I am old and fumbly enough that I would probably need to sit inside an upside-down cardboard box when disassembling something like this.... just to contain all the parts.
@@broughswenson651 I wasn't watching closely and had one of those "wait a minute.. did something unexpected just happen" moments. I wasn't certain at first that it really happened.
@@williamflowers9435 your right about him calling the feller a Goober however hes not wrong glocks are still being made and issued to militaries around the world. And other canik from Turkey and a few eastern European countries the p99 is dead so why is he a goober other than the name calling?
@@ericwethington Walthers are also still being made, used and issued. The difference is that Glock went "It's been good in the 80s so it's just as good now" and has done nothing but minor tweaks for many decades (slightly bigger tweaks in recent years). In contrast to that, Walther continued to truly innovate, releasing new models. They wanted to drop this because they designed new and even better pistols, which are also being made, used and issued..
@MarvinCZ never said Glocks didnt need upgrades I used to call the blocks swore id never own one. Then i found the gen 4 and 5 I'm also pretty sure i mentioned the canik which is basically a modified and updated p99. But there has to be a reason more military "sf" choose the blocks lol
5:30 you also have to recognise that in Germany, because of restrictive gun regulations, air guns fullfil the educational and recreational roles that for example .22 guns have in the US. For example you cannot shoot guns on private property as a normal citizen, you need official gun range facilities for this. Meanwhile you can buy and own air guns without a licence and shoot them (in most circumstances) on your own property. because of this, air guns are a start into small calibre shooting or a hobby in itself in Germany, and much more mainstream than they would ever be in the US.
Thanks for the comment Love hearing about firearms/laws from other countries... I see a lot of dumb comments from people in other videos saying things like " just move to America" but of course it's not that easy and RUclips content like this and the air guns like you're talking about gets people interested in it and could eventually change some of the perception of firearms and May in the long run become easier to own
The air gun version of the P99, along with the mention of it by Mr. Bond himself, is what made me choose the P99 in .40 as my first pistol purchase at the tender age of 21. Which scares the hell out of me now that I’ve got another 20 years on top of that age and look back on just how dumb I was back then….but nobody ever got shot or anything so I guess it’s a win!
While visiting Berlin I stopped in a store in a shopping center that exclusively sold air soft and other types of “air” powered guns. It was amazing! Perfect replicas of all types of tactical firearms, including full auto. No orange tips. Full range of optics and other accessories too. They look so real that I wondered how people don’t get shot by police thinking those are real guns. Then I remembered that Germans are very sensible and law abiding and would never ever do something so stupid and dangerous as to carry one of these air guns on the streets.
I bought a Walther P99 in Fall of 2000; it was my first 9mm pistol. It was also the fastest shooting semi-automatic handgun I owned, and I never knew why until now, so thank you for explaining the functioning of this handgun. In 2020 my daughter turned 21 and could legally conceal carry so I gave her permission to choose any of my handguns as her carry gun... and that's why I no longer have a Walther P99 as now it's hers. While I miss having that handgun in my collection, I'm confident that it will serve my daughter well in all the years to come.
This was my first pistol that I purchased back in 2001 and i still have it. I picked up the olive drab green option. It was one of the best triggers then and now. Unfortunately, I purchased it in 40, but I corrected that error and got the matching Final Edition in 9.
The P99 ist still the standard handgun for the state police in my home state Nordrhine Westfalia. They carry the double action only, as they decided it's more safe to avoid negligent discharge. I think it´s a timeless und comfortable gun.
I drive by our local police station every morning when I bring my daughter to kindergarten and just saw a P99 on a female officer just today when waiting at a stop sign. One of the best guns ever produced, IMO. Sidenote: it's snowing right now ... wtf?
I bet the number of negligent shootings in the U.S. by police would be much lower if they used the P99AS (or the HK P7 for that matter). That heavy first pull really requires you to have purposeful action.
Yeah, apparently they forgot to bring the prop gun that day and the photographer himself (I think) was an air pistol shooter and had his Walther in his car. IMHO the longer barrel made that shot of Connery more iconic than it might otherwise have been!
Makes sense P99 was licensed to Radom as it is for many years now the chosen service pistol of multiple Polish agencies. Almost 80k produced in Poland for the police only, not counting commercial ones if I remember correctly
Are you sure? Wow...it's a chosen service gun in Poland? It must be a great shooter because the Czech Republic with their CZs is right next door. So is Germany with their newer guns made mainly for service, such as H&K. P99 looks like a total winner.
@@mikegurv1818 Polish officials wanted to keep production of firearms in Poland and they wanted a license to production of modern pistol. Whalter has gived that to them. Now almost every agency in PL uses P99,. In some sense, this gun saved Radom factory.
there are few issues with it tho. 1. because of the antistress trigger it requires a bit more training for the user than typical glock. 2. for whatever reason, the polish version has a changed trigger guard for a more oval one (makes near-to-impossible to use a 'push-pull' grip while shooting, because the hand slips) 3. there were incidents when the gun blew up sending the stiker straight into the eye of the user. long story short - gun is not designed for dry fire training on empty chambers, but the goverment training was (and still is) based on it. wear and tear of the weapon led to malfunction which could potentialy be fatal. after enough incidents Radom decided to make the back portion of the gun twice as hard, because they knew the goverment will not change the training program since its 'user error', not 'program error'. still, in my personal opinion, p99 is one the best LEO pistols out there
Great video. I have long been a Walther fan. As a LEO, I carried a Walther P5 as my off duty arm and then to a P99 in 40 cal. I was lucky enough to get a P99 before they partnered with S&W. I was so impressed with the accuracy and ergonomics of the P99, that I recommended it to my Sheriff's Office when they were testing for a new service sidearm.
I once owned all of the calibers of the first version M&P pistols. Ended up selling all but one due to that damn awful trigger. The only I still have is the .22 which was proudly made by Walther. It’s the only one I actually enjoyed shooting. Beyond that I wish S&W and Walther had never collaborated. Their relationship always felt like the didn’t add up to something that made much sense.
As a kid who started with airsoft, then got interested in real gun history, hearing umarex actually contributing to the continuation of walther was like hearing your hometown basketball coach assisted the NFL operate.
My older brother was deep into air soft and promptly became a gunmetal collector as an adult. My love for the history and engineering of arms comes from reading encyclopedias and stuff about it just to keep up. My first and only air soft that I bought and didn’t barrow was a full steel electric auto 20g m249 para When the civilian variant came out and Ian had his video on it I immediately texted my brother to see if he still had it. He denied. I think he’s lying. I NEED it lol
My P99AS is STILL my daily carry. It's a FANTASTIC pistol in handling, performance, and design. I'm still hunting for one of the final releases they put out.
I carried the P99AS for many years. Great pistol. Recently switched to the P365 for a more comfortable, smaller carry option. But the P99 is my go-to for something closer to full-sized. Seriously under-rated... and affordable.
@@FatherOfEverest I bought both my mother and my gf ccp m2's they are a very comfortable shooting little pistol. After I shot my gf's I wanted one myself for a more concealable pistol. Before that she had a bodyguard 380 and that thing was so small and the trigger pull was so heavy it wasn't a very comfortable shooter.
I'm **very** disappointed they discontinued it, and also that they didn't issue a model with all the improvements to the PDP/PPQ series, like the improved grip texture and optics cuts, sights, etc. They really could have kept it in their lineup and people would have continued to buy them on the model's excellent merits.
@@evenjohansen4584 hey... if someone has a 10mm SMG styled after fallout i wouldn't mind one of those too... even if feeding it is like another mortgage
In 2000 prior to entering the police academy, I chose the SW99 version in 40S@W caliber as my duty pistol. It was reliable, ergonomic and a great gun to carry my 23 years until retirement.
I bought my P99 1st Gen in 1999 in .40 S&W. I later bought a S&W SW99 9mm complete slide assembly/upper (which works flawlessly) giving me the option of two calibers on the same frame. I have acquired many pistols since that time but the P99 remains my favorite. Thanks for this excellent overview of this fabulous firearm, Ian.
P99 in 40 cal was my first firearm purchase in 2016, still have it in my collection. Went with it because it felt good in my hands, and I’m a big 007 fan
I got the SW99 in 40SW; I despise the cartridge (recoils too much for me). I bought a surplus SW99 9mm slide assembly plus 9mm magazines and all is good now. It's a sweet pistol with a standard rail for lights.
The first gun I ever owned was a .40SW P99AS it was a Christmas gift from my dad while I was in college. He also gave me two James Bond paperbacks with it. I have strayed away a bit from shooting and collecting, but that one was and still is the most treasured firearm I think I'll ever own because of the memories associated with Christmas morning target practice with James Bond's gun and then reading OHMSS by the fireplace that night.
The P99 spawned Walther's PPQ and PDP pistols. Two of the most innovative and reliable pistols ever mass produced. Absolutely love both PPQ M2s I own (a 9mm and a .40 S&W). Only guns I own that I can consistantly and accurately TRIPLE TAP with the stock trigger. The Trigger, remains the only stock trigger out there that is years ahead of the competition IMHO.
Agreed, and I had to get a PPQ Q5 after I saw Cable with them in Deadpool 2 (which is INCREDIBLY ironic since Ian specifically mentions the important role that new ownership at Walther felt Hollywood had on firearms sales!)
I've had a PPQ .45 ACP for a few years and I frankly hate it. The short reset is too short and sensitive to the point that I and others have accidentally bump-fired the pistol from the gun recoiling in-hand.
Bought the Final Edition of this a few months back. It is my favorite gun of all the 9 mm's I own including Glock, S&W, Springfield, Beretta and CZ (possibly second fav). Love the mag dropper, the SA/DA, the weight, the grip. This is the last 9mm I would ever part with. Thanks for the video.
14:20 "The striker spring is also (decocker flies off) self-contained. [cut] The decocker button is not, by the way..." the timing, answer and delivery... **chef's kiss**
Bond's line about pestering Q to get him one stuck in my mind for literally decades. I grew up with N64's Goldeneye, Bronsan was the first James Bond I was exposed to as as a result the P99 is ingrained in my mind as "James Bond's gun" even more than the PPK. While I didn't actually like the P99AS that I eventually picked up (The trigger was atrocious, the recoil was snappy, and none of the interchangable grips felt like something close to a comfortable size) I can appreciate it's aesthetically gorgeous and mechmanically interesting.
I have a copy of the 1997 World Premiere program for Tomorrow Never Dies. Walther took out a big two page ad showcasing an engraved PPK but also an extremely tactical looking P99 with a super long suppressor and a laser sighting unit on the frame rail. Very cool!
I still remember seeing the P99 for the first time, back in the late 90s. They had a real 'the future is now' vibe to them, along with the Jericho 941 and the Gen 2 Glock 26. They really defined the 90s.
I had a DA/SA version as well, that I ended up selling. I would never carry it today as DA/SA is a fundamentally inferior system, but I still regret selling it because of the cool factor. As a funny inverse, the Euro style ambi lever mag release is fundamentally superior to American button mag releases. I really wish that would have caught on and replaced button released for all modern pistols.
@@Molly-ey6lq"fundamentally inferor" hahahah the p99 could be a DA/SA , a SA and a Glock safe action all in the same trugger package, it offered all 3, and DA /SA is actually the way to go for military and police institutional pistols.
@@Molly-ey6lq "DA/SA is fundamentally inferior" Translation, I can't shoot for sh*t and blame my pistols rather than my skills. If we're being objective, DA/SA hammer fire guns are superior systems due to them having double-strike capability. Not to mention there other advantages.
This is my favorite handgun, when I turned 21 I went out and purchased it on the day. I ended up getting the P99cQA. Id recommend doing a video on the weirdness of the QA as a follow up, its a very cool system. I'd be willing to send mine in if there is a process for doing so!
I have always been a huge Bond and Walther fan. I remember watching tomorrow never dies and seeing this gun for the first time. I was so taken with it that I sketched it on a block of wood, and my grandfather cut it out, so I had a model of it. Wonderful memories. Thank you, Ian, for all your great content.
This is my favorite 9mm pistol for being so unique. I love my HKs, Berettas, SIG P226, and Glocks of course - but this is the most unique 9mm pistol anyone can own in my humble opinion.
Great video. I really appreciate the time spent on the history and detail of the P99. This was my first pistol purchase 23 years ago, and it is one of my favorites in my collection. As you stated .40 was at its hype, so during this last go around with the final edition. I was able to scoop up the matching OD green, but in 9mm to go with my .40.
The P99 is a neat-looking double-stack. I first saw it in the game Stalker SoC. I'd like to thank 🔫⚫🖥 for benefiting a detailed video about it, even if I'm more interested in PSA.
It makes me very sad that Walther stopped producing it, instead focusing on its PPk, PPQ, PDP and such. The P99 is a classic and has clear market appeal...otherwise Canik wouldn't be doing so relatively well.
Agreed- would like to see comparison about what Canik has done to modernize or improve on Walther's designs with also a critique on stuff they should not have changed (grip style, imho). The P99 grip has always felt like an exemplar of good ergonomic fit compared to boring Glock or any other style, really. Would also be interested in why, unfortunately, the P99s feel unusually 'snappy' comparatively though. Perhaps mass distribution or spring strength? Unusure...
I think the problem is that there isn't much business sense in producing an older version of the PPQ/PDP, etc. The P99 became those handguns...so, short of some different trigger mechanisms, you'd just be selling an old gun that occupies the exact same market space as your new version. I suppose you could argue for having a specific DA/SA option, but that's about it. Even the PPQ is being discontinued because of the PDP. It'd be similar to asking Glock to sell the Gen 3 alongside the Gen 4 and the Gen 5.
@@oskar6661 I wish they didn't discontinue both the PPQ and the P99, but I understand that Walther is a lot smaller than other companies. It's still sad though. I don't like the PDP models at all.
Thanks Ian. This is one of my all time favorite striker-fired pistols. I carried it for years (as a civilian). It's an all-around great and reliable pistol. The funny thing, though, was that I used to think the trigger was kind of crap. But after handling and firing lots of striker-fired pistols since, and now carrying the Sig P365, the P99 trigger actually feels pretty darn great to me. It is certainly much better than the p365 trigger. But I should say that my finger does get pinched slightly in my 2 generation version. I didn't know about the design feature of the first gen to mitigate that pinch, so thank you for the enlightenment. Cheers!
I had the first gen P99 in 40 caliber back when they came out. I don't know if the hump was part of my problem, but that thing would pinch my finger every couple of shots. Between that and the kick of .40 in a lightweight pistol, I broke my rule of not getting rid of a gun. I don't miss it. :/
@meanjeans99 I suspect the pinch is the result of the specific curve of the trigger. Unfortunately, there are no aftermarket options to replace the trigger. Since I'm willing to 3d print one, or mill an aluminum one, it's just something I've tolerated.
Jet from Cowboy Bebop uses this pistol. It is a holdover from his days at ISSP (basically space police), so it is fitting for his character. What's more is that the P99 was very new for its time, entering production in 1997, a year before the series aired. According to Wikipedia: "The guns on the show were chosen by the director, Watanabe, and in discussion with set designer, Isamu Imakake, and mechanical designer, Kimitoshi Yamane. Setting producer, Satoshi Toba said, 'They talked about how they didn't want common guns, because that wouldn't be very interesting, and so they decided on these guns.'"
I wanted one of these from the first time I read about it in whichever gunrag covered it upon release. One of my retirement presents to myself was a nice version that immediately became part of my regular carry rotation. I have large hands and I, too prefer the smallest backstrap. Great pistol and a great video of its history.
I bought an SW99, the P99 upper on a S&W frame, in 9mm in 08 or so. At the time it was between the SW99 and a Glock20 as to which I was going to buy. I went with the SW99 because I already had other 9mm’s and the G20 was 10mm and I didn’t want to buy different caliber ammo for just one gun. The other reason I went with the SW99 is it’s just so comfortable in my hand. It really is incredibly comfortable to handle and shoot. One weird thing I noticed…even though the Walther and S&W mags are interchangeable, the SW99 mags are 16 round, but the P99 mags are 15 round. If you take the P99 mag a part there are two protrusions on the follower preventing it from going as low as the S&W mag. If you remove those protrusions it will hold 16 and still functions with no issues.
I picked up an original 1998 serial P99 last year and I love it - so much so I sold my PPQ. I grew up when Brosnan was Bond, so the P99 is a very special pistol to me!
I still love my P99, 1st ed. I did trick it out with a add-on mag well bevel, upper thumb rest and a dual recoil spring guide rod. It is still my favorite prized pistol. It is for this reason alone that I refuse to carry it now. Great vid on it. Thanks.
This video doesn't explain the unique Anti-Stress trigger feature. This isn't surprising as 9 out of 10 owners don't understand it! It's not just regular DA/SA, it has a third trigger mode which is accessed by decocking the gun and then manually cocking it while the trigger is not depressed (either fully racking the slide or just pulling it back a half inch). By doing this, the trigger stays forward in the DA position but the striker spring is pre-compressed so that the trigger weight is closer to that of SA mode. This gives you a long, light trigger pull instead of a long, heavy trigger pull in normal DA mode. It's similar to HK's LEM trigger, except that the Anti-Stress mode reverts to regular SA mode after the first shot (whereas LEM 'mode' is used for all shots). De-cocking puts the gun back in normal DA mode.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 Yes it was the only trigger available on the early guns with the proprietary rail (at least as far as I know, maybe they did a special DAO order or something for someone?). On the later guns with the pic rail they had multiple trigger options. This also adds to the confusion because the "P99AS" is the later model with the AS trigger, but the plain old "P99" also has the AS trigger even though it's not in the name.
Great review and love the Walther P99!!! I have a first generation model and it is my favorite Carry Pistol! Wish Walther would bring it back into production!
here is my little story with UMAREX/WALTHER.... As an air freight truck driver I had the "exciting" job in 2003 of delivering the P99 frames to Frankfurt Airport for the SW factory in the USA, a load of about 5000 frames every week, each one in a small gun case. I had to unload the pallets myself, for cost reasons (the airport charges unloading fees) During the second or third delivery a pallet fell over and the frames were all scattered on the ramp, I quickly told them that the pallet was open and went back to the truck and started stacking the boxes back on the pallet.... In the middle of the work, someone shouted "drop it" and I looked up and saw straight into the muzzle of a federal police MP5!!!! That was the scary part, but from then on I didn't have to unload myself anymore, the federal police did that since then, I had to register by phone beforehand and was given a "secured unloading space" it turned out that the "security" was an "SW 4" with MG3 that was parked in front of the truck
This is FW best video. I remember watching Tomorrow never dies at the cinema by my dad and to me, this is the weapon that "modernizes" the world of guns to me, it was "squared" instead of round like classic firearms and yes, the phrase: "the new Walther" blew my mind. Now I distribute airsoft guns in my country since the real ones are illegal and I do own the replica, by Umarex, which I deeply love and remember double, because my father passed away this February but I do remember him whenever I see the modern sharp shapes of the P99, thank you Ian.
I remember as a a kid when Tomorrow never dies was released and seeing this pistol at the end I wanted one so bad. I ended up with a ppq since it was an updated pistol compared to the p99. Still wish I had bought one when they were in production
I have the blank firing version of the P99, (being based in Denmark, we have super strict firearms regulations....) and I had to take my copy out, while watching this episode 🙂 Thanks for another great video, Ian! 🙂
Same. I picked up a TP9DA on a whim because it was cheap and came with a boatload of mags. I figured it would be a decent plinker if nothing else. I really like it, and while it’s a bit too beefy to be my EDC, it is my nightstand pistol.
As of late, Ian has been really going through the pistols in my collection that I hold near and dear to my heart. First the Lion Heart LH9 and now my beloved P99. A pistol I love so much, I bought the full size and the compact. Cheers!
I don’t really remember why I bought my first Walther, a PPQ M1. After getting to know the PPQ I finally had a chance to run a P99 and it all fell into place for me. I prefer the PPQ for many reasons but the P99 was just a nice reminder of how a favorite pistol came to be.
I remember precisely why I bought mine, lol. I had just left service where I carried a P2000, and wanted a similar control layout. The HK...VP9(?) at the time was still HK priced at around $850-900, and the Walther offered the same controls but at $500-600 instead.
@ I do know that the mag release on the M1 was my initial point of interest. Beyond that, I guess I just bought it and never regretted it. I still say it’s one of the best balanced pistols I’ve ever tried. Later on I stumbled upon a PPQ M1 with a 5” barrel. After adding a tungsten guide rod for more mass at the muzzle I didn’t feel so bad when I ended up selling my CZ Shadow 2.
the P99 and PPQ are the same gun actually you can swap the uppers.. the P99 just offers two extra modes of carry because of the trigger package . you can load a round into the chamber and not decock it and you can holster it safely just in that condition ,, its in a SA mode with a real long REAL SOFT trigger pull for the first shot.... Or you can pull the trigger halfway back and the trigger will just hold itself in that position, it enters a mode of carry just like Glock safe action .. The PPQ didn't have those two extra modes of carry , it was just DA SA like a Beretta 92 or CZ75
Literally my favorite design ever. People don’t understand how good the design is today. The PPQ and PDP design was actually invented in the 90s. Even Glock believes the design is a better design. How do I know? Because Glock made a performance trigger that is amazing and literally emulates the firing pin engagement of a Walther. Brilliant design since the 90s
@@Sig_P229 Gen 3 for me I paid like $550 at Academy like almost 6 months ago. I feel so much safer now honestly. I sold my Taurus G2C and finally bought a real man’s pistol. Glock and Walther for life
Never shot the P99 but I did shoot a PPQ and *my god* was that trigger smooth. I expected it to have a hump at some point but no, it just went off and I was actually surprised since the trigger was insanely light and consistent.
Thank you for this insightful and historic look into the P99 Ian! The Walther P99 was my first gun purchase. What sold me on the design is that I actually bought an Airsoft version at random for Cosplay purposes years before and loved the ergonomic feel to it. It's a dream to shoot at the range. I'm looking to buy another on as my wife "inherited" it. lol.
Thanx. Fascinating pistol, seems to be ahead of its time back then. Never saw a striker fired gun, being able to be decocked like a DA/SA system, up until this video.
I had a Gen1 P99 and bought it because of the many features it offered. One thing you didn't mention about the cocked indicator was that you could feel it with your thumb so you'd know it was cocked in the dark. It also had a loaded chamber indicator, too, or maybe that's my imagination. My only problem with it was that I couldn't shoot well with it; obviously more my fault than the gun since it's been in production and use for 25 years. Kind of makes me want to get it again. Thanks for this trip down memory lane!
I've been waiting for Ian to do this video, essentially since I discovered the channel. Love the history of it and I had no idea that it was a marketing thing for Walther to put it into a Bond movie.
I really like the P99. I always wanted one, but they were a bit outside my budget. I ended up going with a PPQ M2 eventually and that is a fantastic gun. But I clicked on this video immediately because I agree that this gun is quite underappreciated. Personally, I love that bump grip checkering. I'm really glad you made this video.
They did. I have a p99 as that is like the one in the video but the slide has different. Grip cuts on the slide. The next generation after mine has a rough full stippled type texture on the pistol grip. It was called the ppq
When I first picked one of these up, my first thought was about the grip- practically felt like it was made to fit my hand! So easy to acquire targets as it was like an extension of my arm. No other pistol has ever come close.
A wishlist gun for me. Umarex did a REALLY good CO2 powered repeater clone with single action and double action called the CP99. Even the decocker works, and it fits P99 holsters. Someday, if they ever lift the idiotic ban on handgun sales in Canada, I hope to finally get a real one.
I got the clone back when I was 12 or so and knew I had to get a p99 some day--loved the feel and the decocker, and the padle mag release which I'd never seen before. have a first gen 40 cal in OD green now
This is the early EARLY Gen P99. They later changed the trigger on the 1st gen’s that didn’t have that trigger safety. I seem to recall it being finicky. I got my first P99 from Earls repair service. I had “LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY” mags for it and carried it as a duty gun for years. An outstanding design that deserves so much credit
@@oso1165he did say that he prefers the smallest backstrap when shooting it, and then put the smallest backstrap back on it, plus that same setup has been used on other firearms that he has explicitly stated were his, so it most likely is his.
@@collinculberson202 he gets guns sent to him all the time, he goes into collectors homes who prefer to remain anonymous all the time, hes stated things he likes about guns or shooting stuff all the time. You could be right but him saying which grip frame he likes or anything else in the video really doesnt mean anything unless hes stated it
Walther truly is the master of incredibly short trigger resets. The newer PDP has one of the most immediate resets I've ever felt in any pistol other than extremely high end 2011 race guns
Nice video Ian.👍 My favorite "modern age pistol" ( like for WW2 and cold war era weapon collector ), which I use for EDC. I love safety feature - decocking button .
yeah and you can use canik parts to do caliber swaps from 40 to 9mm .. a 9mm canik barrel in a p99 40 with a canik 9 magazine will allow a 40 to shoot 9 even with the 40 slide...
My old buddy had a first Gen canik tp9 and I own a p99as. Not everything interchange, if I remember correctly either his magazine wouldn't fit in mine or vice versa. On the surface it looks like a direct copy with minor differences, but they are not a 1:1 copy
My absolute favorite pistol, got to hold a P 99 and a P 22 set when I was about seven years old and it changed my life forever. I was a gun person from then on out.
I have one of those. Even prettier than the original in my opinion. Unfortunately, paintball pistols fire from an "open bolt position" like mechanism which, combined with mag spring tension, puts too much stress on the smooshy ammo. You also had to really fint tune it to get reliable cycling.
I own the Umarex air pistols and they are fantastic, fun for plinking in the back garden, really well made and very close to the original pistols, really nice replicas and they sell really well in my local gun shop.
@@ianj8505 Yeah, I'm waiting for more info before I put too much stock in that claim. Canik's QC is messy enough that nobody buying one should be leaving it stock and un-nitpicked, and there's an aftermarket firing pin block spring that could have contributed.
@@ianj8505that happened on Fort Johnson guy dropped his canik with a round in the chamber landed straight up on the bottom doorway of his safe and bang there it went. You don't get triggers that good, that cheap without making compromises
Finally..thanks..Glad for yer Post on the CANIK.. was actually going to say so, Im a dork..but great deCock features.,, trigger,, ETC.Why hasn't someone Noticed the Blatant COPY???? Time wore out the patent...I guess...
I really enjoyed this video about the Walther P99, i'm so happy you gave it some spotlight(which it rightfully deserves because it's really under-appreciated). It truly rejuvinated the Walther brand and everything about it is unique. Watching you dressed up like James Bond while talking about the P99 makes you feel like a true spy, in fact if there was a movie where you become the next James Bond i'd gladly watch it😎.
In the mid 2000’s when my son and his friends would play airsoft was the first time I put my hands around a “Walther” P99. Couldn’t believe the fantastic ergonomics. Went and test fired a real one. Bought it on the spot. Love my 1911’s, Hi Power, CZ-75, and all the rest, but nothing feels like the P99.
Lol. I too have a first gen P99 in .40 sw. I filed the nub in the trigger guard down since I would get a bruise on my finger from it getting pinched by the nub on a trigger reset
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
An air gun company loving guns enough to buy a real gun company is a better love story than twilight
i haven't heard someone say "a better love story than twilight" since like 2012 man
@@TomSmith-dp9zb Yeah, that meme is SO dead...
...and yet, it's still a better love story than Twilight.
@@PrototypeSpaceMonkeythey say you aren't really dead as long as someone remembers you. And this in itself is a better lovestory than Twilight
@@TomSmith-dp9zb I saw some people say it several times over the past month.
@@DKNguyen3.1415memes come and go, Twilight is bad forever.
Ian is recording this while on a mission to a volcanic island resort to stop Dr. No
My name is jesus, gun jesus
explains the shirt
All that Guns of Bond book stuff was just him doing secret training.
I'm disappointed he isn't doing this video in skin tight booty shorts in a Cambodian temple...
Nah, he filmed this in Cuba right before conducting an aerial search for a radio dish the size of a football field.
FINALLY! After all these years of watching, I get to watch a part sproing right off the gun on camera!
The way that part flew was almost cartoonish. 😂 might be one of my favorite FW moments.
I am old and fumbly enough that I would probably need to sit inside an upside-down cardboard box when disassembling something like this.... just to contain all the parts.
@@broughswenson651 I wasn't watching closely and had one of those "wait a minute.. did something unexpected just happen" moments. I wasn't certain at first that it really happened.
Y'all are mean for not linking it haha. 14:19 for anyone else who missed it
Love the P99!
Criminally underrated. True DA, innovative ergonomics, as easy to disassemble/maintain and as simple construction as Glock.
Which is why S&W and Walther dumped it...sure Goober
@@chadhaire1711 so says the person who just made the most goober comment I’ve read all week 🤨
@@williamflowers9435 your right about him calling the feller a Goober however hes not wrong glocks are still being made and issued to militaries around the world. And other canik from Turkey and a few eastern European countries the p99 is dead so why is he a goober other than the name calling?
@@ericwethington Walthers are also still being made, used and issued. The difference is that Glock went "It's been good in the 80s so it's just as good now" and has done nothing but minor tweaks for many decades (slightly bigger tweaks in recent years). In contrast to that, Walther continued to truly innovate, releasing new models. They wanted to drop this because they designed new and even better pistols, which are also being made, used and issued..
@MarvinCZ never said Glocks didnt need upgrades I used to call the blocks swore id never own one. Then i found the gen 4 and 5 I'm also pretty sure i mentioned the canik which is basically a modified and updated p99. But there has to be a reason more military "sf" choose the blocks lol
5:30 you also have to recognise that in Germany, because of restrictive gun regulations, air guns fullfil the educational and recreational roles that for example .22 guns have in the US. For example you cannot shoot guns on private property as a normal citizen, you need official gun range facilities for this. Meanwhile you can buy and own air guns without a licence and shoot them (in most circumstances) on your own property. because of this, air guns are a start into small calibre shooting or a hobby in itself in Germany, and much more mainstream than they would ever be in the US.
Germany blew it when they let the Nazis confiscate all civilian guns.
Thanks for the comment Love hearing about firearms/laws from other countries... I see a lot of dumb comments from people in other videos saying things like " just move to America" but of course it's not that easy and RUclips content like this and the air guns like you're talking about gets people interested in it and could eventually change some of the perception of firearms and May in the long run become easier to own
The air gun version of the P99, along with the mention of it by Mr. Bond himself, is what made me choose the P99 in .40 as my first pistol purchase at the tender age of 21. Which scares the hell out of me now that I’ve got another 20 years on top of that age and look back on just how dumb I was back then….but nobody ever got shot or anything so I guess it’s a win!
While visiting Berlin I stopped in a store in a shopping center that exclusively sold air soft and other types of “air” powered guns. It was amazing! Perfect replicas of all types of tactical firearms, including full auto. No orange tips. Full range of optics and other accessories too. They look so real that I wondered how people don’t get shot by police thinking those are real guns. Then I remembered that Germans are very sensible and law abiding and would never ever do something so stupid and dangerous as to carry one of these air guns on the streets.
@@davidclark9908 Germans might be but not the millions of 3rd world parasites who live there now.
I bought a Walther P99 in Fall of 2000; it was my first 9mm pistol. It was also the fastest shooting semi-automatic handgun I owned, and I never knew why until now, so thank you for explaining the functioning of this handgun. In 2020 my daughter turned 21 and could legally conceal carry so I gave her permission to choose any of my handguns as her carry gun... and that's why I no longer have a Walther P99 as now it's hers. While I miss having that handgun in my collection, I'm confident that it will serve my daughter well in all the years to come.
This was my first pistol that I purchased back in 2001 and i still have it. I picked up the olive drab green option. It was one of the best triggers then and now. Unfortunately, I purchased it in 40, but I corrected that error and got the matching Final Edition in 9.
My first handgun was a CZ-75 compact. Now it’s my wife’s pistol. I carry a Glock 21 or HK45c typically now.
Good job on raising your smart daughter well.
Your daughter chose well. Really stylish handgun too.
Buy another. In my country it's impossible, even when the caliber was allowed because we can't import used guns. Buy one.
The P99 ist still the standard handgun for the state police in my home state Nordrhine Westfalia. They carry the double action only, as they decided it's more safe to avoid negligent discharge. I think it´s a timeless und comfortable gun.
Same requirement was put out by Dutch police. They use it too now after using the P5 for decades
Tach!
I drive by our local police station every morning when I bring my daughter to kindergarten and just saw a P99 on a female officer just today when waiting at a stop sign. One of the best guns ever produced, IMO.
Sidenote: it's snowing right now ... wtf?
I bet the number of negligent shootings in the U.S. by police would be much lower if they used the P99AS (or the HK P7 for that matter). That heavy first pull really requires you to have purposeful action.
VERY comfortable. Slips right into the palm perfectly.
A rare James Bond gun! And one of the coolest guns around. Love shirt, Ian.
I love the shirt too. Yes, I was introduced to the P99 as a kid watching Tomorrow never dies❤
Yes
There's a fallout 10mm SMG on the shirt!
@@bobhill3941 Of course, the Chinese somehow had the new Walther in 1996/1997 in that movie when Bond was gathering gear.
@@RexNicolausgoated scene
This is one of my favorite handguns. Very popular police pistol around the world too. Great job, Ian.
Walther ALSO used to make Airguns, some of the Sean Connery publicity shots are him with a Walther air pistol.
Yeah, apparently they forgot to bring the prop gun that day and the photographer himself (I think) was an air pistol shooter and had his Walther in his car.
IMHO the longer barrel made that shot of Connery more iconic than it might otherwise have been!
The LP53. Cool looking airpistol.
CP99 is a neat air pistol
@@FranzAntonMesmer keep telling yourself that
They still make airguns, the good quality ones not the crap that umarex makes.
Makes sense P99 was licensed to Radom as it is for many years now the chosen service pistol of multiple Polish agencies. Almost 80k produced in Poland for the police only, not counting commercial ones if I remember correctly
Are you sure? Wow...it's a chosen service gun in Poland? It must be a great shooter because the Czech Republic with their CZs is right next door. So is Germany with their newer guns made mainly for service, such as H&K. P99 looks like a total winner.
@@mikegurv1818 Polish officials wanted to keep production of firearms in Poland and they wanted a license to production of modern pistol. Whalter has gived that to them. Now almost every agency in PL uses P99,. In some sense, this gun saved Radom factory.
there are few issues with it tho.
1. because of the antistress trigger it requires a bit more training for the user than typical glock.
2. for whatever reason, the polish version has a changed trigger guard for a more oval one (makes near-to-impossible to use a 'push-pull' grip while shooting, because the hand slips)
3. there were incidents when the gun blew up sending the stiker straight into the eye of the user. long story short - gun is not designed for dry fire training on empty chambers, but the goverment training was (and still is) based on it. wear and tear of the weapon led to malfunction which could potentialy be fatal. after enough incidents Radom decided to make the back portion of the gun twice as hard, because they knew the goverment will not change the training program since its 'user error', not 'program error'.
still, in my personal opinion, p99 is one the best LEO pistols out there
@@Yelonek89 had no idea about these issues, thanks!
Had I known this I would have bought one. But it never fit my hand so I went the HK and Sig route
Great video. I have long been a Walther fan. As a LEO, I carried a Walther P5 as my off duty arm and then to a P99 in 40 cal. I was lucky enough to get a P99 before they partnered with S&W. I was so impressed with the accuracy and ergonomics of the P99, that I recommended it to my Sheriff's Office when they were testing for a new service sidearm.
I once owned all of the calibers of the first version M&P pistols. Ended up selling all but one due to that damn awful trigger. The only I still have is the .22 which was proudly made by Walther. It’s the only one I actually enjoyed shooting. Beyond that I wish S&W and Walther had never collaborated. Their relationship always felt like the didn’t add up to something that made much sense.
My dad had one of these when I was growing up in the early 00s and it was one of the first guns I ever shot/fell in love with. Still awesome even now.
Thank you for this video Ian. I’ve owned this one since the mid 90’s. I bought mine when the first batches came into the US. It’s my favorite pistol.
As a kid who started with airsoft, then got interested in real gun history, hearing umarex actually contributing to the continuation of walther was like hearing your hometown basketball coach assisted the NFL operate.
My older brother was deep into air soft and promptly became a gunmetal collector as an adult. My love for the history and engineering of arms comes from reading encyclopedias and stuff about it just to keep up.
My first and only air soft that I bought and didn’t barrow was a full steel electric auto 20g m249 para
When the civilian variant came out and Ian had his video on it I immediately texted my brother to see if he still had it. He denied. I think he’s lying. I NEED it lol
My P99AS is STILL my daily carry. It's a FANTASTIC pistol in handling, performance, and design. I'm still hunting for one of the final releases they put out.
Same here. Sadly the polymer fame is beat up from almost 15 years of use
I carried the P99AS for many years. Great pistol. Recently switched to the P365 for a more comfortable, smaller carry option. But the P99 is my go-to for something closer to full-sized. Seriously under-rated... and affordable.
@@FatherOfEverest I bought both my mother and my gf ccp m2's they are a very comfortable shooting little pistol. After I shot my gf's I wanted one myself for a more concealable pistol. Before that she had a bodyguard 380 and that thing was so small and the trigger pull was so heavy it wasn't a very comfortable shooter.
I'm **very** disappointed they discontinued it, and also that they didn't issue a model with all the improvements to the PDP/PPQ series, like the improved grip texture and optics cuts, sights, etc. They really could have kept it in their lineup and people would have continued to buy them on the model's excellent merits.
Same here I still have my P99QA and it's been about 20 years and it functions the same as it did the first time I took it to the range .
Ian, your smg shirt is blessed with a fallout 10mm smg
who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGE BOB SUB GUN!
:o Holy fudge! _You're right!_ Where can I get one?! (the shirt, not the 10mm SMG)
@@evenjohansen4584 hey... if someone has a 10mm SMG styled after fallout i wouldn't mind one of those too... even if feeding it is like another mortgage
Got to have that shirt!
Anyone know where to find that shirt?
In 2000 prior to entering the police academy, I chose the SW99 version in 40S@W caliber as my duty pistol. It was reliable, ergonomic and a great gun to carry my 23 years until retirement.
I have an SW99 in 9mm and I've had absolutely no issues. It feels right in the hands, decent factory sights, and easy to maintain.
Chose? There were options? In Australia they just supply standard issue service Glock and that’s your baby for eternity.
I bought my P99 1st Gen in 1999 in .40 S&W. I later bought a S&W SW99 9mm complete slide assembly/upper (which works flawlessly) giving me the option of two calibers on the same frame. I have acquired many pistols since that time but the P99 remains my favorite. Thanks for this excellent overview of this fabulous firearm, Ian.
P99 in 40 cal was my first firearm purchase in 2016, still have it in my collection. Went with it because it felt good in my hands, and I’m a big 007 fan
I got the SW99 in 40SW; I despise the cartridge (recoils too much for me). I bought a surplus SW99 9mm slide assembly plus 9mm magazines and all is good now. It's a sweet pistol with a standard rail for lights.
I've carried a P99 for about ten years now, and I love it as much today as the day I first got it.
The first gun I ever owned was a .40SW P99AS it was a Christmas gift from my dad while I was in college. He also gave me two James Bond paperbacks with it. I have strayed away a bit from shooting and collecting, but that one was and still is the most treasured firearm I think I'll ever own because of the memories associated with Christmas morning target practice with James Bond's gun and then reading OHMSS by the fireplace that night.
I have a P99C, was my first carry gun. Still use it from time to time. Maybe the best single action striker fired trigger I've ever used.
The P 99 is one of the few modern guns that still achieved beautiful and artistic lines. Which I believe is one of the reasons everyone just likes it.
I've got a Gen 2 P99AS. That's the first thing I noticed about it as well. Nice gun and polymer gun do not mix. Except in this case.
The P99 spawned Walther's PPQ and PDP pistols. Two of the most innovative and reliable pistols ever mass produced.
Absolutely love both PPQ M2s I own (a 9mm and a .40 S&W). Only guns I own that I can consistantly and accurately TRIPLE TAP with the stock trigger. The Trigger, remains the only stock trigger out there that is years ahead of the competition IMHO.
Agreed, and I had to get a PPQ Q5 after I saw Cable with them in Deadpool 2 (which is INCREDIBLY ironic since Ian specifically mentions the important role that new ownership at Walther felt Hollywood had on firearms sales!)
the trigger on the p99 is even better than the PPQ its got a super short reset too
I still think the PPQ M1 is the best mass produced 9mm gun ever made. I far prefer it to the blocky PDP.
Fun fact, you can put the slide of a P99 on a PDP frame. Not sure if it's safe to fire though
I've had a PPQ .45 ACP for a few years and I frankly hate it. The short reset is too short and sensitive to the point that I and others have accidentally bump-fired the pistol from the gun recoiling in-hand.
Bought the Final Edition of this a few months back. It is my favorite gun of all the 9 mm's I own including Glock, S&W, Springfield, Beretta and CZ (possibly second fav). Love the mag dropper, the SA/DA, the weight, the grip. This is the last 9mm I would ever part with. Thanks for the video.
14:20 "The striker spring is also (decocker flies off) self-contained. [cut] The decocker button is not, by the way..." the timing, answer and delivery... **chef's kiss**
Bond's line about pestering Q to get him one stuck in my mind for literally decades. I grew up with N64's Goldeneye, Bronsan was the first James Bond I was exposed to as as a result the P99 is ingrained in my mind as "James Bond's gun" even more than the PPK. While I didn't actually like the P99AS that I eventually picked up (The trigger was atrocious, the recoil was snappy, and none of the interchangable grips felt like something close to a comfortable size) I can appreciate it's aesthetically gorgeous and mechmanically interesting.
I have a copy of the 1997 World Premiere program for Tomorrow Never Dies. Walther took out a big two page ad showcasing an engraved PPK but also an extremely tactical looking P99 with a super long suppressor and a laser sighting unit on the frame rail. Very cool!
I have seen engraved P99s for sale online.
Finally my beloved gun! Sir. Ian, I own one P99 for about 22 years and i love this gun👌👍
I still remember seeing the P99 for the first time, back in the late 90s. They had a real 'the future is now' vibe to them, along with the Jericho 941 and the Gen 2 Glock 26. They really defined the 90s.
Cowboy Bebop enjoyer. 👍
I love that trigger concept.
I had a first generation P 99. It was my first handgun. It had great ergonomics and a good trigger. I miss that gun.
I had a DA/SA version as well, that I ended up selling. I would never carry it today as DA/SA is a fundamentally inferior system, but I still regret selling it because of the cool factor. As a funny inverse, the Euro style ambi lever mag release is fundamentally superior to American button mag releases. I really wish that would have caught on and replaced button released for all modern pistols.
@@Molly-ey6lq"fundamentally inferor" hahahah the p99 could be a DA/SA , a SA and a Glock safe action all in the same trugger package, it offered all 3, and DA /SA is actually the way to go for military and police institutional pistols.
@@Molly-ey6lq "DA/SA is fundamentally inferior"
Translation, I can't shoot for sh*t and blame my pistols rather than my skills.
If we're being objective, DA/SA hammer fire guns are superior systems due to them having double-strike capability. Not to mention there other advantages.
@@MazdaB-sq4ueyeah I laughed when he said that, wasn't even sure if he was serious.😅 never heard that one haha
@@Molly-ey6lqWhy inferior?
Looking forward to your video on the P5. I was issued a P5C (L102A1) for about 6 years as a personal protection weapon in the early/mid 90s.
The Walther P99 was a great pistol. Glad you did an episode on it.
This is my favorite handgun, when I turned 21 I went out and purchased it on the day. I ended up getting the P99cQA. Id recommend doing a video on the weirdness of the QA as a follow up, its a very cool system. I'd be willing to send mine in if there is a process for doing so!
the walther P5 is one of my favorite looking guns ever made, I hope he does a video on it soon.
Fantastic pistol. One of the best handguns ever. Still my go to pistol.
I have always been a huge Bond and Walther fan. I remember watching tomorrow never dies and seeing this gun for the first time. I was so taken with it that I sketched it on a block of wood, and my grandfather cut it out, so I had a model of it. Wonderful memories. Thank you, Ian, for all your great content.
This is my favorite 9mm pistol for being so unique. I love my HKs, Berettas, SIG P226, and Glocks of course - but this is the most unique 9mm pistol anyone can own in my humble opinion.
Great video. I really appreciate the time spent on the history and detail of the P99. This was my first pistol purchase 23 years ago, and it is one of my favorites in my collection. As you stated .40 was at its hype, so during this last go around with the final edition. I was able to scoop up the matching OD green, but in 9mm to go with my .40.
The P99 is a neat-looking double-stack. I first saw it in the game Stalker SoC. I'd like to thank 🔫⚫🖥 for benefiting a detailed video about it, even if I'm more interested in PSA.
I still don’t know who’s 🔫⚫️🖥️
I gave my Walther P99as a hug while I watched this video. 🥰
It makes me very sad that Walther stopped producing it, instead focusing on its PPk, PPQ, PDP and such.
The P99 is a classic and has clear market appeal...otherwise Canik wouldn't be doing so relatively well.
Agreed- would like to see comparison about what Canik has done to modernize or improve on Walther's designs with also a critique on stuff they should not have changed (grip style, imho). The P99 grip has always felt like an exemplar of good ergonomic fit compared to boring Glock or any other style, really. Would also be interested in why, unfortunately, the P99s feel unusually 'snappy' comparatively though. Perhaps mass distribution or spring strength? Unusure...
@CByers-lh3zq might also have been the fact, that the grip to slide axis is unusually offset due to the larger overlap of the slide in the back
I think the problem is that there isn't much business sense in producing an older version of the PPQ/PDP, etc. The P99 became those handguns...so, short of some different trigger mechanisms, you'd just be selling an old gun that occupies the exact same market space as your new version. I suppose you could argue for having a specific DA/SA option, but that's about it. Even the PPQ is being discontinued because of the PDP. It'd be similar to asking Glock to sell the Gen 3 alongside the Gen 4 and the Gen 5.
They stopped producing the PPQ in 2023 also, now it's only the PDP. I own one of the last PPQ 45 from 2023...
@@oskar6661 I wish they didn't discontinue both the PPQ and the P99, but I understand that Walther is a lot smaller than other companies. It's still sad though. I don't like the PDP models at all.
One of my favorite pistols. Fits my hands like no other. Love Walther.
Thanks Ian. This is one of my all time favorite striker-fired pistols. I carried it for years (as a civilian). It's an all-around great and reliable pistol. The funny thing, though, was that I used to think the trigger was kind of crap. But after handling and firing lots of striker-fired pistols since, and now carrying the Sig P365, the P99 trigger actually feels pretty darn great to me. It is certainly much better than the p365 trigger. But I should say that my finger does get pinched slightly in my 2 generation version. I didn't know about the design feature of the first gen to mitigate that pinch, so thank you for the enlightenment.
Cheers!
I had the first gen P99 in 40 caliber back when they came out. I don't know if the hump was part of my problem, but that thing would pinch my finger every couple of shots. Between that and the kick of .40 in a lightweight pistol, I broke my rule of not getting rid of a gun. I don't miss it. :/
@meanjeans99 I suspect the pinch is the result of the specific curve of the trigger. Unfortunately, there are no aftermarket options to replace the trigger. Since I'm willing to 3d print one, or mill an aluminum one, it's just something I've tolerated.
Great! P88 needs some Attention too.
No.
One of my favorite handguns of all time and it's because of the Bond films. The kid in me will forever love this beauty.
Ian, you've just released my favorite video. Thank you
Jet from Cowboy Bebop uses this pistol.
It is a holdover from his days at ISSP (basically space police), so it is fitting for his character.
What's more is that the P99 was very new for its time, entering production in 1997, a year before the series aired.
According to Wikipedia: "The guns on the show were chosen by the director, Watanabe, and in discussion with set designer, Isamu Imakake, and mechanical designer, Kimitoshi Yamane. Setting producer, Satoshi Toba said, 'They talked about how they didn't want common guns, because that wouldn't be very interesting, and so they decided on these guns.'"
So?
I was looking for the bebop reference
Now *that's* serious screen cred.
See You Space Cowboy
Another anime where P99 had very prominent role is Noir (2001), where main character Mireille Bouquet carries one.
I wanted one of these from the first time I read about it in whichever gunrag covered it upon release. One of my retirement presents to myself was a nice version that immediately became part of my regular carry rotation. I have large hands and I, too prefer the smallest backstrap. Great pistol and a great video of its history.
Bought a Gen 1 used in 2006 and have had it ever since. That's the gun I'll never sell.
I bought an SW99, the P99 upper on a S&W frame, in 9mm in 08 or so. At the time it was between the SW99 and a Glock20 as to which I was going to buy. I went with the SW99 because I already had other 9mm’s and the G20 was 10mm and I didn’t want to buy different caliber ammo for just one gun. The other reason I went with the SW99 is it’s just so comfortable in my hand. It really is incredibly comfortable to handle and shoot. One weird thing I noticed…even though the Walther and S&W mags are interchangeable, the SW99 mags are 16 round, but the P99 mags are 15 round. If you take the P99 mag a part there are two protrusions on the follower preventing it from going as low as the S&W mag. If you remove those protrusions it will hold 16 and still functions with no issues.
I bought one of these in 1997. Still my favorite pistol.
I picked up an original 1998 serial P99 last year and I love it - so much so I sold my PPQ. I grew up when Brosnan was Bond, so the P99 is a very special pistol to me!
I have a european spec p99 with the dual slide release levers. It was imported called the 'night defense' model.
I still love my P99, 1st ed. I did trick it out with a add-on mag well bevel, upper thumb rest and a dual recoil spring guide rod. It is still my favorite prized pistol. It is for this reason alone that I refuse to carry it now. Great vid on it. Thanks.
This video doesn't explain the unique Anti-Stress trigger feature. This isn't surprising as 9 out of 10 owners don't understand it! It's not just regular DA/SA, it has a third trigger mode which is accessed by decocking the gun and then manually cocking it while the trigger is not depressed (either fully racking the slide or just pulling it back a half inch). By doing this, the trigger stays forward in the DA position but the striker spring is pre-compressed so that the trigger weight is closer to that of SA mode. This gives you a long, light trigger pull instead of a long, heavy trigger pull in normal DA mode. It's similar to HK's LEM trigger, except that the Anti-Stress mode reverts to regular SA mode after the first shot (whereas LEM 'mode' is used for all shots). De-cocking puts the gun back in normal DA mode.
Was the anti-stress mode available on the early P99 modeels?
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 Yes it was the only trigger available on the early guns with the proprietary rail (at least as far as I know, maybe they did a special DAO order or something for someone?). On the later guns with the pic rail they had multiple trigger options. This also adds to the confusion because the "P99AS" is the later model with the AS trigger, but the plain old "P99" also has the AS trigger even though it's not in the name.
Great review and love the Walther P99!!! I have a first generation model and it is my favorite Carry Pistol!
Wish Walther would bring it back into production!
here is my little story with UMAREX/WALTHER....
As an air freight truck driver I had the "exciting" job in 2003 of delivering the P99 frames to Frankfurt Airport for the SW factory in the USA, a load of about 5000 frames every week, each one in a small gun case. I had to unload the pallets myself, for cost reasons (the airport charges unloading fees)
During the second or third delivery a pallet fell over and the frames were all scattered on the ramp, I quickly told them that the pallet was open and went back to the truck and started stacking the boxes back on the pallet....
In the middle of the work, someone shouted "drop it" and I looked up and saw straight into the muzzle of a federal police MP5!!!! That was the scary part,
but from then on I didn't have to unload myself anymore, the federal police did that since then,
I had to register by phone beforehand and was given a "secured unloading space" it turned out that the "security" was an "SW 4" with MG3 that was parked in front of the truck
This is FW best video. I remember watching Tomorrow never dies at the cinema by my dad and to me, this is the weapon that "modernizes" the world of guns to me, it was "squared" instead of round like classic firearms and yes, the phrase: "the new Walther" blew my mind.
Now I distribute airsoft guns in my country since the real ones are illegal and I do own the replica, by Umarex, which I deeply love and remember double, because my father passed away this February but I do remember him whenever I see the modern sharp shapes of the P99, thank you Ian.
I remember as a a kid when Tomorrow never dies was released and seeing this pistol at the end I wanted one so bad. I ended up with a ppq since it was an updated pistol compared to the p99. Still wish I had bought one when they were in production
+1
I have the blank firing version of the P99, (being based in Denmark, we have super strict firearms regulations....) and I had to take my copy out, while watching this episode 🙂
Thanks for another great video, Ian! 🙂
without the p99 walther would be lost to time and Canik might not exist i love my caniks alot so thanks so much airsoft guru
Same. I picked up a TP9DA on a whim because it was cheap and came with a boatload of mags. I figured it would be a decent plinker if nothing else. I really like it, and while it’s a bit too beefy to be my EDC, it is my nightstand pistol.
I bought a 1st gen TP9SFX in 2020, and ever since then, canik have become my go to handgun
As of late, Ian has been really going through the pistols in my collection that I hold near and dear to my heart. First the Lion Heart LH9 and now my beloved P99. A pistol I love so much, I bought the full size and the compact. Cheers!
I don’t really remember why I bought my first Walther, a PPQ M1. After getting to know the PPQ I finally had a chance to run a P99 and it all fell into place for me. I prefer the PPQ for many reasons but the P99 was just a nice reminder of how a favorite pistol came to be.
I remember precisely why I bought mine, lol. I had just left service where I carried a P2000, and wanted a similar control layout. The HK...VP9(?) at the time was still HK priced at around $850-900, and the Walther offered the same controls but at $500-600 instead.
@ I do know that the mag release on the M1 was my initial point of interest. Beyond that, I guess I just bought it and never regretted it. I still say it’s one of the best balanced pistols I’ve ever tried. Later on I stumbled upon a PPQ M1 with a 5” barrel. After adding a tungsten guide rod for more mass at the muzzle I didn’t feel so bad when I ended up selling my CZ Shadow 2.
In my opinion the PPQ M1 is the best mass produced 9mm ever made.
@@oskar6661 To be honest the PPQ is made better than the VP9 also.
the P99 and PPQ are the same gun actually you can swap the uppers.. the P99 just offers two extra modes of carry because of the trigger package . you can load a round into the chamber and not decock it and you can holster it safely just in that condition ,, its in a SA mode with a real long REAL SOFT trigger pull for the first shot.... Or you can pull the trigger halfway back and the trigger will just hold itself in that position, it enters a mode of carry just like Glock safe action .. The PPQ didn't have those two extra modes of carry , it was just DA SA like a Beretta 92 or CZ75
14:21 Der springen went sproingen.
I don't own any Walthers, I certainly wouldn't mind getting one of these to start with. Thanks for the video, Ian!
Literally my favorite design ever. People don’t understand how good the design is today. The PPQ and PDP design was actually invented in the 90s. Even Glock believes the design is a better design. How do I know? Because Glock made a performance trigger that is amazing and literally emulates the firing pin engagement of a Walther. Brilliant design since the 90s
I probably would’ve gotten one but I always wanted a Glock so I went with a Glock 17 as my first real pistol. I love it
@ I own the Glock 17 Gen 2 as well. Both great pistols
@@Sig_P229 Gen 3 for me I paid like $550 at Academy like almost 6 months ago. I feel so much safer now honestly. I sold my Taurus G2C and finally bought a real man’s pistol. Glock and Walther for life
Glock makes a performance trigger?
Never shot the P99 but I did shoot a PPQ and *my god* was that trigger smooth. I expected it to have a hump at some point but no, it just went off and I was actually surprised since the trigger was insanely light and consistent.
Thank you for this insightful and historic look into the P99 Ian! The Walther P99 was my first gun purchase. What sold me on the design is that I actually bought an Airsoft version at random for Cosplay purposes years before and loved the ergonomic feel to it. It's a dream to shoot at the range. I'm looking to buy another on as my wife "inherited" it. lol.
Tomorrow never dies brought back Walther to the handgun market.
Thanx. Fascinating pistol, seems to be ahead of its time back then. Never saw a striker fired gun, being able to be decocked like a DA/SA system, up until this video.
As an airsofter, hearing that Umarex owns Walther was the greatest whiplash I've ever experienced watching a Forgotten Weapons video.
I had a Gen1 P99 and bought it because of the many features it offered. One thing you didn't mention about the cocked indicator was that you could feel it with your thumb so you'd know it was cocked in the dark. It also had a loaded chamber indicator, too, or maybe that's my imagination. My only problem with it was that I couldn't shoot well with it; obviously more my fault than the gun since it's been in production and use for 25 years. Kind of makes me want to get it again. Thanks for this trip down memory lane!
I seriously think this is one of the most beautiful pistols ever made, perhaps THE most beautiful pistol ever made.
*Whitney Wolverine has entered the chat*
I've been waiting for Ian to do this video, essentially since I discovered the channel. Love the history of it and I had no idea that it was a marketing thing for Walther to put it into a Bond movie.
Would love to see more walther content
I really like the P99. I always wanted one, but they were a bit outside my budget. I ended up going with a PPQ M2 eventually and that is a fantastic gun. But I clicked on this video immediately because I agree that this gun is quite underappreciated. Personally, I love that bump grip checkering. I'm really glad you made this video.
They should just update this with a better grip texture, instead of discontinuing it.
They did. I have a p99 as that is like the one in the video but the slide has different. Grip cuts on the slide. The next generation after mine has a rough full stippled type texture on the pistol grip. It was called the ppq
When I first picked one of these up, my first thought was about the grip- practically felt like it was made to fit my hand! So easy to acquire targets as it was like an extension of my arm. No other pistol has ever come close.
A wishlist gun for me. Umarex did a REALLY good CO2 powered repeater clone with single action and double action called the CP99. Even the decocker works, and it fits P99 holsters. Someday, if they ever lift the idiotic ban on handgun sales in Canada, I hope to finally get a real one.
The clone is probably the closest I'll ever get to a P99. I've never seen a real one in stock anywhere, not even at the gun shows.
Yes, a friend of mine has one of them I’ve to say it’s a really nice replica
Does it really? It does have the massive safety lever on the side.
@@Girder3 I've seen them at auction houses in socal a couple of times. They went for fairly big money if I recall.
I got the clone back when I was 12 or so and knew I had to get a p99 some day--loved the feel and the decocker, and the padle mag release which I'd never seen before. have a first gen 40 cal in OD green now
This is the early EARLY Gen P99. They later changed the trigger on the 1st gen’s that didn’t have that trigger safety. I seem to recall it being finicky.
I got my first P99 from Earls repair service. I had “LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY” mags for it and carried it as a duty gun for years. An outstanding design that deserves so much credit
One of my biggest regrets in my life is not buying a P99 back in 2016 when I still could
Ian never stops producing high quality informative material
and high quality fashion
I think we all can agree that if Ian doesn’t say where he is or where he got the gun, it’s safe to assume it’s his own personal collection.
Thats highly presumptuous
@@oso1165he did say that he prefers the smallest backstrap when shooting it, and then put the smallest backstrap back on it, plus that same setup has been used on other firearms that he has explicitly stated were his, so it most likely is his.
He also talked about the small grip mod being the one he used. Not the one he would use.
It is a GREAT pistol.
@@collinculberson202 he gets guns sent to him all the time, he goes into collectors homes who prefer to remain anonymous all the time, hes stated things he likes about guns or shooting stuff all the time. You could be right but him saying which grip frame he likes or anything else in the video really doesnt mean anything unless hes stated it
Walther truly is the master of incredibly short trigger resets. The newer PDP has one of the most immediate resets I've ever felt in any pistol other than extremely high end 2011 race guns
I still remember the first time I saw one in a gun magazine. I thought wow thats a space gun!
Nice video Ian.👍 My favorite "modern age pistol" ( like for WW2 and cold war era weapon collector ), which I use for EDC. I love safety feature - decocking button .
The Canik TP9 is also pretty much a direct copy of the P99, to the point that parts were even interchangeable on the earliest versions.
yeah and you can use canik parts to do caliber swaps from 40 to 9mm .. a 9mm canik barrel in a p99 40 with a canik 9 magazine will allow a 40 to shoot 9 even with the 40 slide...
My old buddy had a first Gen canik tp9 and I own a p99as. Not everything interchange, if I remember correctly either his magazine wouldn't fit in mine or vice versa. On the surface it looks like a direct copy with minor differences, but they are not a 1:1 copy
My absolute favorite pistol, got to hold a P 99 and a P 22 set when I was about seven years old and it changed my life forever. I was a gun person from then on out.
Umarex made some interesting co2 powered P99 magazine fed .43 cal paint pistols.
I have one of those. Even prettier than the original in my opinion. Unfortunately, paintball pistols fire from an "open bolt position" like mechanism which, combined with mag spring tension, puts too much stress on the smooshy ammo. You also had to really fint tune it to get reliable cycling.
I own the Umarex air pistols and they are fantastic, fun for plinking in the back garden, really well made and very close to the original pistols, really nice replicas and they sell really well in my local gun shop.
Canik has had a lot of success with their copy of the design.
Dude on Reddit was showing how it misfired when you drop it.
@@ianj8505 Yeah, I'm waiting for more info before I put too much stock in that claim. Canik's QC is messy enough that nobody buying one should be leaving it stock and un-nitpicked, and there's an aftermarket firing pin block spring that could have contributed.
@@ianj8505that happened on Fort Johnson guy dropped his canik with a round in the chamber landed straight up on the bottom doorway of his safe and bang there it went. You don't get triggers that good, that cheap without making compromises
@@CenlaSelfDefenseConcepts Which model? Everything I've heard and seen with them has been VERY good.
Finally..thanks..Glad for yer Post on the CANIK.. was actually going to say so, Im a dork..but great deCock features.,, trigger,, ETC.Why hasn't someone Noticed the Blatant COPY???? Time wore out the patent...I guess...
Love the gen 1 so much, and would absolutely love to hear more about the P5!
1:19 Guns[redacted] sounds like a _commercial company_ that can be found on the internet.
That’s where his shirt is from too, if anyone is interested
A company which can be described in three emojis:🔫⚫🖥
@@bigtimediamond1088 I normally dislike emojis (mainly the face ones), but this is certainly a good use of them.
I really enjoyed this video about the Walther P99, i'm so happy you gave it some spotlight(which it rightfully deserves because it's really under-appreciated). It truly rejuvinated the Walther brand and everything about it is unique. Watching you dressed up like James Bond while talking about the P99 makes you feel like a true spy, in fact if there was a movie where you become the next James Bond i'd gladly watch it😎.
The new Walther. I asked Q to get me one of these.
In the mid 2000’s when my son and his friends would play airsoft was the first time I put my hands around a “Walther” P99. Couldn’t believe the fantastic ergonomics. Went and test fired a real one. Bought it on the spot. Love my 1911’s, Hi Power, CZ-75, and all the rest, but nothing feels like the P99.
The P99 is one of my favorite guns. Mine is a first gen in 40S&W. I am a huge Bond fan, and Vesper Martinis.
Lol. I too have a first gen P99 in .40 sw. I filed the nub in the trigger guard down since I would get a bruise on my finger from it getting pinched by the nub on a trigger reset
@@bigdave3777 Yes, that little ski ramp in the trigger guard will pinch your finger. Especially if your finger is riding the trigger during reset.
Been a fan of these since Bond used one but I just love the shape and style of it, very cool to see up close
Ugh, well, I'm off to see what they go for on Gunbroker...