{"id":58052,"date":"2016-06-01T16:32:26","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T20:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=58052"},"modified":"2016-06-01T16:32:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T17:29:06","slug":"first-look-walther-q5-match-9mm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/first-look-walther-q5-match-9mm\/","title":{"rendered":"First Look! Walther Q5 Match 9mm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The

The new Q5 Match 9mm from Walther delivers a match-winning platform ready to accept the red dot optic of your choice\u2014all right out of the box. Note the distinctive lightening cuts in the forward portion of the slide.<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the last several years Walther<\/a> has been introducing new guns, updates to existing guns, and line extensions. The latest addition to their line of 5-inch pistols is the Q5 Match<\/a>. The Q5 is seeking a home in the competition arena, first and foremost, and you can tell that it was designed to accommodate the needs of competitive shooters. Three (three!) 15-round magazines are waiting inside the box to greet you. Multiple plates to mount your favorite optic ( like those from Trijicon<\/a>, Leupold<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Docter<\/a>) to the slide of the gun are included as well. There\u2019s even a bag of Allen wrenches and screws to mount everything up!<\/p>\n

Specs<\/h2>\n

Model: Walther Q5 Match 9mm
\nChambering: 9mm
\nBarrel: 5 inches
\nOA Length: 8.1 inches
\nWeight: 26 ounces
\nGrips: Integral polymer; three interchangeable backstraps
\nSights: Fiber optic front, adjustable rear
\nAction: Striker-fired
\nFinish: Tennifer
\nCapacity: 15+1
\nMSRP: $849<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Talk: Red Dot on a Handgun<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Over the last few years, we have seen most of the large handgun companies bringing out pistols that were specifically designed to accept a red dot optic. This design choice, coupled with several of the optic manufacturers making mounts that can be attached to a properly milled slide, has resulted in a stampede of red dot-equipped handguns. Like it or not, this is certainly the trend.<\/p>\n

For this article, I elected to install a Trijicon RMR red dot sight, which was one of the three optic mounts that were included with the Q5. To do so, I first removed two screws from the installed plate that was equipped with the adjustable rear sight on the gun. Next, I installed the mounting plate that was labeled for the RMR, using the two included screws that were also labeled as such. Finally, I attached the RMR to the gun with two mounting screws. This entire operation took maybe six minutes. Not bad.<\/p>\n

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\"The

The author easily fitted out the Q5 Match with a Trijicon RMR red dot for testing.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Note

Note that when a red dot optic is installed on the Q5 Match the rear sight is removed.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Walther has taken a unique direction when it comes to the mechanics of mounting plates for optics to attach to; they have actually incorporated a half dovetail into the slide and plate. As a result, rather than the screws holding the optic down and taking the shearing force of the slide, the screws merrily keep the plate snug in the dovetail.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Q5 Match\u2019s mounting plate system features a half dovetail cut in the slide that interfaces with those in the plates. This reduces stress on the mounting screws.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the most noticeable differences you\u2019ll encounter when installing an optic on the Q5 Match is that the gun has no rear sights once you swap in the optic plate. I\u2019ve run several handguns with optics and rear sights simultaneously, and I have yet to find a pair of sights that work with an optic installed, due to the height difference between the sight and the optic. Some manufacturers offer an integrated mounting plate that features a tall rear sight. After going to the trouble and expense to install these types of fixes, I\u2019ve never found a setup that will truly co-witnesses like a long gun. My best advice is to rely on either the red dot or your iron sights, because trying to make the handgun work like a carbine is going to end up being a fool\u2019s errand. I am quite sure that people will try to make this out to be some type of failure on the part of Walther, but I see it as an acceptance of the realities that are created by installing an optic.<\/p>\n

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More Than Just Fancy Optics: It\u2019s in the Details<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"The

The Q5 Match comes standard with three 15-round magazines. Note the included interchangeable backstraps for customizing the grip.<\/p><\/div>\n

Before we go any further, I would like to make something clear: The Q5 Match is a lot more than just a 5-inch PPQ with a red dot. Walther really thought this gun through and brought together lots of details that make the Q5 Match special. As I mentioned above, they even included three magazines, which should allow you to carry enough ammunition to shoot almost any stage.<\/p>\n

The second most obvious standout is the blue trigger, which I just had to ask the folks at Walther about. The distinctive blue trigger is part of the company\u2019s \u201cQuick Defense Trigger\u201d system. The advertised pull weight is 5.6 pounds (although my testing produced an average pull weight of 4 lbs. 13 oz.). The trigger only travels 0.4 inches, with a quick reset of about 0.1 inches. And then there\u2019s the new super-secret blue coating also on the transfer bar and other internal pieces, designed to provide a smoother trigger pull. The Walther PPQ series has always been known for its excellent trigger pull, and this sample represented one of the best I have ever felt.<\/p>\n

The original 5-inch PPQ had small reliefs cut into the top of slide, while the Q5 match has three different styles of cuts added. These additional cuts significantly lighten the long-slide gun. The rear sight is fully adjustable, and a bright fiber optic sight sits up front.<\/p>\n

One of the other features that certainly must be touched on is the removable and interchangeable backstraps. The impressiveness of this feature lies not in the fact that this gun comes with three choices, but that the straps mount so flush that it is almost impossible to tell without close examination where the backstrap begins versus the frame of the gun. This is a perfect example of design and engineering coming together successfully.<\/p>\n

\"The

The pistol\u2019s \u201cQuick Defense Trigger\u201d system features a proprietary blue coating that is designed to smooth the trigger pull. The author liked it, noting it had a sub-5-lb. pull and very quick reset.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the Range<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I knew that I was going to be at the range for five full days and that there would be approximately 160 people visiting that week to perform an annual qualification. There was a cadre of around 10 instructors, with four of us there at all times. My thought process was that, in addition to performing my usual function and accuracy testing, I would offer the gun to be shot by as many instructors and students as possible. As a plus, we experienced almost every variation of weather possible, including several substantial downpours of rain, during the five-day trials.<\/p>\n

Some common themes quickly developed with the Q5. The gun had zero malfunctions during all testing. The accuracy from the gun equipped with the red dot optic was outstanding in all of the instances I was able to closely observe. One of the instructors, who probably shot at least 100 rounds through the Q5, was able to place four rounds in what looked like two holes from the 10-yard line. Everyone who took the time to learn the red dot easily achieved 50-yard line shots on the steel.<\/p>\n

The trigger was another point of consistency: It was almost universally greeted with an expression of \u201cWow that\u2019s light!\u201d or \u201cMan, that is smooth,\u201d by folks who had just finished shooting a Glock 17 or 19.<\/p>\n

\"The

The author also had several instructors at his local range try out the Q5 Match to get their take on it. The pistol ran flawlessly and was quite accurate for them.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the advantages of the Walther Q5 Match that I found was that accuracy was greatly extended in distance once the shooter became familiar with the sighting system. We were operating on a range that had a maximum pistol distance of 50 yards; I would put the gun in a shooter\u2019s hands and would begin walking them back on steel plates that were 8 inches across. Almost all of the shooters were able to consistently ring the plates all the way back at 50 yards. This task was not easily accomplished when the shooters were re-equipped with their traditional iron-sighted Glock 17s.<\/p>\n

Another advantage that I observed was increased speed without sacrificing accuracy. After an appropriate number of repetitions on the gun, shooters who were challenged to fire every round as quickly as they could saw a measurable increase in shooting speed and round placement when using the red dot sight.<\/p>\n

Without going into one of the debates that will never end, like caliber choice or brand selection, I would like to enumerate some of the challenges that I saw when a new shooter was invited to take a turn with a red dot:<\/p>\n