Sunday, January 09, 2005

Gun try outs

Last night I rented and shot a Walther p99 9mm. I shot 115 grain FMJ bullets. When shooting the gun it handled well and I was able to hit the target accuracy and consistently. My accuracy was good, but was by no means stellar with this particular gun.

It was easy to operate and had a nice smooth trigger. The trigger on the particular gun that I shot was standard DA/SA. The DA trigger was not any heavier than the SA trigger, just longer.

This particular gun had a decocker, but it was unlike any decocker that I have seen before. It was mounted on the slide, but was not a lever. It was a integrated section of the slide that you push down, much like how some car door locks are integrated into the down, they are just an section near the top curve of the door that you push down to lock.

This gun also has a cocked indicator which looks different if the gun is cocked and loaded or if it is cocked and unloaded. The magazine release was ok, I had to shift my grip a good bit to use it, though.

My friend went with me. This friend of mine had never shot an handgun before, though he had shot some rifles and shotguns before, and he was having problems with it failing to eject the spent casings. I have not figured out if it was him or the gun, so I do not know who to blame.

The 9mm felt real balanced, unlike some other polymer farmed guns which feel top heavy. One thing I did not like about the gun was the position of the decocker, which is more of an personal gripe than an functional or self defense consideration.

My only other complaint is that when I was shooting the gun, the top part of the backstrap near the slide was digging into the knuckle of my thumb. I have not had this happen on any of the other guns that I have shot. On the P99 the top part of the backstrap curves in toward the frame more than some other guns I have shot, and I am blaming that for the uncomfortablness. I shot one box, and it was digging in enough to leave a visible mark today. This was more of a problem with the fundamental design of the gun, than with my skill level or the way this particular gun functioned. Unfortunately in the high stakes game of my gun selection process it happens to be enough to disqualify this gun.

cube

4 comments:

Sojourner said...

Hey, isn't Wather the same company that makes James Bond's gun. Supposedly.

Man of Issachar said...

Yes it is.

It is an excellent gun based on everything that i have read, though I am not sure why they paid Bond to use it. Or even if they did?

I assuming that it was proably under the same type of contract that BMW had with the bond fanchise.

Anonymous said...

I think it was just with Bond's longstanding tradition with Walther...being Bond has always used a Walther PPK previously...a gun that I carry with me everywhere. It's reliable and easy to conceal...although, the gun is all metal...no polymers so it's a little heavier than more modern small, concealable handguns.

I have been thinking about getting a P99 though. A friend of mine has one in .40 caliber. I only shot it once, but I need to get a few more round through it to know for sure. Plus, now you can buy the high-cap magazines (for a decent price).

I guess I'm just a Walther man. I think it has more to do with it being one of those "mythical" German manufacturers that had its heydey during WWII. Incidently, my first handgun (which I still have) was a Walther P-38 from WWII.

-Blake
NashvilleFiles.com/blog

Man of Issachar said...

The P99 was a great gun, it just dug into the top part of my thumb.

I would run no less than a box through it (if your friend lets you).

It felt real good in my hands, and would still be on this list if it did not dig into the top part of my thumb.

thanks for stopping by.