Tell me about your P99's

P99 AS is a terrific pistol. Ahead of it's time with the very nice grip, changeable backstraps, great accuracy/reliability/durability, and crazy good trigger. Over 15 years later the competition is starting to catch up.

My son bought one a few years back and it was never on my radar. We were together at the range and he asked me if I wanted to try it and I said sure.

One magazine later after I reeled the target back in my jaw dropped and I was stunned at the small group I shot first time I ever picked up the P99.

I wanted one after that but at that time they were very hard to find in 9MM. I ended up buying the PPQ 9MM after that shortly after they came out for $479.

I own several high quality pistols from SIG, HK, and Walther and my PPQ 9MM is my main CCW pistol. I could just as easily go with the P99 AS and may still buy one to have one also though I will probably get a Walther PPS in 9MM first.
 
I bought my first P99 in 1999 (IIRC). While at the gun store I saw and held A P99 in 9mm with an olive drab frame. I decided to buy it, but needed to go home first to get my wallet. By the time I got back, The OD frame 9mm was gone. I bought the black frame in .40 that was left.

Took it to the range with my brother. He loved it so much, I gave it to him. Went back and bought an OD 9mm the next week. Skip ahead 15 years and a lot of water under the bridge. I found an unfired 1st gen P99 in .40 with an OD frame. It was a perfect companion to my 9mm so I bought it.

Over the years without exception, the P99 has been a favorite of anyone I let shoot it. It was the first production ergonomic gun I had ever seen. It was years later before other manufacturers produced ergo pistols. The P99 is a great gun at a relatively inexpensive price.

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You can use the P99 as if it were simply SA/DA. The only real difference with the AS is that when you release the slide on a fresh magazine, the trigger stays in an in-between state. The striker is cocked and essentially in SA but the trigger is reset all the way out to the DA starting position. It just means a long, light pull. If you really want to carry it in straight SA mode, you can gently pull the trigger to the SA reset point, where it will click into place and stay there. If you want to carry it in straight DA mode, like most of us seem to do, just hit the handy decocking button.

The ergonomics are good, especially considering that the design is about twenty years old. :eek: It comes with three backstraps and unlike some other guns I've played with, there is a significant difference between them. (The only catch is that you have to punch out a pin to change them.) Note that they no longer put that little hump along the bottom of the trigger guard, which is probably for the better. I have to say that I love the magazine release on this and the PPS. If you haven't tried it, give it a few trips to the range. You might find yourself wishing that more guns would go this route...

As far as reliability and durability, I think their reputation is well-deserved.
 
If you really want to carry it in straight SA mode, you can gently pull the trigger to the SA reset point, where it will click into place and stay there.
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Just to clarify - you really should never carry the pistol in this condition. The P99AS striker is fully cocked when in single-action mode, and while there is a trigger safety and firing pin safety, you are just asking for trouble, considering how light, smooth, and short the trigger pull is.

Think of it as being akin to carrying a loaded 1911 cocked with the safety off (but with no grip safety).
 
Just to clarify - you really should never carry the pistol in this condition. The P99AS striker is fully cocked when in single-action mode, and while there is a trigger safety and firing pin safety, you are just asking for trouble, considering how light, smooth, and short the trigger pull is.

Think of it as being akin to carrying a loaded 1911 cocked with the safety off (but with no grip safety).
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^ I certainly wouldn't carry it that way.
 
wildcatMccane
I picked up a QPQ P99 that I later sold for a truck load
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I probably bought that pistol as I paid a small mortgage for my p99 as, but it has been fine pistol that I find it hard to complain about it.
 
Carrying in AS Mode

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned the option of carrying in AS mode. Carrying in SA mode is indeed too risky (at least for me), but most of the posts here seem to regard the SA mode as simply a temporary way station between SA and DA. After loading a mag with the slide locked back after firing and then releasing the slide to chamber a round, the pistol will be in SA mode, when you should push the decocker to put it in DA mode before holstering. Etc.

Since the pistol has internal safeties, the danger posed by the striker being fully cocked is unintentional trigger pull, but that very long pull in SA mode would seem to all but eliminate that possibility. Thus carrying in SA mode seems like a real, not unsafe option, and one that would appeal to those used to striker weapons who do not like a long, heavy first trigger pull.
 
I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned the option of carrying in AS mode. Carrying in SA mode is indeed too risky (at least for me), but most of the posts here seem to regard the SA mode as simply a temporary way station between SA and DA. After loading a mag with the slide locked back after firing and then releasing the slide to chamber a round, the pistol will be in SA mode, when you should push the decocker to put it in DA mode before holstering. Etc.

Since the pistol has internal safeties, the danger posed by the striker being fully cocked is unintentional trigger pull, but that very long pull in SA mode would seem to all but eliminate that possibility. Thus carrying in SA mode seems like a real, not unsafe option, and one that would appeal to those used to striker weapons who do not like a long, heavy first trigger pull.
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You have your AS and SA mode confused at numerous points in this text.
 
You have your AS and SA mode confused at numerous points in this text.
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Oops. How true. I would like to say my secretary made the unfortunate reversals, but alas I don't have a secretary. I actually do know the difference between the AS and SA modes, and when the pistol is in which mode. What I don't know is how to type....
 
Cosmodragoon said:
I'm also curious to know if anyone carries in "AS" or "anti-stress" mode.
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The most recent thread on this question that I have seen on a Walther forum had 55% carrying DA, 40% AS, and 5% SA.
 
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