Low prices on the Walther PDP Match 5" 9mm start at Champion Firearms:

Elite Walther Striker Pistol. At first glance, you would almost swear the PDP Match was a standard PDP, but when you look a little closer you'll find what Walther calls DPT, or a �Dynamic Performance Trigger." This impressive trigger system provides a 1/10th inch reset. This is a pre- cocked 5.6 pound striker design that features one of the cleanest breaking, crisp trigger pulls of any 9mm pistol on the market, that is due in large part to its short take-up and reset.

It also has an articulating safety lever built into the trigger blade. In order for the pistol to fire, direct pressure must be applied to the center of the trigger. Another change lies within the frame, which is covered in what Walther calls, "Cross-Directional Textured Tactical Grip". At the heart of the design is a nearly indestructible heavy duty polymer which grabs your hand better than standard texturing, and isn�t abrasive like the skateboard tape feel of many aggressive grip surfaces.

The Walther PDP�s slide features flat-bottom serrations that also provide an outstanding gripping surface. The front of the frame has a tactical rail for mounting a light or laser. Unlike the hinged style lever seen on previous polymer Walthers, the magazine release on the M2 is push-button style and reversible. It's also slightly extended, easy to operate and magazines subsequently drop free from the gun.

With a Walther PDP, you get the benefits of old-school craftsmanship and digital age technology�the combination of computer-machining and hand-fitting. An interesting production protocol is that the slide, frame and barrel are not serial-numbered until after everything has gone together. Walther steel is so hard that it would rapidly destroy any stamping dies, so all markings have to be laser-cut once the pistol has been finished.

This is a full size, polymer-frame semi-automatic with a 5" hand fit barrel. Walther starts with a bar of steel, then machines it down to a precise cylinder. It gets drilled, reamed, honed, then button-rifled. Once rifled, it goes into a CNC profiler that carves the exterior to barrel shape. Then the hood is induction hardened, the barrel is bead-blasted, and then gets hardened again in a nitride process that gives the barrel a super-hard and corrosion-resistant finish.

This means the surface is hard, and the load-bearing portions of it are heat-treated to withstand many rounds of ammo. In fact, all metal components are finished with this unique surface treatment called Tenifer, due to its extreme corrosion and wear resistance. In case you are unfamiliar with Tenifer, this is a ferric nitrocarburized case hardening process that diffuses nitrogen and carbon directly into the surface metal, thereby elevating the Rockwell hardness to somewhere between a file and a diamond.

Another feature that really sets the gun apart is the fact that it utilizes streamlined engineering to reduce the number of construction parts, making the gun simpler and easier to disassemble and maintain. The pistol weighs in at 1.6 pounds and feeds from a double stack, 18- round magazine, of which two are included with the package plus one 20- round magazine.

Changing the interchangeable backstraps are also easy. The backstraps not only change the shape and size of the frame, they have a slot at the back. Combined with the retention pin, this slot acts as a lanyard loop, so you can attach your sidearm to your person, if you so choose.

There's essentially no manual safety on the Walther PDP. Like any other polymer frame striker fire gun, a drop safety prevents the gun from discharging unless the trigger has been depressed. A loaded chamber indicator allows the user to quickly verify the gun's ready status, without first having to retract the slide.

It is in the form of an extractor on the right side of the slide that is recessed when a cartridge is loaded into the chamber. When the extractor is recessed, a red colored indicator also becomes visible. In addition to being inspected and pressure tested, each Walther pistol is also test-fired for accuracy and then zeroed; a target is included with the pistol.

The slide locks back on empty and drops effortlessly by depressing the extended ambidextrous release lever. Takedown for cleaning and maintenance is simple: The ridged block above the trigger guard opening is the key. Unload, dry fire, pull the block down, and the barrel, slide and recoil-spring assembly come off the front in one piece.

The recoil spring is a self-contained unit, and the barrel is a cam-lug Browning drop-tilt design. Low profile 3- dot combat sights provide rapid target acquisition, and the rear is adjustable for windage. Overall, the Walther PDP is a well built, accurate and reliable 9mm self- defense pistol.