I just impulse bought 2 Walther P99AS handguns for $1000 and was wondering what everyone's opinion on them was. I am a HK guy and wanted to try something different and the P99AS caught my eye. They seem to be excellent guns but don't seem to be very popular. I was hoping someone could help me validate my purchase . Thanks.

best striker fired DA available, also the length of the paddle is more ergonomic the HK's.

Awesome, thank you.

I have owned a QA for the better part of 13 years now, with some 3 gun matches, IDPA, USPSA, carry, and HD on it. Over 10k rounds of garbage ammo and never missed a beat. The QA trigger is annoying compared to what's out now but yours should be better. Would not hesitate to grab in the end of the world.

Thanks

my favorite DA/SA. Unique too and one hell of a gun. Unfortunately, I have small hands and could not confidentally get to the DA pull with gloves on (I live in MI and often wear gloves). The DA trigger pull is however easy to get use to and get really good with. Off loaded them, but respect them highly and if my hands were bigger it would be my Go-to pistol. Have nothing bad to say outside of the grip being somewhat slippery. They are fantastic. I at one point had two P99AS and a P99c (you should get a compact now). Fun fact, the threaded barrel from Walther that is for the PPQ works in the P99AS. Runs well suppressed.

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Great gun, grip is super slippery and NEEDS a Talon.  A Glock 17 striker spring is a direct swap and improves the DA pull.

I own three.  Of all the pistols I own, and I have more than a few, the P99 AS are the ones I shoot the best, and the ones I count on if things go bump in the night.  I have installed Trijicon night sights on all of them, an easy job with the P99.

If you start hunting for mags, do remember that the PPQ M1 mags are totally compatible with the P99 series.  M2 mags are not.
I have picked up a couple of the 17 round PPQ M1 mags, worth it if you want to up the round count a bit.  Also, mags for the Magnum Research MR9 are the same as P99 mags.  The MR9's frame was actually made by Walther.

The single action stage of the P99 has the same (some say better) break and reset as the much ballyhooed trigger of the PPQ.  The reset is ultra short and fast, so just be aware.  Once you master it you can attain an outstanding rate of fire.

If my HK45 had a trigger as good as the P99's, it would be the perfect 45.

I personally felt the trigger reset on the P99AS is the best and rivals that of a 1911 trigger reset. Hell, I think it is even better than a 1911's. Goodness I loved its reset. its SA is so nice. One tip of the DA pull is to not stage the pull, but to pull through it in one go (of course smoothly and witout jerking it). You can carry it in AS mode, but I preferred carrying it in decocked with the traditional DA pull.

Excellent handgun.

I have a P99 AS compact and YES the trigger is super. I've owned numbers of DA/SA handguns over the years and still have three, but the Walther AS is the best of the bunch straight out of the box. Plus it's a polymer framed striker handgun which I have come to prefer over most others. And Yes, the grip is slick, but rubber Talons fixed that. I have Talons on most of my polymer framed guns and like them much better than the slip on rubber sleeves like the Hogue.

You don't see too many of these handguns for three reasons in my opinion. One is that Walther is a small player in the handgun market in the United States. Second is that Walther does not import large numbers of these handguns into the U.S. and those are usually in batches. I can find Walther PPQs and PPS M2 o the shelf at most of my larger local gun stores and always at our Cabelas and Bass Pro, but almost never see a P99. Go to Gun Broker and try to find a P99 AS compact in 9mm.  Pickings are lean to non existent. Third is that the AS trigger puts lots of people off when they read a description of it without having one in hand to actually try.

OP, congratulations on your P99s.

That's a great handgun.  I had one for several years in 40sw.  I sold it when I got rid of my 40sw guns, but I have a 9mm PPQ now.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I really appreciate it.

I owned a VERY early P99 QPQ. I had issues with mine that I know Walther corrected(recoil causing slide stop lever to pop up and lock back slide mid magazine). That being said, the P99 was one of my all time favorite pistols due to the unique striker fired DA/SA with top decocker.

I should buy another one....

My sister wanted one because she's a James Bond nut and couldn't afford a PPQ.  It looked a little strange to me but after handling it I found it has really good ergonomics.  After shooting it I realized it shot as good as it felt.  I like the unique decocker and I can't really think of anything bad to say about them.  I admit to being a bit of a gun snob but a good gun is a gun gun and I'd own one any day.  They are flying way under the radar in my opinion.

I'm not sure I'd pay a grand for two of them but that's probably because I have very little money these days and I'm in a frugal mindset but you darn sure bought some nice pistols.  I'd buy one of those akimbo holsters that ride in the small of your back and carry them full tilt Hollywood tactical!  LOL

Dumped every Glock I owned after I bought my first Walther P99.  Wonderfully accurate and dependable pistols - all you have to do is pick one up and you will understand.  The decocker arrangement and the paddle releases are just icing on this German cake.

Agree with this statement completely. The P99 is an awesome firearm for the reasons stated by gunner, especially the mag release paddle. Its a shame that Walther moved away from the trigger guard mag release with all their new iterations. I use the P99c for concealed carry option and it is great save for the general limited support with regards to holsters and sights.

Great underrated guns. I worked weekends at a range a while back for beer money and aside from the Glocks, it was the only thing that wasn't going back for service.

I have one. I think it's a unique pistol. Congrats on your two!

I've got a P99 and a P99 Compact that I haven't used much...my only real complaints are that the grip is very slick on them and the shape of the trigger. They really benefit from grip tape, or from stippling; the trigger shape is like a CZ in that the sharp curve can cause discomfort after shooting it for a while. I don't know of a fix for the trigger issue, but that also might be a person by person thing...it bugs me, but it might not bug you after a while.

I'm pretty sure they're the only true TDA or true DA/SA striker gun around that can be carried in either mode, safely. That alone should endear them to a lot of people but weirdly it flies under the radar still.

I don't carry or shoot either the P99 or P99c very often but I have no plans on selling either.