t plan on taking it apart without either some serious time or serious practice. That’s my main complaint.
Otherwise, I love it.
I bought a CCP several months ago. After three trips to the range and over four hundred rounds, I had every possible malfunction imaginable with a semi-auto pistol. It went back to Walther and now it’s like an entirely different pistol. It just wants to run, which is a good thing since it will always be a pain to take down to clean.
Has anyone made a replacement set of sights for this thing yet? I love the gun, so does my wife. I bought it for her anyway. I’d like some upgraded sights thought. Night sites at the least.
My wife and I rented a CCP to see if we liked it. We compared it to a single stack S&W Shield and a XD-S. A 100 rounds (through each gun) later she was putting down the plastic, she on her brand spanking new Walther CCP. First impressions: the trigger is not a Glock, PPQ, or a HK VP9, I’ll leave it at that. Trigger pull is acceptable but I could find/feel the reset. This will make follow-up shots more difficult, at least for me.
Got the new gun home to clean, lubricate it and make it look better. Field stripping it was a NIGHTMARE! When Hicock 45 said he wanted to throw it in the ditch I could/can see why. Operators/Owners Manual is a joke, Walther’s Internet video is WORTHLESS. I watched a few YouTube videos and finally got the slide off and cleaned it up. Putting it back together is when things turned from horrible to a disaster. I know what you must be thinking…I am a certified GLOCK. Armorer and and have years of experience at field stripping Sigs, HK’s, AR-15s, (and yes other Walther handguns) and whatever else I can get my hands on. Well… I met my match! The new striker spring arrive two days after a call to Walther, Walther sent a new striker spring along with the port brush that was not in the box.
The directions in the manual on how to change the striker spring are very good as are other YouTube videos. This must be a clue that Walther knows there are issues. In one YouTube video, the guy said he was changing the striker spring after 2000 rounds. WHAT? Anyway the gun is back together and function checks are all good.
BTW, I was able to transfer a two (2) connectors and two (2) extended slide locks from two (2) Glock 42s into two (2) Glock 43s and reassemble all four guns in less time than I spent on the Walther CCP.
I believe Walther makes outstanding firearms and am hoping this was me just having a bad day. If Walther is the Mercedes of firearms the Glock and HK is the Unimog of firearms.
I bought my CCP a few weeks ago. I’ve put roughly 500 rounds through it so far. It fits my hand perfectly and is a pleasure to shoot. had two jams early on but it’s now running as smooth as silk. I also have a Glock 17 and a 19. Great guns, but compared to the CCP they are indeed, as a previous posted stated, very nice bricks. Field-stripping is indeed a nightmare, I suppose it would be easier if I had 3 hands. The instructions in the manual are not complete, the U-tube video is helpful, but I find the tiny plastic tool they provide fairly useless – especially if you have arthritic finger joints. The sights are ok in daylight conditions, but a set of night sites for a carry pistol is on my “must have” list. Overall I am pleased with my purchase – enough to begin looking at other Walther products.
After thoroughly researching all the compact 9’s solely intended for concealed carry I purchased 2 Walther CCP’s for myself and my wife. Excellent ergonomics, balance, and the delayed blowback system worked as promised: we both loved the reduced recoil (compared to my trusty full-sized Ruger P89). She: shot a 5″ diameter group at 20 feet, first time ever with no sight adjustment (fixed barrel system helps) and after practicing with her .22 cal. Ruger Mark III bull barrel 1911-style target pistol. Me: 2″ group (former LE, military expert pistol/rifle quals). Obviously I will have to be the one to disassemble both weapons to clean them (my only complaint is the takedown issue previously mentioned), but that is a small compromise for an excellent pistol that conceals perfectly well for us both and packs 9 rounds (8+1) of Hornady 115g FTX Critical Defense FJHP’s. I highly recommend this firearm and I am satisfied that my wife 1) can easily operate the slide as needed, that 2) it fits her hand perfectly, and that 3) she won’t have to overcompensate for handling a heavy full-sized pistol with equally heavy recoil.