LAS VEGAS -- German gun-maker Walther Arms has announced its first-ever .45-caliber pistol, the PPQ 45.
"What I've got with me is a first -- the first .45 in Walther's 130 year history," Everett Deger, marketing director for the company, said on Monday at a gun range outside the city as part of SHOT Show. "And what better platform than the PPQ?"
The bigger-caliber product is designed in part to show that the company is serious about the American market, he said.
The black handgun feature a 4.5-inch barrel, 5.6-pound trigger pull and 12-round magazine. Like other versions of the pistol, it features ambidextrous controls, meaning both the slide releases and magazine release can be changed to accommodate right- or left-handed shooters.
The PPQ 45 will start shipping in October, with a retail price of $649, and will initially be available for civilian sales, Deger said. "Hopefully in the future, it will be available for [law enforcement] and military," he said.
The company also announced the release of the new PPS M2 9mm compact handgun.
--Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
