76 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
DOPE BAG
W
alther created the modern,
semi-automatic, concealed
handgun market with
the introduction of its model PP
(Polizeipistole) in 1929, followed
one year later by the classic PPK.
In 2014, the company updated the
concept with the introduction of its
“Concealed Carry Pistol” or CCP. The
result falls in size right between the
smallest of single-stacks and the
mid-size double-stack 9 mm Lugers,
making it well-suited for inside-the-
waistband or shoulder-holster carry.
Using the 9 mm Luger cartridge
requires that the breech of the CCP be
kept closed at the moment of ring.
This is accomplished through a gas-
delayed-blowback design to retard the
opening of the action, a concept that
got its start with the World War II-era
Volkssturmgewehr. In the CCP’s case
the system works as follows: When
the action is closed, a piston attached
to the front of the slide rests in a
cylinder below the barrel. Upon ring,
a small amount of gas is bled from a
port in the front of the chamber to
pressurize the cylinder, holding the
piston forward to resist the rearward
movement of the slide. When the
bullet leaves the barrel the pressure
drops, and the slide and piston are
free to move rearward to extract and
eject the spent case and load a fresh
Walther CCP M2
cartridge. The Walther gas-delayed-
blowback system, dubbed Soft-Coil,
allows for a lighter slide pro le
and recoil spring, which makes for
an easier-to-rack slide and lighter
overall weight.
In 2018, Walther announced an
update of the CCP based on customerfeedback. The M2 version of the CCP
has two important upgrades. First, the
rear tip of the striker is colored red.
When cocked, it is highly visible to
the shooter at the rear of the slide to
serve as an indicator that the pistol
is ready to re. The M2 retains the
original CCP’s notch in the slide at theThe CCP M2 features
tool-less takedown, with a
locking block (inset, r.) that
can be easily removed from
the rear of the slide.