I’ve had this pistol on my list to to buy if I came across one that was not criminally priced and in good condition, for quite a few years. It didn’t help my cause when importation really slowed in favor of importing the PPQ, as most striker fired pistol fans focused on shorter, lighter trigger pulls and short, trigger resets, to cut their split times in competition.
The P99AS (AS being short for Anti-Stress trigger), was developed as a duty pistol, plain and simple. The trigger system is the most misunderstood and unique parts of this pistol. In my own opinion, (of the exact value I charge for it), timing of development, and lack of effective marketing lead to confusion and disappointment from many who expected the trigger to be more like a Glock. The release of their own PPQ (Police Pistol, Quick action), and the resulting response from competitors in the market, also making fully cocked, single action striker fired pistols made more of a connection with the “lighter and faster trigger = better” crowd. Everyone wanted sub quarter inch trigger travel, under 4 lbs, with a 1/8” or less trigger reset that made a big click.
A striker fired pistol with a double action first pull around 8-9 lbs just didn’t have the same marketing appeal to the HSLD crowd. Even though the following single action trigger pulls seem to have exactly the characteristics that appealed to fans of the PPQ.
Now that many folks who have “gotten serious about carry” seem have gone through a shift in thought on fully staged striker fired pistols, there seems to have been a bit of a revival regarding hammer fired DA/SA pistols among some of them. I wonder, if the timing had been a bit different and the marketing a bit more savvy, would the P99AS have enjoyed more of the sales benefit and aftermarket support we see among the DA/SA revival? Could this have been “the striker fired pistol for serious use only”?
If you are looking for a range toy or a competition pistol look elsewhere, it won’t scratch that itch. There is room for improvement even in the “Duty use” realm. Trigger stacking could be improved without sacrificing safety or reliability. The trigger face could be shaped a little flatter for comfort and longer range/training sessions, and the grip texture could be improved to give more traction. But the basic platform seems solid. Aftermarket support or a Gen 3 could address these issues.
The gun is still in production by Walther, but mostly for European sales and police and military contracts. Importation to the US is much more limited. The P99C (Compact, closer to Glock 26 size) is still brought in regularly, but the full size (closer to Glock 19 size) is not as common.
Curious about others thoughts on this pistol and the DA/SA/decocker revival.
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Originally Posted by SSGN_Doc
