In the past, firearms aimed toward the female market generally weren’t all that different, design-wise, than the guns built for men. All that changed was a color or a name and maybe the overall size shrunk a bit, too, which actually made some guns even harder to control. Walther took an entirely different approach to the concept of a woman’s gun. Consequently, the PDP F-Series doesn’t look feminine, but it’s designed to make the controls more reachable for a woman’s hand and be more comfortable to shoot. Watch our Gun Of The Week video above to see the Walther PDP F-Series in use on the NRA Tech Range.
The F-Series is based on Walther’s PDP concept, which stands for Performance Duty Pistol. We first saw this design in 2021, and it took over from Walther’s successful PPQ lineup of pistols. Central to the design of each was ergonomics, and Walther developed a reputation for focusing on the ergonomic elements of a handgun’s grip frame, making it accessible to shooters across the spectrum. This focus drove the development of the F-Series, as Walther took data from its construction of custom competition pistols and incorporated that information into the design of an entirely new grip frame sized and styled for the average woman’s hand.
The first major change was a reduction in trigger reach. The overall circumference of the F-Series grip frame was reduced a full inch, which makes the trigger more reachable for those with smaller hands. Walther also eliminated the finger grooves found on most of its designs, all in an effort to create a smaller, trimmer grip frame. In addition to the frame redesign, Walther also went inside the pistol, developing an entirely new two-piece striker. The result is that the PDP F-Series slide requires 20-percent less force to rack than the standard PDP. Additionally, the reshaped trigger has been moved rearward, making it more accessible to those with smaller hands.
Otherwise, many of the innovative features found in the original PDP are also available on the F-Series, including the SuperTerrain grip texturing, deep slide serrations at the front and rear and a milled slide that accepts adapter plates for micro red-dot optics. Shooting the Walther PDP F-Series, our all-male cadre of staffers on hand noticed the slimmer grip frame immediately, but it wasn’t off-putting. In fact, many of us liked the feel of the new grip. Smaller, thinner hands aren’t exclusive to women, so the F-Series may find interest on the male side of the gender divide, too. We appreciated the mirrored slide-stop levers, and the push-button magazine release is accessible and also reversible, too, for left-handed users.
Walther Arms PDP F-Series Specifications
Manufacturer: Walther Arms
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Barrel: 4"
Slide: carbon steel; Tenifer-finished and blued
Frame: polymer
Magazine: 15-round detachable box
Sights: polymer, three-dot; post front, fully adjustable rear, optics ready
Overall Length: 7.25"
Height: 5.25"
Width: 1.36"
Weight: 23.4 ozs.
MSRP: $699
