I would have pointed out that the P99 grip was designed by Cesare Morini, an Olympic pistol grip designer, and I would have pointed out that the P99 was the first polymer pistol available with replaceable backstraps. I would have also pointed out that the decocker blocks the path of the striker when it is pressed into the slide, which should make for safer holstering of the pistol compared to other striker fired pistols. Also, both the 9mm and .40S&W use the same recoil spring assembly. Walther added weight to the slide of the .40 model so that it would be possible to use the same recoil spring on both calibers.
But these are just a few nits to pick with it. Overall, I liked it, and anything that sheds some light on what I would consider a very underrated pistol, is OK in my book.
BTW- if you're depress the de-Cocker while holstering you could still pull the trigger...So does not make it safe. not sure where that information came from at least that's how it is on my P99C AS. I do put my thumb or the striker indicator is as a tactical function when I holster.
BTW- if you're depress the de-Cocker while holstering you could still pull the trigger...So does not make it safe. not sure where that information came from at least that's how it is on my P99C AS. I do put my thumb or the striker indicator is as a tactical function when I holster.
The decocker button itself is what stops the forward travel of the striker when decocking the pistol. I found this out when I took my well used P99 apart, and saw that there was a wear mark on the back of the tab on the decocker button where the striker was impacting it. I'm assuming this was done as a safety feature, so that it wasn't just the firing pin block that was stopping the striker when decocking the pistol.
You can test this yourself with an unloaded pistol. Put a pen in the barrel, press the decocker into the slide, keep it there, and pull the trigger. If the pen doesn't shoot out of the barrel, then the decocker is working correctly.
Pulling the trigger with the decocker depressed into the slide will still allow the striker to cock and release, but the striker should not be able to reach the primer of a chambered cartridge if the decocker is pressed, and held, into the slide. This can be used to more safely holster the pistol, in case something catches the trigger on its way into the holster.
I noticed the same characteristic with two different PPQs....the well worn Q is silky smooth under recoil, and the newer one with the fresher spring is noticeably "stouter" shooting back to back.
Are you lubricating your P99 still with Slip 2000 products?
I've never seen any place where Walther mentioned this. Though, in my opinion, they should, being that this is a big selling point for hammer fired pistols, or pistols like the PPS where you can put your thumb over the slide cap to prevent an ND.
I'm thinking either they don't know that this is a selling point, or they don't want people testing it with loaded pistols.
If you take out the decocker button, and reinsert the striker, you can observe how to top "leg" of the striker assembly catches the actual decocker button when its depressed before the striker face contacts the FPB safety. Fiddling around with forward pressure on the striker can show slight forward movement toward and against the FPB safety plunger AFTER you release the decocker button.
It does not impact the firing pin block when decocking the pistol. The decocker button itself is what stops the forward movement of the striker.
Quite new also for us at Walther/Germany.
Cesare (whom I know personally since many years) surely has a lot of merits, but was definitely not involved in the grip design or any other parts of the P99. Head of design then was Horst Wesp.
Maybe a change to the P99FAQ is in order if Cesare Morini was not involved in the grip design. Apparently, this was mentioned in quite a few magazines and sources that featured articles on the P99 back then.
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