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Wow...that's some recoil/slide spring...

904 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  23738
Fiddled around with a dealer's working display model of a current PPQ and liked it a lot but...


I was astonished at how much "oooomph" it took to rack the slide. The spring seemed a lot and I mean a lot heavier to actuate on other pistols I've owned or used, including 9 mm Glocks, 9 mm Sigs, a 9 mm CZ and a bunch of .22lr semi-autos.



Maybe I had a bad example? Or have others noticed how much more HP it takes to rack the slide on a Walther PPQ?
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Say wut? Feels about the same as any other 9mm striker-fired pistol to me. 9mm M&P, Glock, Sig, etc. Now, if you're comparing to "partially cocked" striker or fully cocked hammer-fired, then yeah, the recoil spring is stiffer on a single-action striker-fired semi-auto like the PPQ.
No, haven’t noticed much difference in PPQ (9mm and 45), PPS M1, P99c. Same for HK P30 and HK45c.

The one that surprised me was a SW Bodyguard that my father had (or it might have been a Ruger LCP.....) Now that took some muscle !!! and not much of a grip surface as well. He ended up selling it since it was getting too difficult - switched to a revolver.
The one that surprised me was a SW Bodyguard

By physics, a slimmer gun will take more effort to rack, as the spring(s0 must be physically more resistant to compression due to the lighter slide's weight and mass.

You're correct, the grip of the slide on the .380 kinda sucks. I have one and and very rarely use or carry it. For the weight and recoil, I can shoot a PPS so much better, and it's only a little bigger, plus it's 9mm, not that wimp .380 LOL.

PPQ has a strong slide rack force? Nahhh. LOL. And I have arthritis. No problems, for now, anyhow.
You should try racking the slide on my Kahr PM9.:)
Try another one......the PPQ really isn't that hard to rack....pretty much on par with most other striker fired 9's. That dealer display gun could have been dryer n' a popcorn fart....miss assembled, rsa not installed correctly....poop if I know.
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FWIW. I can rack my Q9 with thumb and left index finger with great ease, and the left hand is the one with the most pain, these days.
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