Tried a P99

[Joeywhat]

Went to the range today and decided to give a P99 .40 a whirl...I wanted a 9mm but they did not rent those out.

First I'd like to say that I no longer like .40...this was my first time shooting that caliber, and I felt it was way too uncontrollable. My had was even a little numb after 50 rounds. Seems like it's the snappiness of 9mm combined with the force of a .45...worst of both worlds. I don't think I'll be buying a .40 anytime soon, and if I do it'll be a VERY big and heavy gun.

That being said, I shot well. For those who remember my flinching problem...it's better, but not completely gun. The trigger screwed with me A LOT the first time out...it was the AS trigger, and I wasn't entirely sure how it would pull. Flinched like a mofo the first shot due to the ungodly long trigger pull. Well, I actually flinched before shooting...the entire first mag was right on target, a nice 3" group @ 7 yards. After that, though, the flinching started up again. Not all the time, but about 33% were obvious flinches. After the first shot the trigger was pretty normal, but a very short reset. I was expecting more travel to get there.

All in all not terribly impressed with the P99. I don't like the idea if not having any safeties, either...the weird first trigger pull is annoying, too. Still got my eye on the PPS, though.

No pics of the targets, though...hands were full and didn't feel like hauling them home in the downpour we got today.

And on a weirder note, I shoot more accurately with my P22 under fast, sustained fire then taking my time. 3" grouping at 5 yards with no problems, as opposed to 4-5" going slow. Weird...

[cjive134]

Originally Posted by Joeywhat

Went to the range today and decided to give a P99 .40 a whirl...I wanted a 9mm but they did not rent those out.

First I'd like to say that I no longer like .40...this was my first time shooting that caliber, and I felt it was way too uncontrollable. My had was even a little numb after 50 rounds. Seems like it's the snappiness of 9mm combined with the force of a .45...worst of both worlds. I don't think I'll be buying a .40 anytime soon, and if I do it'll be a VERY big and heavy gun.

That being said, I shot well. For those who remember my flinching problem...it's better, but not completely gun. The trigger screwed with me A LOT the first time out...it was the AS trigger, and I wasn't entirely sure how it would pull. Flinched like a mofo the first shot due to the ungodly long trigger pull. Well, I actually flinched before shooting...the entire first mag was right on target, a nice 3" group @ 7 yards. After that, though, the flinching started up again. Not all the time, but about 33% were obvious flinches. After the first shot the trigger was pretty normal, but a very short reset. I was expecting more travel to get there.

All in all not terribly impressed with the P99. I don't like the idea if not having any safeties, either...the weird first trigger pull is annoying, too. Still got my eye on the PPS, though.

No pics of the targets, though...hands were full and didn't feel like hauling them home in the downpour we got today.

And on a weirder note, I shoot more accurately with my P22 under fast, sustained fire then taking my time. 3" grouping at 5 yards with no problems, as opposed to 4-5" going slow. Weird...

First let me say that I'm sorry your first intoduction to the P99 was with a .40s&w. The 9mm is so very choice.

The P99 needs no external safety as it has 4 internal ones. a trigger safety, a blocked striker, a decocking block, and a drop safety.

The reason for the anti stress trigger pull is to reduce the chances of a negligent discharge during a stressfull situation. You will get used to it. When I am shooting the first thing that I do is apply a small amount of pressure to disengage the AS at which point the gun is in standard SA mode.

The P99 can be safely carried in SA or DA mode. Remember, your #1 satety is between your ears.

Another feature that makes the P99 superior to all other pistols is the magazine release. It is not designed to use the thumb. Instead, you take your trigger finger, without changing from your firing grip, and pull back on this lever. If done in this way you will be able to unload and reload without moving your hand and thus you will be ready to fire once you drop the slide release. This means that if you ever do have to reload in a sticky situation you will be ready to fire quicker than with a traditional thumb release.

I could go on and on. If you have any other questions please ask.

As for the PPS, I haven't seen one yet, but I know it has a QA trigger which is like a Glock in that it is 1/2 cocked. I have used a P99 witha QA trigger and it it very smooth. A great gun for CCW.

[Joeywhat]

How do all the safeties work? I know there wasn't an external grip or trigger safety...basically, if it's got on ready to go, and i pull the trigger without having a grip on the gun, will it go off? My main fear would be holstering it and getting the trigger caught on something.

I did notice how you could set the trigger to SA on the first round. Was certainly better. I am also familiar with the mag release as I have a P22. I think it's very nice, using the P22 a lot makes it very natural for me.

All in all if it were the QA model, in 9mm, I'd probably go for it...although I think a PPS would be first in line. The range I went to did not rent the PPS so I couldn't try it out...however it's heaven in my hands. They say they're selling them as fast as they can stock 'em, too.

Right now the main reason for going with the PPS over the P99 is size...I'm really looking for a pocket gun...holster don't do it for me.

[cjive134]

a ton of info here. Walther P99 FAQ