Carry question

[StevenB]

I just completed my CHL certification. I plan to carry a Walther PPS 9mm most of the time. Everyone has told me that I should carry with a full mag and 1 in the chamber. However, this model does not have an exteral hammer or de-cocker. So does keeping the weapon in the "ready to shoot" mode after slide-rack cause any issues with the firing pin always back and ready to fire for long periods of time? The first pull is long, and has a trigger safety. Just didn't know if it was ok to carry/store in that position.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[JCole]

It is safe. The Walther has a firing pin block (actually a striker block), and is actually only partially cocked in that position. When you pull the trigger, it finishes cocking the striker, and releases it. It's classed as 'double action only' in the same way as a Glock, but some will argue the semantics. No worries, It's as safe as anything going as long as the trigger is not depressed.

[StevenB]

Awesome thanks for the answer. Makes sense as far as safety, but this won't put in strees on the mechanics of the weapon?

[A-R]

Awesome thanks for the answer. Makes sense as far as safety, but this won't put in strees on the mechanics of the weapon?

I am by no means an expert in the inner workings of firearms, but I carried my Glock 23 in this manner - round in the chamber ready to fire - for 6+ years and never had a single problem. And all those LEOs you see with Glocks in their holsters are doing the same thing. As previous poster said, inner workings of Glock and PPS are supposed to be very similar. Just carry your PPS in a quality holster that covers the trigger and don't worry about it.

BTW, I've been eyeing a PPS 9mm as my next pistol for a while now. Post some info and/or photos and let us know how you like the gun and how well it shoots.

[Gyrogearhead]

From an engineering standpoint it won't hurt a thing to keep it cocked and ready to fire at all times. The mechanism of modern handguns is designed for that environment from the get go.

Where this idea that keeping a spring compressed for a long time was bad for reliability is from long ago when we didn't have the modern steels that are more rust resistant than they were back then. It is easy to understand how a spot of untreated rust on a spring creates what in engineering jargon is called a "stress riser" that will eventually fail. It's simply a case of the steel wire of the spring being thinned by the rust until finally it is too small to hold the load and it breaks. If you keep your springs well cleaned with a bit of rust proofing oil on them you'll never have that problem. They will last for as long as they are taken care of.

[StevenB]

Thanks so much for your responses - very helpful!! So far I love the gun. Shoots smooth and straight, but I'm still getting used to the "thiness" of it - but that's why I bought it. I several other firearms, but this is the one I'll keep with me. I'll post pics soon.