Walther P99


The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market.

History

Design work on this new generation sidearm began in 1994, and the handgun was presented in 1997 with series production commencing that same year as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88.
Walther announced the discontinuation of the P99 in early 2023.

Evolution

The Walther P99 was modified several times throughout its production history, as were the magazines.
When the P99 was introduced the magazine capacities were 16 rounds for 9×19mm Parabellum and 12 rounds for.40 S&W.
Magazines had witness holes on both sides. Later the magazine capacities were reduced to 15 rounds for 9×19mm Parabellum and 11 rounds for.40 S&W while witness holes were introduced at the rear of the magazine to view the loading condition.

Second generation models

Walther presented a redesigned second generation P99 in 2004, incorporating a modified trigger guard that eliminated the "ski hump", which is clearly visible in the accompanying first generation images, to address user comfort concerns regarding the previous style.
The first generation P99 pistols had a slide release at the left side of the frame while second generation guns may have optional ambidextrous slide stop release levers.
Walther also took the opportunity to redesign the slide so the user could grip it more easily, and notably, change the proprietary accessory rail to a Weaver type.
Some models built in 2005 and all later models received one more design change, an elongated magazine release.

P99Q police variant

The P99Q is a designated police pistol, which has been certified according to the Technical Specifications of the German Police.
The P99Q is exclusively manufactured for German and foreign police departments and is not available on the civilian market.
The P99Q has a partially pre-loaded internal striker trigger mechanism that conforms to the Technical Specifications of the German Police. When the trigger is pulled, the striker is fully cocked and released, firing the pistol.
Trigger travel is approximately with a trigger reset of and a trigger pull of approximately. The trigger pull is consistent in length and force from the first shot to the last.
The Technical Specifications of the German Police also demand an accuracy of fire for a 10-shot group with German Police certified 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition at of ≤.
This equals an accuracy of fire of ≤ 22 minute of angle or ≤ 6.4 mrad.
The grip frame has an integrated mounting MIL-STD-1913 rail for attaching tactical lights and laser sighting devices.

Production

All 9mm P99s have always been completely German made. Some P99.40 components are manufactured under license by S&W.
The barrel, slide and frame of all 100% German-manufactured P99s bear an "Eagle over N" proof mark of the German Proof House at Ulm.
The mark indicates the pistol was test-fired with a Proof Load; the "N" stands for nitrocellulose.

Design

The Walther P99 is a short recoil-operated locked breech semi-automatic pistol that uses a modified Browning cam-lock system adapted from the Hi-Power pistol.

Finishes

The P99 has a glassfiber-reinforced polymer frame and steel slide assembly.
It can be broken down into its main parts or field stripped with a take down catch without the help of tools.
The slide and other metal parts of the pistol are Tenifer treated. The Tenifer finish is between in thickness, and is characterized by extreme resistance to wear and corrosion; it penetrates the metal, and treated parts have similar properties even below the surface to a certain depth.
The Tenifer process produces a matte gray-colored, non-glare surface with a 64 Rockwell C hardness rating and a 99% resistance to salt water corrosion, making the P99 particularly suitable for individuals carrying the pistol concealed as the highly chloride-resistant finish allows the pistol to better endure the effects of perspiration.
The P99 is available in 4 colorations; a black frame with a black slide, a black frame with a titanium-coated slide, a military olive-drab frame with a black slide, and a desert tan frame with black slide.
All three of these finishes incorporate the same black grip inserts that come with every P99. The compact versions of the P99 are only available in all black.

Operation

Firing

The P99 uses an internal striker as opposed to an external hammer, with a red-painted striker tip that protrudes from rear of the slide when the gun is cocked, as well as a loaded chamber indicator on the right side of the slide.
The original, first-generation P99 had a traditional Double-Action/Single-Action trigger with a decocker. When the slide is racked completely to the rear upon loading, the trigger remains in the forward position for the first shot and the Anti-Stress mode is activated, where the striker is cocked but the trigger has the length of pull of the double-action mode. The trigger travel is long in the Anti-Stress mode, but most of the length is slack and is similar in feel to a two-stage rifle trigger.
At the end of the anti-stress travel, the pressure noticeably increases to 4.5 pounds and the user experiences a crisp trigger break and an extremely short trigger reset of about.1 inches. All subsequent shots are fired in standard single action mode, where the slack on the trigger is much shorter, but the point of release feels the same.
In order to deactivate Single-Action or Anti-Stress mode, the user can manipulate the decocker button on the top of the slide, just in front of the rear sights. When decocked from Single-Action mode, the trigger will reset to the full length of its pull.
The pistol is now in Double-Action mode with a pull 7.9 pounds for the full length of the.55 inch pull. After firing the first shot in Double-Action, the pistol will be fired in Single-Action for all subsequent shots.
The striker protrudes visibly and palpably from the back of the slide when the firearm is in a constant partially cocked state. However, the striker of the second generation P99QA variant does not protrude from the back of the slide, unless fired, as the firearm is in a constant partially cocked state.

Safety

The P99 features four internal safeties, iron sights adjustable for both windage and elevation, tool-less take down, and an ambidextrous magazine release incorporated into the trigger guard.
The lower forward edge of the frame also known as the dust cover has a mounting-bracket or rail interface system for attaching accessories, such as a tactical light or laser sight.

Feeding

The P99 feeds from staggered-column or double-stack magazines of varying capacity. Walther also offers staggered-column magazines with a +2 baseplate that add 2 rounds to the magazine capacity at the expense of extending the grip and the pistol height by approximately.
The.40 S&W caliber models incorporate a slightly larger slide in order to preserve the same recoil spring assembly used in its 9mm counterpart.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics were a key focus in the design of the firearm, and as a result, three interchangeable grip backstraps are included to accommodate various hand shapes and sizes; this feature permits most shooters a comfortable and efficient grip on the firearm.
This adaptable grip was innovative at the time the P99 was introduced.

Accessories

Fixed metal 3-dot iron sights, fixed tritium night sights, adjustable sports iron sights, adjustable optic fibre iron sights, laser pointers, tactical lights, magazine flashlight adapters, holsters, magazines, magazine loaders, grip extenders and a suppressor kit with a barrel and protective cap for the muzzle threads and a silencer that reduces the sound signature by 33 dB are offered as factory accessories.

Variants

AS (Anti Stress)

Introduced in 2004, this variant comes closest to a traditional Double-Action/Single-Action trigger with a decocker.
In Double-Action mode the internal striker is at rest with no pre-load and the trigger travel is long at approximately trigger pull. When the slide is racked completely to the rear upon loading, the internal striker is manually pre-cocked to Single-Action mode and the trigger remains in the forward position for the first shot and the Anti Stress mode is activated.
The trigger travel is long in the Anti Stress mode at approximately trigger pull.
On all subsequent shots, the P99AS is automatically pre-cocked and the trigger travel is reduced to at the same trigger pull.
For manually deactivating the Anti Stress mode and setting the pistol to Double-Action mode the P99AS features a decocking button recessed into the top of the slide, rather than a conventional lever usually found on the side.
The Anti Stress mode can also be manually activated by moving the slide approximately back.

DAO (Double Action Only)

The P99DAO is similar to the previously produced P990 Double Action Only variant.
The internal striker is at rest with no pre-load. The trigger travel is approximately with a trigger pull of approximately.
The trigger pull is consistent in length and force from the first shot to the last and the striker returns to its de-cocked position after each shot.

QA (Quick Action)

This variant has a Glock style trigger system with a pre-loaded internal striker.
When the trigger is pulled, the striker is fully cocked and released, firing the pistol.
The trigger travel is approximately with a trigger pull of approximately. The trigger pull is consistent in length and force from the first shot to the last.
The P99QA was announced in 2000 and discontinued in 2011.

P99c

Compact versions of the P99 available in the 3 preceding action types marketed as the:
  • P99c AS
  • P99c DAO
  • '''P99c QA'''