P99QA Detail strip guide (How to make the QA trigger unsuck)

54961 Views 63 Replies 35 Participants Last post by imaoldfart, Apr 4, 2019

jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · Jun 3, 2007

First time poster, long time lurker. I figure I would add something to the community of worth....

Well lets begin. Since our friends at Walther or Smith and Wesson don?t provide us with a detail strip guide, I will try and do my best to walk you though it.

This is also how to make the P99-QA trigger, ?unsuck?. Frankly, my P99-QA was gritty, far from smooth, and not consistent in the resistance through the entire pull of the trigger.

The only thing I ask from any who read this?.. If you post this information on another forum or your own website, please give me and the team at waltherforums the credit.

***DISCLAIMER***

I DO NOT CLAIM THAT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS 100% SAFE. I AM NOT A QUALIFIED GUN SMITH NOR DO I STATE THAT THIS POSTING WILL WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR WEAPON.

PERFORM AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Now that we have the lawyers happy?.

Lets begin with what tools we are going to need.

From left to right:

Walther Manual, Small piece of wood, Gun oil, SMALL hammer, Jewelers Flathead Screw driver, Small punch, Dental pic or the like, Needle nose pliers, Plastic paint can cap.

You will also need a jewelers wheel with ultra fine compound, 400+ grit sand paper, and some NON PETROLEUM brake cleaner. Zep brake clean works great!

THE FRAME

Start by using the slide release button and remove the slide.

Once the slide is off, remove the slide take down button using your jewelers flat head screw driver. Be sure not to score or scratch your frame.

Next, remove the slide stop ?catch button? shaft pictured here.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jun 3, 2007

Use this method to depress the spring so the shaft can be removed.

Be careful to let the tension up on the spring slowly. You do not want this flying across the room.

Take note of the take down catch assembly.

****THIS MUST BE IN THE CORRECT POSITION OR YOUR SLIDE WILL COME OFF DURING FIRING AND INJURE YOU OR DESTROY THE GUN.

Next, take the punch and small hammer and drive the main trigger pin out. You will need to use the small piece of wood to prop the frame up so that you can drive the pin completely out.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 3, 2007

This pin will have two grooves in it.

****This is the first step in making the P99-QA trigger action unsuck. Polish this shaft with the jewelers wheel until the shaft shines. Do not polish the ends of the pin, as you will want to keep the black oxide on them.

Next, drive the secondary trigger pin out. Be sure that your punch is smaller than the pin. If not, you risk ruining the pin bore and the pin will not fit when reinserted.

Remove the trigger from the bottom?.

****This is the next step to making the trigger unsuck. The poly trigger has rough edges on it and also has poor casting marks on it. Take your jewelers wheel WITHOUT COMPOUND and buff these edges and casting marks off the FINGER PAD ONLY.

Next, drive the main pin out that holds the front cradle.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 3, 2007

Remove the front cradle. If the cradle will not move, the pin it not completely out. The cradle is a precision fit. DO NOT PRY OR FORCE IT OUT.

Next, remove the slide stop and its spring (spring noted by pointer).

Next, remove the trigger cam.

You will need force the transfer arm to the side to remove the plastic trigger cam.

Next, take the punch and remove the rear cradle pin as shown.

Next, take your punch and remove the rear back strap. Removing this will give you access the rear cradle.

This will be tough to remove. Use the small punch and your fingers (remember not to pry on any thing!) to ease the cradle out of its poly frame resting spot.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 3, 2007

Remove the transfer arm and its spring.

****This is the next step in making the P99-QA trigger unsuck. Take a look at the stock transfer arm casting.

Notice how rough the stamping process left the steel. Now take a look at the transfer arm after a little sandpaper, jewelers wheel buffing, and then cleaning an oiling. (The second picture shows the area to polish)

To reassemble, just go in reverse. Also, be sure to CLEAN EVERY THING! You don?t want jewelers wheel buffing compound or sand paper grit any where in the gun.

Be sure to oil your fingers, and touch every metal part inside ensuring there is a light coat of oil on the parts.

THE SLIDE

Onto the slide?.

There are several areas that I didn?t pay any attention to in this write up simply because I was focusing on making a better trigger, not a faster gun.

That said? lets move forward.

Take the slide, and remove the rear striker assembly retaining plate. This information can be found in your Walther Manual.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 3, 2007

Take out the striker assembly.

****CAUTION. YOU WILL WANT TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES FOR THE NEXT STEP. YOUR FINGERS WILL GET PINCHED. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND IT.

Walther warns us not to take the striker assembly apart. This is due to the fact they do not want you to ruin the firing pin nose or shoot your eye out with the main striker spring.

****Take note here of the P99 VS the P99-QA striker spring pictured above. The P99 uses a straight spring, while the QA has a bent spring. I believe this is what causes some of the ?gritty? feeling you feel in the trigger due to the spring rubbing the firing pin. More on this later?.

To save the firing pin nose, use a paint can plastic cap shown here with a hole in it using the small punch.

Take the striker assembly and put the nose of the firing pin into the hole in the cap.

Push the spring down. Your fingers will get pinched. It hurts. Deal with it.

Remove the two plastic retaining lugs. The assembly should appear as such.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 3, 2007

****This is the next step in making the P99-QA trigger unsuck. Take the edge off of each plastic retaining lug using your jewelers wheel. Do not use polishing compound. Do not use heavy force. You can see the rounded VS rough plastic lug. Rounding these edges makes the QA striker spring glide smoothly over them?.

****This is the last step in making the P99-QA trigger unsuck. Pictured is the striker/firing pin that has already been sanded & polished. When stock, the area pointed at has sharp points that grab and rub the striker spring causing the ?gritty? feeling in the trigger. Sand these with your sand paper, and follow up with the jewelers wheel with compound.

Again, assembly is reverse order. Be sure to clean and oil all the parts before you put them back in.

Last, just for reference?.

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jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 3, 2007

Also:

This is the stock transfer arm finish compaired to the sanded and polished transfer arm.

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Jake Starr

· #9 · Jun 3, 2007

Very nice job! Thanks for posting....

uncut

· #10 · Jun 4, 2007

Wow....
thanks for sharing that... that must have taken a long time to write up and take pics of.... way cool

Yakko Warner

· #11 · Jun 4, 2007

Amazing post! Thanks so much. Maybe someday I will have the balls to smooth off my transfer arm. I'm pretty sure it's coarseness is responsible for my DA roughness.

mk23

· #12 · Jun 9, 2007

Very Cool!

Thank you very much for the all the Hard Work!

GPalmer

· #13 · Jun 10, 2007

Very nice! Thanks!

(How about a sticky here or maybe a new section with guides in it?!)

photohause

· #14 · Jun 10, 2007

Thanks for taking the time to share with all of us! photo

jontheturboguy

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 12, 2007

Well the range proves success!

Before, I couldn't hit the target! (you think Im joking don't you?)

The trigger before would feel like this:

1lb...resistance....2 ....5....7....18lb BANG!

The rise in trigger weight was causing me to put too much finger on the trigger, and thus a "low and left" shot was the result.

Now the trigger goes something like this...

1lb....resistance... 7lb...7lb...7lbs... BANG!

And this is my "peel away" target @ 15 yards.

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sepolvora

· #16 · Jul 15, 2007

Thsnks Very Much

I really appreciate what you did

As somebody said before... I don't have... the hands to do that on my gun, butr is I ever find someone who can, I will give the gun.

...on a second thought, maybe I'll start wth the stricker first.

And seriously, if you ever come to Costa Rica, I owe you a cold beer.

ShipWreck

· #17 · Jul 15, 2007

Very nice job!

eodinert

· #18 · Jul 15, 2007

Question for the trigger job jedi: I was eye-balling my QA trigger mechanism to see what could be done as well. I noticed that one of the nubs that sticks up on the transfer bar engages a divot in the slide to force the transfer bar down, and release the firing pin as the trigger is pulled. The top of this nub is ugly, and rough. When I lube the nub, it improves the trigger quite a bit. I'm curious as to why you did not dress the engagement surface between said nub and the slide?

Great write up, by the way. Thanks.

uncut

· #19 · Jul 15, 2007

GPalmer said:
Very nice! Thanks! (How about a sticky here or maybe a new section with guides in it?!)

Sorry.... I must have overlooked this post....
It will take a bit longer but we do have something in the works for "classic" threads.... (it may take a few months till it is up and running though)

Bluefool

· #20 · Oct 9, 2007

Holy smokes.

That is just flat out fantastic. I'm having a bad problem with my QA shooting low and left, and it looks like I just found the solution. I think I'm going to go find a paint can top....

Thanks very much for an amazing write up!

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