P99/Decocker

[flamdrags]

This is a rather "newbie" question, but here is goes...
In the owner's manual for the Walther P99 it instructs you to press the decocking button to decock the pistol after you've loaded it IF you do not intend to immediately fire the weapon. Isn't the pistol in double-action mode after loading? Doesn't it remain in double action mode until you fire the first shot and only then go into SA? I thought that the decocker returned the pistol to DA from SA. I don't understand how loading the pistol cocks it in such a way that the decocker would need to be depressed. Can anyone clear this up for me?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Roz]

flamdrags,

Just grabbed mine, and hopefully I can explain it. The P99 has 3 trigger pulls technically. DA, SA and I'll call the third one LSA.

When you manually chamber a round, the pistol goes into LSA (Long Single Action). The pull is longer, but still a single action in weight of pull. You can move the trigger back to to the position where it starts the normal SA pull. So for safety purposes, Walther requests you to decock to put it into traditional DA instead of leaving it in LSA.

Summary.

DA is regular double action
SA is regular single action
LSA is long single action which occurs only after you manually rack a round for the first time.

 

[flamdrags]

Excellent. Thanks so much. I've read about the LSA, but the manual doesn't explain that you are in LSA after manually loading, it only tells you to decock the pistol. Your explanation clears it up for me. So...
How do you like yours? Do you find the multiple trigger pulls annoying? How short/light is the SA trigger pull? I am very much interested in learning as much as I can about them, as the P99 and Steyr M9 are about the only 9's I've found that I both like and fit in my small hands. Any forthright offerings would be most appreciated.

 

[OH25shooter]

You're not alone. I have a P99 and I consider the decocker a safety, so to speak. As you know, when it is decocked the first trigger pull is long and hard. If I'm on the line shooting for speed and the magazine is emptied, when the second is feed I don't decock. During slow practice target shooting for accuracy, I decock and then I know the first trigger pull will be long and hard. I had a S&W model 3913 before the P99 and sometimes I wish I still had it. It was much simplier, for me.

 

[Mr. Mysterious]

If your P99 is new dry fire the heck out of it. You'll find that the trigger improves with dry-firings and with 500+ rounds through it.

Also, if you haven't fired a lot practice a lot with the da if you are going to carry one in the pipe, as that is the pull that you'll be using.