Walther P99

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This article is about the semi-automatic pistol. For other uses, see P99 (disambiguation).
Walther P99

Walther P99 Military, 9 mm version with green polymer frame
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin Flag of Germany Germany
Service history
Used by Polish police, Finnish Defence Forces, Spanish police (partial), German police (partial), Montreal Police Service, Sûreté du Québec
Production history
Designer Horst Wesp
Designed 1993-1996
Manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen
Produced 1996-present
Variants P99QPQ, P99 Military, P990 (P99DAO), P99QA, P99AS, P99TA, P99C, P99C AS, P99C QA, P99C DAO, SW99
Specifications
Weight 630 g (22.22 oz) (9x19mm Parabellum model)
655 g (23.1 oz) (.40 S&W model)
Length 180 mm (7.1 in) (9x19mm Parabellum)
184 mm (7.2 in) (.40 S&W)
Barrel length 102 mm (4 in) (9x19mm Parabellum)
106 mm (4.2 in) (.40 S&W)
Width 29 mm (1.1 in) (9x19mm Parabellum)
32 mm (1.3 in) (.40 S&W)
Height 135 mm (5.3 in)
Cartridge 9x19mm Parabellum
9x21mm IMI
.40 S&W
Action Short recoil operated, locked breech
Muzzle velocity 408 m/s (1,339 ft/s) (9x19mm Parabellum)
344 m/s (1,129 ft/s) (.40 S&W)
Feed system 16-round detachable box magazine (9x19mm Parabellum)
12-round box magazine (.40 S&W)
Sights Interchangeable 3-dot notch sight

The 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 as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88. Design work on this new generation sidearm began in 1994, and the handgun was presented in 1997 with series production commencing that same year. The weapon was first introduced chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum; subsequently, a version in .40 S&W was also developed primarily for the American market and unveiled in 1998. The pistol is used by the German Police of some federal states of Germany, the Polish Police and the Finnish Army's special forces and military police, where it carries the designation PIST 2003 (Pistooli 2003).[1]

Contents

[edit] Design details

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 chamber loaded indicator on the right side of the slide. It also features four internal safeties, sights adjustable for both windage and elevation, tool-less takedown, accessory rail, interchangeable grip backstraps of varying sizes for different users, and an ambidextrous magazine release incorporated into the trigger guard. Some variations also feature a decocking button.

[edit] Redesign

Second generation P99 AS pistol.
Second generation P99 AS pistol.

A redesigned P99 was presented in 2004, incorporating a modified trigger guard that eliminated the "ski hump", which is clearly visible in the accompanying images. This was done to address some users' comfort concerns regarding the previous style. 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.

[edit] Variants

[edit] P99AS (Anti-stress)

Single/Double action. Prior to 2004 there was no designation for the double action trigger which Walther now markets as the P99AS ("anti-stress") trigger. It is called anti-stress because the trigger pull is the same length for the first shot, regardless of single or double-action. In this way, the anti-stress trigger functions as a sort of two-stage trigger, and lessens the possibility of stress-induced negligent discharges.

[edit] P99DAO (Double-action only)

The P99DAO was previously produced as the P990.

[edit] P99QA (Quick-action)

Glock style action with preloaded striker (shorter, lighter pull). The P99QA was announced in 2000.

[edit] P99C (Compact)

The compact P99C QA.
The compact P99C QA.
The redesigned P99 QA model.
The redesigned P99 QA model.

Compact version of the P99 available in the 3 preceding action types.

[edit] Limited editions

Walther has also created several limited production runs of the P99 including:

  • MI-6 (James Bond) a marketing tie-in with the new James Bond movies
  • La Chasse (hunting)
  • Year 2000 (Millennium)
  • P99 TA - a model used in police tryouts in Baden-Würtemberg in 2002, featuring a single/double-action trigger, decocker and an early ambidextrous slide catch[2]. Few models were sold to the public.

[edit] Smith & Wesson SW99

Closely related to the P99, the Smith & Wesson SW99 is a joint venture between Walther, who produces a modified receiver in Germany, and Smith & Wesson, who fabricates the slides and barrels in the United States. Magazines can be interchanged between the two models, but the pistols are considered to be two separate types, and are easily distinguished from each other by the trigger guard, grip and slide design. The SW99 is also available in .45 ACP, while the P99 is not. The P99 was developed and introduced prior to the SW99. Some users have indicated incompatibility between early generation SW99 10round .40 mags and .40 P99's. Walther addressed this problem by introducing a color coding system to the magazine to denote which generation they are. The latest generation is bright blue.

All 9mm P99s have always been completely German-made. In the past, some P99 .40 components were manufactured under license by S&W. This is no longer the case. The barrel, slide and frame of all 100% German-manufactured P99s bear an "Eagle over N" proof mark. The mark itself indicates the pistol was test-fired with a Proof Load; the "N" stands for nitrocellulose. Although almost all currently produced Walther P99s carry an engraving of "SMITH & WESSON Springfield, MA" on the front/right side of the slide, this only denotes importation by Smith & Wesson (currently an official importer) and not that it was manufactured by them.

[edit] Gallery

P99 stripped to main parts.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Finnish Army equipment page
  2. ^ Deutsches Waffen-Journal 12/2002
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[edit] External links