Hello, I recently sold a J-frame to purchase this: a Walther P99 AS 9mm pistol. This is the last version of the P99. I’m certainly not new to semiautos (I owned a Bernardelli first model striker fired .32ACP, a Beretta 84F .380ACP, I own a Colt Government 380 MK IV Series ’80 .380ACP and I’ve shot a bunch of other semiautos) but this is my first polymer 9mm pistol!
I chose this particular pistol because I really liked its features such as fully ambi controls, second strike capability, decocker, all steel fixed “glow in the dark” sigths, ergonomic grip with interchangeable backstraps and so on.
But the thing that really convinced me to take it home is the pointability: everytime I hold it (one or two handed) and I point it (with one or two eyes opened), I always find the sights straight on target without making hand’s adjustments. Never find a gun like the P99 in this aspect.
I really like the finish of the gun. The machining of the slide is superb both externally and internally: no tool marks of any kind and all the edges are rounded and connected. The slide appears to be bead blasted after the machining, so the finish is very uniform. The black finish is one of the modern surface oxidation and it promises to be very durable. I love the look of the slide, in particular the extended serrations that make it very easy to operate. Writes are clear and well made.
The barrel itself is a little masterpiece of machining and appears to be as hard as a rock. Two words to describe upper parts: top notch!
The frame is made of polymer and metal trigger parts are made with one of this modern processes called MIM and sheared plate, just like every polymer pistol on the market. Heat treatment makes the difference in this case.
Recoil guide rod is made of polymer while magazine body is made of steel. Being made of “cheap” materials, the frame does not have a particular appeal, anyway it is well assembled.
“Barrel to slide” fit is rock solid while there’s a little shake on the “slide to frame” fit; this does not affect the accuracy because the 5 shots factory group at 25 meters (a little more than 25 yards) shows a 1”1/3 group excluding the flyer and a 2”1/6 group over all: not bad in my book…
Operation of the gun: the Walther P99 AS is a SA/DA striker fired pistol with a particular trigger called Anti Stress: the main characteristic of the AS is that the trigger stays always in its fully forward position both DA and SA, so the travel of the trigger is very long to prevent unintentional discarges. After the chambering of the first round you can safe carry this pistol using the button on the top of the slide to decock the striker, so you can shoot the first round in the DA mode. Once the first round is fired the slide partially cock the stiker and the trigger returns fully forward: now the SA trigger pull is lighter but long, as mentioned. If you are at the range and you want a more accurate shot in the SA mode, you can gently pull the trigger till you feel a click: now the trigger stays near the frame, in the same position you know on the others SA/DA pistols.
The magazine release is a ambi lever and it is very easy to operate with your trigger finger (less easy with your thumb…): I love it! Slide stop levers are wonderful.
I also love the position of the decocker button that I can operate one handed. If you are lefty, you has only to take a little practice to activate it with the thumb: I made it several times with no problems.
The gun has a loaded chamber indicator and a loaded striker indicator that protrudes from a little hole on the rear plug of the slide.
The P99 does not have an external safety (I don’t consider its decocker an external safety…) and it doesn’t have internal locks.
Field strip is very easy and safe: infact to disassembly the pistol you have to previously push the decocker button and not to pull the trigger. So if you forget to unload the chamber before stripping the gun you’ll can always kill yourself by banging your had against a wall discovering a cartridge in the chamber, but at least your wife and your sons will be safe…You can also take down the striker assembly and the extractor as described on intructions. Cleaning the gun is very easy and fast.
Range report: as you can see on pics, my gun is chambered for the 9x21 IMI cartridge. This is because in my country 9x19 Parabellum is a military&police-only cartridge, not allowed for civilian semiautos. However the 9x21 IMI has the same OAL of the 9x19, so internal volume for the powder is the same; everything is the same for both caliber: powder, primers, bullets, reloading data, dies, performance. The only visible difference is the bullet that in the 9x21 appears to be seated deeper in the case than the 9x19.
First trip at the range I shot 155 rounds: 100 Fiocchi 124gr CP-RN, 50 Geco 124gr FMJ-RN and 5 Sellier&Bellot 124gr FMJ-RN. No jams of any kind.
Accuracy is very good at all distances. I shot only two or three groups at 15 meters and they were tight in my book, in the same class of my father’s HK P30 and CZ 75 P-01. I did many plinking even at 70 and 100 meters with great luck. Also my faher shot the P99 and he did better than with his guns: this is because the feeling of the grips is great, the gun stays lower on hand and SA trigger is very light and smooth.
DA trigger is very smooth: the trigger seems to translate rather than rotate around a stud and I love this feeling. If you like revolvers you’ll love this trigger. The transition from the first DA shot to the second SA shot is more natural than traditional SA/DA pistols because you find the trigger always in the same position. Slide stop levers are ones of the best in business: the right one has no plays and they are flat and easy to operate. The slide stays always opened after the last shot even with the “thumbs forward” grip.
Sights are great for fast target aiming and the dots are green, bright and huge.
Extraction is powerful and the cases land always in the same place. Strikes are powerful and well centered; there’s no visible difference in power between a SA strike and a DA strike. I shot the 5 Sellier&Bellot for last, all in the DA mode, pulling the trigger very very slow trying to produce a light strike but no way: S&B are known to have the hardest primers in the world but no problems with the P99. I’m a little maniac against light strikes and this is the reason I prefere a gun with second strike capability; infact I think that in stress situation I’ll not able to ear a click instead of a bang and I’ll not able to do the “tap, rack, bang” procedure expecially if I’m pulling the trigger very fast, so in case of a light strike I bet my life on a second trigger pull. I don’t know if I’m wrong or not but this is my thought.
Back to the range report, other two guys tried the P99 and they were impressed to say the least. We all felt that the muzzle flip is there but the recoil is very soft and slow for a 9mm, never painful or anything. You can shot the P99 all time long with no fatigue.
I have medium hands and I think I’ll stick with the medium backstrap because I don’t want to change the pointability of the gun that, as I mentioned, is simply superb for me.
Conclusions: the Walther P99 AS is IMHO one of the best three SA/DA polymer pistol on the market and one of the few FULLY ambi pistols on the planet. I can’t really find a thing I don’t like on this pistol. The price is fair (It costs 14.3% more than a Glock 17, 7.2% more than a CZ 75 P-01, 6.7% less than a Beretta Px4, 21.4% less than a HK P30) and the performance is great!
There are only two things to verify before purchasing it: the trigger reach (if you have short fingers it could be a problem even with the small backstrap) and the factory paper group!
Please, correct me if I’m wrong but, for what I’ve understand on various forums, the Walther P99 AS is one of the most under rated and under advertised pistol on the US market and, belive me, this is a shame.
Best regards, 5-SHOTS.
I chose this particular pistol because I really liked its features such as fully ambi controls, second strike capability, decocker, all steel fixed “glow in the dark” sigths, ergonomic grip with interchangeable backstraps and so on.
But the thing that really convinced me to take it home is the pointability: everytime I hold it (one or two handed) and I point it (with one or two eyes opened), I always find the sights straight on target without making hand’s adjustments. Never find a gun like the P99 in this aspect.
I really like the finish of the gun. The machining of the slide is superb both externally and internally: no tool marks of any kind and all the edges are rounded and connected. The slide appears to be bead blasted after the machining, so the finish is very uniform. The black finish is one of the modern surface oxidation and it promises to be very durable. I love the look of the slide, in particular the extended serrations that make it very easy to operate. Writes are clear and well made.
The barrel itself is a little masterpiece of machining and appears to be as hard as a rock. Two words to describe upper parts: top notch!
The frame is made of polymer and metal trigger parts are made with one of this modern processes called MIM and sheared plate, just like every polymer pistol on the market. Heat treatment makes the difference in this case.
Recoil guide rod is made of polymer while magazine body is made of steel. Being made of “cheap” materials, the frame does not have a particular appeal, anyway it is well assembled.
“Barrel to slide” fit is rock solid while there’s a little shake on the “slide to frame” fit; this does not affect the accuracy because the 5 shots factory group at 25 meters (a little more than 25 yards) shows a 1”1/3 group excluding the flyer and a 2”1/6 group over all: not bad in my book…
Operation of the gun: the Walther P99 AS is a SA/DA striker fired pistol with a particular trigger called Anti Stress: the main characteristic of the AS is that the trigger stays always in its fully forward position both DA and SA, so the travel of the trigger is very long to prevent unintentional discarges. After the chambering of the first round you can safe carry this pistol using the button on the top of the slide to decock the striker, so you can shoot the first round in the DA mode. Once the first round is fired the slide partially cock the stiker and the trigger returns fully forward: now the SA trigger pull is lighter but long, as mentioned. If you are at the range and you want a more accurate shot in the SA mode, you can gently pull the trigger till you feel a click: now the trigger stays near the frame, in the same position you know on the others SA/DA pistols.
The magazine release is a ambi lever and it is very easy to operate with your trigger finger (less easy with your thumb…): I love it! Slide stop levers are wonderful.
I also love the position of the decocker button that I can operate one handed. If you are lefty, you has only to take a little practice to activate it with the thumb: I made it several times with no problems.
The gun has a loaded chamber indicator and a loaded striker indicator that protrudes from a little hole on the rear plug of the slide.
The P99 does not have an external safety (I don’t consider its decocker an external safety…) and it doesn’t have internal locks.
Field strip is very easy and safe: infact to disassembly the pistol you have to previously push the decocker button and not to pull the trigger. So if you forget to unload the chamber before stripping the gun you’ll can always kill yourself by banging your had against a wall discovering a cartridge in the chamber, but at least your wife and your sons will be safe…You can also take down the striker assembly and the extractor as described on intructions. Cleaning the gun is very easy and fast.
Range report: as you can see on pics, my gun is chambered for the 9x21 IMI cartridge. This is because in my country 9x19 Parabellum is a military&police-only cartridge, not allowed for civilian semiautos. However the 9x21 IMI has the same OAL of the 9x19, so internal volume for the powder is the same; everything is the same for both caliber: powder, primers, bullets, reloading data, dies, performance. The only visible difference is the bullet that in the 9x21 appears to be seated deeper in the case than the 9x19.
First trip at the range I shot 155 rounds: 100 Fiocchi 124gr CP-RN, 50 Geco 124gr FMJ-RN and 5 Sellier&Bellot 124gr FMJ-RN. No jams of any kind.
Accuracy is very good at all distances. I shot only two or three groups at 15 meters and they were tight in my book, in the same class of my father’s HK P30 and CZ 75 P-01. I did many plinking even at 70 and 100 meters with great luck. Also my faher shot the P99 and he did better than with his guns: this is because the feeling of the grips is great, the gun stays lower on hand and SA trigger is very light and smooth.
DA trigger is very smooth: the trigger seems to translate rather than rotate around a stud and I love this feeling. If you like revolvers you’ll love this trigger. The transition from the first DA shot to the second SA shot is more natural than traditional SA/DA pistols because you find the trigger always in the same position. Slide stop levers are ones of the best in business: the right one has no plays and they are flat and easy to operate. The slide stays always opened after the last shot even with the “thumbs forward” grip.
Sights are great for fast target aiming and the dots are green, bright and huge.
Extraction is powerful and the cases land always in the same place. Strikes are powerful and well centered; there’s no visible difference in power between a SA strike and a DA strike. I shot the 5 Sellier&Bellot for last, all in the DA mode, pulling the trigger very very slow trying to produce a light strike but no way: S&B are known to have the hardest primers in the world but no problems with the P99. I’m a little maniac against light strikes and this is the reason I prefere a gun with second strike capability; infact I think that in stress situation I’ll not able to ear a click instead of a bang and I’ll not able to do the “tap, rack, bang” procedure expecially if I’m pulling the trigger very fast, so in case of a light strike I bet my life on a second trigger pull. I don’t know if I’m wrong or not but this is my thought.
Back to the range report, other two guys tried the P99 and they were impressed to say the least. We all felt that the muzzle flip is there but the recoil is very soft and slow for a 9mm, never painful or anything. You can shot the P99 all time long with no fatigue.
I have medium hands and I think I’ll stick with the medium backstrap because I don’t want to change the pointability of the gun that, as I mentioned, is simply superb for me.
Conclusions: the Walther P99 AS is IMHO one of the best three SA/DA polymer pistol on the market and one of the few FULLY ambi pistols on the planet. I can’t really find a thing I don’t like on this pistol. The price is fair (It costs 14.3% more than a Glock 17, 7.2% more than a CZ 75 P-01, 6.7% less than a Beretta Px4, 21.4% less than a HK P30) and the performance is great!
There are only two things to verify before purchasing it: the trigger reach (if you have short fingers it could be a problem even with the small backstrap) and the factory paper group!
Please, correct me if I’m wrong but, for what I’ve understand on various forums, the Walther P99 AS is one of the most under rated and under advertised pistol on the US market and, belive me, this is a shame.
Best regards, 5-SHOTS.
I recently had a satin nickel finish applied to the slide (Mac's Restorations):
