Walther P99c: An Uncommon CCW

[ev239]

In a sea of Glocks, XD's, and M&P's the P99 series by Walther get ignored by the masses.

I recently got my hands on a P99c in .40 s&w. I must say that I am enjoying it. I've been an owner (my wife's actually) of a P22 and have always like shooting it and then I had the opportunity to pick up a P99c. The largely overlooked compact version of the P99 has a lot going for it for use in concealed carry. It's very similar in size (maybe a tad larger here & there) to the Glock 27 and actually a bit lighter. It uses a unique trigger system that mimics traditional double action/single action, but uses a striker instead of a hammer to ignite the bullet. To facilitate this, it has a manual decocker (located flush on the top of the slide) to take it out of single action mode and to allow disassembly without having to pull the trigger (like Glocks). The double action trigger pull is long and approximately 8.5lbs and the single action pull is shorter and about 4.5lbs. It's not hard to master and both are light enough to manipulate while staying on target. I prefer to put it in double action mode as an added safety while carrying it concealed.

Here are a couple shots of it.

One of the previous owners (at least two that I know of) had duracoated the slide and controls OD green and the barrel black. It was originally a Tennifer-like black finish so this really makes it stand out from the crowd.

It looks to be in great shape and doesn't look to have been shot all that much. I'm new to .40s&w which has a bit more snap than 9mm, but I'm getting used to it. I was impressed by it's accuracy. Here's the first mag full at 7 yards.

Things tightened up from there as I got more familiar with the trigger, though I must admit I would flinch every now and then.

I've picked up a couple extra magazines from CDNN (they sell magazines for the similar S&W made SW99/SW99c which work perfectly). I also changed out the front sight with a Meprosight night sight that helps greatly in low light conditions.

I purchased a SmartCarry holster and have been carrying the P99c in it regularly for a couple months. It conceals easily and has been very comfortable. I'll probably write up a separate review on the SmartCarry at another time. I've been very happy with it so far.

If you're a fan of DA/SA pistols and would like to venture outside of the heavier metal hammer fired handguns that system is usually used for then look no further than Walther's highly underrated P99 series pistols. They come in either 9mm or 40s&w.

 

[TBurnham]

Walther P99AS .40 S&W
I just got this gun from a member yesterday. Great person to deal with that it came from also. I did not get it until later in the evening so I was rushing to get home and then to the range. The gun I got came in a blue factory box with several accessories, including two mags, the interchangeable back straps, interchangeable front sites, the tools to do the changes and a cleaning rod. It is not on hard plastic but is foam lined which I think will save some scratches in the future. It also has the gun lock and the paperwork as well as the fired case.
First thing I can tell you about these guns are how they melt into your hand. They fit great, and with the extra back straps you can change out the grip. The medium was the best fit for me. With the different back straps I can see where this gun could fit several hand sizes. You do have to slightly turn the gun to hit the mag release button, but it is doable. The slide lock/release is easy to get to and easy to operate. It has rear slide serrations but none on the front of the gun, which as short as the front is I’m not sure they would do you any good anyways. The sights that came on this one are not night sights but they are bright and easy to see even in low light conditions. It also comes with a total of four (4) front sights that you can change out if you are not on target. The rear sights are fully adjustable. The pistol is about the Glock 19.
Now upon arriving at the range I hung two targets and planned to shoot from the 15 yard line. The way this gun fits in your hand puts you on target just by pointing. The first few shots I fired were slow deliberate shots. It was putting them right at POA. I was very happy with how easy it was for follow up shots as well. I did not expect to be very accurate due to me being rushed and I had not eaten dinner yet. The pistol did its part and would have been better if I had done my part. As it was, it still shot incredible groups.
The long and short of it is, if you are looking for a new pistol and are tired of the Glock and XDs you might want to have a look at these guys. It carries just as good as my Glock 27 even though it is bigger than my Glock. It just simply fits well against my body.