Tell me about your P99's

I

Independent George

New member
The Walther P99 escaped my notice when I first got my FOID and started looking into handguns. After some reflection and practice, I decided fairly early that DA/SA suited me best, and I eliminated all striker fired guns from contention without ever noticing the P99. While I'm more than happy with my CZs, I would have liked to have at least given the P99 a try.

What are your experiences with them, good and bad? How do the ergos compare with the PPQ (which I quite liked)? In practice, is the AS trigger all that complicated, or does it end up just a normal DA/SA?
 
Have a p99 and p99c. Both AS.

Ergos are as good if not better then the ppq.

Reliability and accuracy are first rate. Don't think I have ever had a failure of any kind.

The AS trigger for all intents and purposes can be looked at as DA/SA. Yes you can do a couple other things to sort of stage a cocked striker or whatever but in all practical use its just a pretty nice DA/SA.

Great guns in my exp.

Chris.
 
I shot a p99 at a range and loved it's ergs so much that I bought one in .40. My friend loved my p99 in 40 so much that he bought one in 9.
The AS is not difficult in the least. If you want a full, long trigger pull for the first round, then chamber a round and press the de-cocking button built flush into the top of the slide.
If you have a round in the chamber and you want to return to single action after having decocked the striker, then pull the slide back about 1/4" or so (like you're doing a brass check) and you will hear and feel a positive click. Let down on the slide and your trigger pull is very short and light.

It took me about 3 mags of range time to adjust to the lever release.

I think that the chamber loaded indicator on the right side could be a bit more tactile, but it still works; I'm not sure how well/not well it would work during an adrenaline dump in a dark room but I'm not selling mine anytime soon.

cslinger:
Have a p99 and p99c. Both AS.
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Cslinger, how do you like the grip on the p99c? I was thinking of picking up a p99c in 9mm for cc but that grip looks a bit short.
 
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I have T-Rex hands so take it for what it's worth. :)

It's just like a contoured Glock 26. They are almost identical in size. So if a G26 grip is too short the P99c will be too, albeit much more comfortable.
 
Honestly the P99 is one of the best polymer guns out there and only some of the more recent offerings have caught up to it in many ways. It is still one of the most comfortable handguns I have ever held.
 
Independent George, I can tell you unequivocally that you might as well get over your ambivalence and just buy one. They are great pistols. In my opinion they are classics.
 
Darn it, can't you guys tell me some bad things? I'm so tempted to get one now, even though I have no real use for one...
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You won't fine much negative feedback. The P99 is one of the finest 9mm double-stack polymer pistols ever manufactured. The trigger feel of the DA/SA P99AS is without a doubt the best of any striker-fired pistol manufactured today (even better than the PPQ or VP9).

The only negatives you generally hear about regard the .40SW versions, which can be a bit snappy. To my knowledge, the P99 is the lightest of all full-size double-stack pistols.

At one point, folks complained about the price of spare magazines, but today new mags can easily be found in the $25-30 price range.

Personally, I own a 9mm gen2 P99AS, which is my designated home defense pistol. It has never suffered a failure of any kind in over 3000 rounds so far.


In practice, is the AS trigger all that complicated, or does it end up just a normal DA/SA?
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In practice, the P99AS operates just like any other DA/SA pistol with decocker. The manual-of-arms is practically identical to a SIG P226.

The only difference is that the first single-action trigger pull is the same length as the double-action pull (but just as light as all other single action pulls). This is a brilliant and unobtrusive safety feature that makes great sense, especially on a pistol that may be used in a high-stress or low-light situation (say a night-time break-in).
 
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The only difference is that the first single-action trigger pull is the same length as the double-action pull (but just as light as all other single action pulls). This is a brilliant and unobtrusive safety feature that makes great sense, especially on a pistol that may be used in a high-stress or low-light situation (say a night-time break-in).
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That would depend. If you were carrying DA/SA with a DA first shot then your first SA shot would a traditional SA pull and would be shorter in length than the DA pull. The only time you should really encounter the AS trigger pull is if you didn't decock the weapon after loading and chambering or if you performed a slide lock reload and went straight back into shooting. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the manual for the P99 lists decocking the pistol as the advised method of carry. I see the AS trigger as a means to mitigate accidentally cooking off a rounding while both loading initially and while reloading during an engagement.
 
That would depend. If you were carrying DA/SA with a DA first shot then your first SA shot would a traditional SA pull and would be shorter in length than the DA pull.
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Yes - but technically that would be your 2nd shot (after the 1st DA shot).

The only time you should really encounter the AS trigger pull is if you didn't decock the weapon after loading and chambering or if you performed a slide lock reload and went straight back into shooting
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Yes - that is correct.

I believe the manual for the P99 lists decocking the pistol as the advised method of carry.
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The manual for P99s sold in the US does indeed recommend carrying the pistol decocked, and frankly that's the only way I'd carry it, just as it's the only way I'd carry a DA/SA SIG P226, or any other DA/SA pistol without a manual safety. Apparently, the manuals for P99s sold in some other markets describe the AS mode as a carry mode, though.

I see the AS trigger as a means to mitigate accidentally cooking off a rounding while both loading initially and while reloading during an engagement.
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Same here. Which is why it makes sense in the sort of stressful situation I described above.
 
Take this with a grain of salt. Most people recommending a particular gun have very little experience with other guns.

I have found MOST people recommending the Walther P99 have lots of experience owning other guns.

I personally have owned a lot of different guns and * I * personally believe it is one of, if not the best, deal out there. At under $500 (gunwatcher.com), it simply makes most other guns irrelevant.

The only negative for the P99/PPQ is it is more "flippy." However, you gain improved pointability, accuracy, and the best trigger around. So... :)
 
The rational, thinking part of my brain is telling me that:

1. I've already got three CZs of different sizes (with interchangeable magazines) that I love
2. I've spent quite a lot of money on upgrades and accessories on them
3. There are several more upgrades that I want to get for them.
4. I'm hardly an expert shot - it's far wiser to spend the money on ammo and really get good at the guns I've already got
5. I can get over 2,000 rounds of ammo for the cost of a new P99

All of which means a P99 is probably my next gun. You people are bad for me.
 
I've owned 70 + handguns. To me trying all the different options out there has been both enjoyable and given me a respect for brands I might not have tried otherwise. The money you spend on a P99 won't, IMO, be a waste and worst case you sell it back for a slight loss since P99s hold their value well it seems.
 
fisbed77
The only negatives you generally hear about regard the .40SW versions, which can be a bit snappy
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I can vouch for that. I bought mine in .40 since it would allow me a few extra rounds of 40 compared to my cz100 while packing into the woods. Plus a better trigger.

I have shot the 9mm p99 and it's a smoother experience. If I hadn't already invested in several solid 9mm carry pistols, I might have bought a p99c AS in 9mm for carry.

I still might. One platform for city/country carry would make sense.... Oh, drat, now I"m talking myself into another pistol!!!
 
I'm now in that weird mental headspace between hoping nobody bids me up on Gunbroker, and hoping that I get outbid.
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We can't help you with that. If that is the worst part of your day, it's been a good day.
 
Quick question - are the P99 sights or magazines interchangeable with other models of Walthers?

TunnelRat said:
We can't help you with that. If that is the worst part of your day, it's been a good day.
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Well, I did just get outbid, but it actually has been a good day in spite of that. I'm curious about what the final sale price is - if there's one thing I learned since being active on Gunbroker, it's that as long as it's still in production, there will always be another chance.
 
Honestly the P99 is one of the best polymer guns out there and only some of the more recent offerings have caught up to it in many ways.
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Which is why I still have mine after all these years. .40 with the A/S trigger.
 
Buds has had them up for 479 shipped for about 3 months now. Have to use their price ask thingy.

The lowest used P99 price I've sold at is 475. Additionally, I picked up a QPQ P99 that I later sold for a truck load :)
 
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