So, as those who know me around here are probably already aware of, I'm kind of a traditionalist in my tastes (a blued steel and walnut kind of guy). For years, I've been rather disinterested in the polymer-frame, striker-fired guns because they just don't appeal to me... except for one.
Lately, I've been thinking that having a pistol with a rail that I could mount a light on might be a good idea. I've been looking around at different options and came pretty close to buying a couple, but nothing has really appealed to me enough to spend the money on it... until Friday.
Friday evening I was in a local shop with my dad and we were perusing the cases not looking for anything in particular. We started talking to one of the staff and he began pulling different pistols out of the case for us to handle and then asking our opinions on the different models. After learning that we didn't particularly care for HK products (due to their customer service but that's another story), he pulled another German-made gun for the case for us to handle... and it was the one.
What did he happen to pull out but the single gun I always look through the mountains of polymer for but never find. The one and only striker-fired handgun that I've ever like enough to consider buying and in the caliber I want to boot. He produced from behind the counter a very lightly used Walther P99 AS 9mm along with the box, papers, extra mag, and accessories (backstraps, sights, etc.). While the tag said used, it hadn't a blemish nor speck of fouling on it: it appeared as though the previous owner had simply cleaned the packing grease/oil out and put it back in the box. It was also priced about $75 less than anyplace I'd checked could order one for, so needless to say I bought it.
While I do feel a bit odd about owning a polymer-framed, striker-fired gun, it does at least have a trigger system akin to the hammer-fired DA/SA autos I'm used to, it's very comfortable in my hand, and well at least it's not something you see on the range every day. So long as it digests the Federal HST's I ordered recently, I think there may be a Streamlight and a place by my bed in this Walther's future.
Lately, I've been thinking that having a pistol with a rail that I could mount a light on might be a good idea. I've been looking around at different options and came pretty close to buying a couple, but nothing has really appealed to me enough to spend the money on it... until Friday.
Friday evening I was in a local shop with my dad and we were perusing the cases not looking for anything in particular. We started talking to one of the staff and he began pulling different pistols out of the case for us to handle and then asking our opinions on the different models. After learning that we didn't particularly care for HK products (due to their customer service but that's another story), he pulled another German-made gun for the case for us to handle... and it was the one.
What did he happen to pull out but the single gun I always look through the mountains of polymer for but never find. The one and only striker-fired handgun that I've ever like enough to consider buying and in the caliber I want to boot. He produced from behind the counter a very lightly used Walther P99 AS 9mm along with the box, papers, extra mag, and accessories (backstraps, sights, etc.). While the tag said used, it hadn't a blemish nor speck of fouling on it: it appeared as though the previous owner had simply cleaned the packing grease/oil out and put it back in the box. It was also priced about $75 less than anyplace I'd checked could order one for, so needless to say I bought it.
While I do feel a bit odd about owning a polymer-framed, striker-fired gun, it does at least have a trigger system akin to the hammer-fired DA/SA autos I'm used to, it's very comfortable in my hand, and well at least it's not something you see on the range every day. So long as it digests the Federal HST's I ordered recently, I think there may be a Streamlight and a place by my bed in this Walther's future.
), but the Walther P-99 series is one of the few polymer pistols I view as being a true "challenger" to a Glock. The AS is the original variant, and I kick myself some days for having gone with the -990 DAO variant instead as my first modern semi-auto. It had a heavy, long trigger pull that I never learned to manage, which pushed me into trying a Glock 17. Now my particular Walther is long gone but I suspect Webleymkv will not be parting with his -99 AS an time soon.