[Jimmo952]

I just bought a PDP F-Series. The Walther Rep was at the store when I bought it. He told me the F-Series is made in the USA. In fact he told me a lot of German machinery was being brought over to Arkansas, so that the US plant has the same machinery that the Germans are using. There are no German proof marks on my pistol and no import marks. No DE on the slide anywhere, not even on the inside. There is a QR code just forward of the trigger guard and before the first slot of the picatinny rail. On the left side is molded into the frame "Walther Arms, Fort Smith, Arkansas", but NO "Made in Germany" like the regular PDP. RIght side says "F-Series".

Haven't shot it yet, but the slide is easier to rack, the grip angle feels more 1911ish to me. Maybe not to others. I don't see anything that is different quality wise to my German made PDP.

Wow. Thanks for the update P88. That's pretty bug news.

Did you get the 3 5 or 4" barrel?

You didn't happen to ask him about the availability of the 2.0 optics plates, did you?

 

[P88]

All they had was the 3.5" barrel. The pistols were supposed to be at the dealer on Wednesday, but they didn't get there until Thursday, so to make up for it, Walther gave anyone who bought an F-Series a free holster. I did find that I was missing the bigger backstrap. The guys at the store opened up the other boxes they got in and half had the backstrap and the others were missing. Apparently it was a rush to get these out. So, I hope the pistol itself is ok and they didn't miss something in the rush to get it out. I'll find out tomorrow when I shoot it.

I can't tell any difference between this and my German made PDP, other than markings or lack there of. The barrel hood has a big "9x19" stamped in the side. There's no Walther banner, serial number or proof marks.

Update: I just took the barrel out and there is a "DE" and what appears to be a serial number. So, my previous post is wrong. There is a DE mark. The Serial number in the slide does NOT match the serial number on the frame. Maybe the first batch of slides were made in Germany. The Walther Rep told me that it was going to be American made. So maybe in the future it will be 100%.

The recoil spring is a double spring. A small inner full length and a larger outside spring that is half as long.

 

[Jimmo952]

All they had was the 3.5" barrel. The pistols were supposed to be at the dealer on Wednesday, but they didn't get there until Thursday, so to make up for it, Walther gave anyone who bought an F-Series a free holster. I did find that I was missing the bigger backstrap. The guys at the store opened up the other boxes they got in and half had the backstrap and the others were missing. Apparently it was a rush to get these out. So, I hope the pistol itself is ok and they didn't miss something in the rush to get it out. I'll find out tomorrow when I shoot it.

I can't tell any difference between this and my German made PDP, other than markings or lack there of. The barrel hood has a big "9x19" stamped in the side. There's no Walther banner, serial number or proof marks.

Update: I just took the barrel out and there is a "DE" and what appears to be a serial number. So, my previous post is wrong. There is a DE mark. The Serial number in the slide does NOT match the serial number on the frame. Maybe the first batch of slides were made in Germany. The Walther Rep told me that it was going to be American made. So maybe in the future it will be 100%.

The recoil spring is a double spring. A small inner full length and a larger outside spring that is half as long.

Thanks. I think a whole lot of us will be interested in hearing your take on how the thing handles and shoots.

 

[P88]

I should be able to shoot it tomorrow. I'll let you know. I might not get to do too much shooting with it, as I'll be shooting a match, but I'll at least try to get a few rounds through it.

As for the trigger. It doesn't feel any different to me than the regular PDP. The trigger does have the PDT label.

 

[Jimmo952]

I should be able to shoot it tomorrow. I'll let you know. I might not get to do too much shooting with it, as I'll be shooting a match, but I'll at least try to get a few rounds through it.

As for the trigger. It doesn't feel any different to me than the regular PDP. The trigger does have the PDT label.

Thanks again and congratulations on the purchase.

 

[balance]

This is interesting. You didn't by chance ask which pistols would be made or assembled here other than the PDP-F, did you? Did a test target come with the pistol? Also, the tenifer treatment of metal, from what I understand, is not allowed in the US, so I'm curious to know if they are still using, or are still going to use carbon steel slides and barrels with some sort of ferritic nitrocarburizing process, or if they are going to switch to stainless steel with a melonite treatment like S&W's SW99 variant. If you see this Walther rep again, or preferably, a different Walther rep, I would very much appreciate you asking them these questions.

Can you take some pictures of the internals? I'd like to see more on how this two-piece striker operates. Is it still as simple of a process to take the striker assembly off of the slide? If possible, a picture of the sear housing from the top would be appreciated as well.

 

[P88]

PDP on left, PDP F-Series on right

Here you can see the F-Series frame on top of the Compact frame. Notice the trigger is more rearward.

Compact Slide at top. F-Series on bottom:

 

[P88]

One more:

F-series on top, Compact slide on the bottom

 

[Tundra5.7]

I just bought a PDP F-Series. The Walther Rep was at the store when I bought it. He told me the F-Series is made in the USA. In fact he told me a lot of German machinery was being brought over to Arkansas, so that the US plant has the same machinery that the Germans are using. There are no German proof marks on my pistol and no import marks. No DE on the slide anywhere, not even on the inside. There is a QR code just forward of the trigger guard and before the first slot of the picatinny rail. On the left side is molded into the frame "Walther Arms, Fort Smith, Arkansas", but NO "Made in Germany" like the regular PDP. RIght side says "F-Series".

Haven't shot it yet, but the slide is easier to rack, the grip angle feels more 1911ish to me. Maybe not to others. I don't see anything that is different quality wise to my German made PDP.

Interesting.

 

[balance]

Thank you for the pictures.

It looks like the striker impacts a firing pin. If you pull the striker back with your thumbnail, would you say that this was the case? It also looks like the extractor is held on with a screw instead of a spring loaded plunger.

It seems like at least the barrel is made in Germany if it has the "DE" marking. But just out of curiosity, if you have a magnet laying around, can you tell me if the slide and barrel are magnetic? If they are not, this would be a small clue that they are using stainless steel instead of carbon steel.

 

[Shepherd]

It makes sense that a lot of Walther production will be moved to the US due to the cheaper labor. Germany has unions while Arkansas is a right to work state.

 

[P88]

Thank you for the pictures.

It looks like the striker impacts a firing pin. If you pull the striker back with your thumbnail, would you say that this was the case? It also looks like the extractor is held on with a screw instead of a spring loaded plunger.

It seems like at least the barrel is made in Germany if it has the "DE" marking. But just out of curiosity, if you have a magnet laying around, can you tell me if the slide and barrel are magnetic? If they are not, this would be a small clue that they are using stainless steel instead of carbon steel.

Yes, it appears that there is a striker that impacts a separate firing pin. And yes there is a screw instead of a plunger.

The barrel does not have any markings other than the 9x19. The slide does have a DE mark underneath the barrel, up near the front sight screw.

The barrel and slide are magnetic. Most likely carbon steel. The finish looks the same for both PDP and F-series.

I was going to take the striker out and take pictures, but I don't have time to deal with it right now. So I took pictures of the manual:

 

[balance]

Again, thank you for the pictures and information.

 

[SolidSnake]

It makes sense that a lot of Walther production will be moved to the US due to the cheaper labor. Germany has unions while Arkansas is a right to work state.

Aside from that Germany has weird export laws and the US has weird import laws. I think that was a big reason Sig moved production to the US.

 

[CMYKirk]

My PDP case label clearly states "MADE IN GERMANY, distributed by Walther Arms, Fort Smith AR."

Mine also states "Made in Germany, Distributed by Walther Arms in Fort Smith AR"

 

[P88]

My PDP case label clearly states "MADE IN GERMANY, distributed by Walther Arms, Fort Smith AR."

Mine also states "Made in Germany, Distributed by Walther Arms in Fort Smith AR"

Are these PDP or PDP F-Series? There is a difference.

My PDP says MADE IN GERMANY

My PDP F-Series says ASSEMBLED IN AMERICA.

 

[P88]

I was able to shoot the PDP F-Series Saturday.

I only had time to put 2 magazines through it, so 30 rounds. No malfunctions of any kind. Ammo was 115 gr. ball.

Recoil seemed a bit snappier to me than my 4" compact PDP. This was after shooting a 1911 all day long at a match I was at, so it kind of surprised me. I didn't have paper, so I shot at a spinner target on one of the stages for the match. I missed low left a lot, so I'll need to play with my sights a bit. I know they fired it at the factory, because one of the magazines had markings on the follower. So I know ammunition was in one of them. But there was no test target in the box, so maybe they just function tested it.

Trigger felt just like any other PDP.

Next time I can get away to the range, I'm going to try the bigger backstrap and get it on paper to see what accuracy is like.

 

[Jimmo952]

Aside from that Germany has weird export laws and the US has weird import laws. I think that was a big reason Sig moved production to the US.

I think you nailed it. Cz, Sig, Beretta, Glock and even HK are doing at least some production in the USA now.

 

[balance]

I missed low left a lot, so I'll need to play with my sights a bit.

The difference in trigger reach may have been a factor here.

I know they fired it at the factory, because one of the magazines had markings on the follower. So I know ammunition was in one of them. But there was no test target in the box, so maybe they just function tested it.

Maybe they only shot proof rounds through it.

I think you nailed it. Cz, Sig, Beretta, Glock and even HK are doing at least some production in the USA now.

I can see how it would benefit the manufacturers. I've yet to see benefits for us as the consumers. In the very first Guns and Ammo review of the PPQ back around 2011, they visited the Walther plant in Ulm and mentioned things like how the assemblers would have a group of barrels and a group of slides, and they would put them together and take them apart until they found the barrel and the slide that had the right fit using measuring equipment. Now, so far, we have no test target, barrels and slides with different serial numbers, and backstraps missing from boxes.

Let's just say that I'm hoping that the level of quality does not decrease, and that this one example is the exception rather than the rule. I guess time will tell.

 

[P88]

The difference in trigger reach may have been a factor here.


Maybe they only shot proof rounds through it.

Very well could be to both statements.