Women loved its predecessor, the Walther CCP, designed for the concealed carry market. But, they wanted more and they wanted the CCP to be an easier gun for them to disassemble and clean without a special tool required. Enter the CCP M2, Walther’s answer to a gun cleaner’s prayer.
Sponsored by Walther
I first heard about this new Walther from a friend at the gun range. This woman, an insurance agent in rural America who carries concealed, had purchased the original Walther CCP and absolutely loved it. In fact, I saw her choose this gun out of a rather eclectic lineup of 9 mm guns at a pistol range last year, and with several of the top models at her disposal. She chose the Walther and then, the story gets interesting … she saved coupons so that she could buy her first Walther CCP. That’s right. Every time she used coupons at the grocery and discount stores, she added up the savings and when the tally reached the same amount as what she would have spent on that Walther, she bought the gun. So she can, by all rights, call it her coupon gun.
However, she soon discovered that it is a booger to clean. When she heard about the new Walther CCP M2, she knew she wanted to upgrade. Here’s why.
I reviewed the CCP for another publication a couple of years ago, and agree that this version is much easier to disassemble. Now that the disassembly has been explained, let’s move on to other reasons women will like and carry this gun.
Walther invented the SoftCoil system, which is technically a delayed-blowback system. A port under the fixed barrel allows propellant combustion gasses to push on a piston connected to the slide, but moving in a cylinder under the gun barrel. As a result, the piston slows down the slide as it retracts during firing, much in the same way that heavier recoil springs act on the slides in other semi-auto pistols. This piston action allows the CCP to have a much lighter recoil spring and makes this gun a “softer shooter” than a traditional tilt-barrel design semi-auto that requires a much heavier recoil spring. This also means the CCP’s slide is easier to retract than most other 9mm semi-auto guns out there because of its lighter recoil spring.
First of all, it’s pretty. The grip has been designed with swirls that not only look attractive, but also work to keep the gun secure in your hand. The grip texture is not overly aggressive, like a cheese grater, which some other gun companies have decided the concealed carry market needs. I’d stack this one up against any of those, frankly, on a hot day and with sweaty hands. The shape fits my hands well, too. I’ve read that men with medium size hands can operate this gun, too.
I used a mix and match of these types of ammo for the first 250 rounds to break in the gun: Remington Golden Sabre Black Belt, Barnes TAC-XPD, Remington High Terminal Performance and mostly, Aguila 9mm Luger Full Metal Jacket. I had to use the wrench to drift the rear sight to the right, since the first few groups at 7 yards fell consistently to the left. I shot the firearm from a rest in a seated position for the first 100 rounds, then practiced coming from a low ready position, taking off the safety and firing from a standing position. I dry fired it from my CCW bag indoors later, as weather in the Ozarks has been brutal and so icy that it’s been difficult to get to the range and to stand up safely once you’re there.
After about 100 rounds, the gun seemed to get into its groove, consistently creating groups of 2 or 3 inches. After about 150 rounds, I got into my groove and even put a few through the same hole. Then, I did some rapid fire on a tombstone target, and liked the resulting 3-inch center of mass spread I saw. I found that it was easy to get back on target and to get back on target quickly since there wasn’t much recoil to deal with after each shot.
I would carry this gun. In fact, with its slim design, it should be an easy-to-conceal, on-the-body gun for springtime carry purposes.
MSRP: $469, with lifetime, transferable warranty.
See the Walther CCP M2 here. Also available in stainless and with a Viridian laser.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
I also traded my original CCP for the CCP M2 because of the breakdown in cleaning . . I loved the gun but was an impossible task to clean it . . . CCP M2 is awesome . . . seems to have a little more recoil than the old one but haven’t run as much ammo through it yet . . .