Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
The Walther P99 is iconic amongst a small group of James Bond fans. It armed both Peirce Brosnan and Daniel Craig at one point. Outside of Bond fans, it has a cult following for its unique appeal and design. Amongst the general gun-buying public, it’s a relatively unknown pistol. The unique striker-fired DA/SA design of the P99 never caught on. As such Walther is finishing the P99 with a Final Edition model.
Plenty of people outside of Walther have tried. Smith and Wesson teamed up with Walther to produce the SW99, which preceded the M&P series as a duty-grade, polymer frame, striker-fired pistol.
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Magnum Research also teamed up with Walther for the MR9. This was another P99 clone but had a stainless slide. Most recently, Cnaik cloned the P99 but dropped the DA/SA angle pretty quickly for a single action-only clone. As far as I know, this was not in partnership with Walther.
The P99 might not have caught on in full force in the United States, but it was fairly successful overseas. Numerous police forces in Europe adopted the pistol, including police in Ireland, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, and many more. Alas, the P99 is on its way out.
Walther is a few generations removed from the P99 with the PDP and has decided to end the production of the P99. To give the US acolytes of the P99 cult a taste, they are doing a Final Edition Model to go out with a bang.
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The Final Edition Package
The Final Edition model of the P99 is no ordinary release. Each model will have the words Final Edition engraved on the slide. The frame will be the popular OD green color, and the gun comes in a very striking Final Edition P99 fit-weather-proof case with custom-cut foam. Inside the case is the pistol, a spare magazine, as well as a limited edition challenge coin for the Final Edition P99. We also get three different backstraps to fit the gun to your hand.
Additionally, Walther teamed up with Comp-Tac to produce a limited edition Final Edition holster for the P99 as well. Altogether, the P99 Final Edition Package is surprisingly nice. It’s a good-looking pistol with an excellent case. The Final Edition is a great way to see the beloved P99 into its well-deserved retirement.
Breaking Down the P99
The P99 was one of the first modern pistols to use rear interchangeable inserts to change the size and shape of the pistol. It’s impressive enough that it’s completely standard these days, and its rare pistols don’t have interchangeable backstraps. The P99 does feature a fairly standard single-slot rail for accessories. There are some earlier models with a proprietary rail, but we get Pic here.
Additionally, there are some top-side adjustable sights. The P99’s sights do fall into that Glock box of being plastic, so don’t rough them up too much. The gun uses a DA/SA striker-fired design that places a button on top of the slide to act as a de-cocker. This makes adding an optic nearly impossible outside of a few oddball mounting solutions.
The gun is roughly Glock-sized. It has a 4-inch barrel and an overall length of 7.1 inches, and it weighs 24 ounces. The magazines hold 15 rounds each. The Final Edition is retailing for 799.99 at the time of this writing.
The Trigger Design
The AS design requires an entire explanation. This is a DA/SA gun, and like any DA/SA design, when you manipulate the slide to laid a round, it cocks the gun. The user can manually decock the gun or use the AS trigger design. AS Stands for anti-stress. The trigger pulls the same length as the double action design, but now it’s a two-stage trigger.
The first stage offers length but no resistance. After the first stage, it converts to the single action trigger, which is quite nice and quite light. The idea is that a stressed user would be less likely to fire a round negligently with this trigger. If it works, great, but straight and off the trigger works better.
I do love the DA/SA design of the gun and tend to prefer DA/SA guns in general. The P99 also came in a Glock-like pre-cocked striker format and a double-action-only design. The Final Edition only comes in the DA/SA AS system.
The Final Edition Ergonomics
Walther is well known for building highly ergonomic platforms, and the P99 is no different. The grip is very nice, and it fits perfectly in my hand. Something about the grip angle, width, and length just makes the gun fit well in your hand. It’s not blocky, and it doesn’t pinch or prod. You can get a nice high grip on the gun to maximize control over it.
The magazine release will be a love-it-or-hate-it affair. It’s placed on the trigger guard and needs to be pressed downwards. I love this system, but it’s admittedly not for everyone. It’s ambidextrous and easy to manipulate, but if you’re used to a button, then it’ll feel odd.
The slide release is large and very easy to engage as well. My thumbs do not pin it down when firing, which is certainly advantageous.
Accuracy
Drilling small groups into big targets and small targets is easy. The Walther P99’s double-action trigger is remarkably smooth and impressive. Yes, it’s long and heavy but very smooth and predictable. The single-action trigger is very light, with the shortest reset I’ve ever experienced. A good trigger does a great job of helping with accuracy, and it shows here.
I can drill out an inch-wide circle at five yards with ease with the Walther P99 Final Edition. At 15 yards, I’m punching out index cards over and over. Back off to 25 yards, I was popping rounds into the head of a silhouette with ease. The gun shoots straight, and the great trigger helps eliminate some human error from the task.
From a practical standpoint, it’s quite easy to shoot accurately, and mechanically, it’s already quite accurate. The sights are fine, and adjustability is nice. However, I’d prefer the durability of metal sights.
Recoil and Control
A compact 9mm isn’t a beastly gun in the recoil department. It’s very easy to control, and the recoil isn’t significant. With a good stance and grip, the gun stays on target. I executed some iron-sighted personal bests on the old El Pres with the P99. Firing quickly and efficiently isn’t too difficult, and you can keep the P99 under control most of the time.
Where I ran into problems was at my outdoor range, with 100-degree temperatures and 71% humidity. I had been shooting for an hour. My hands were sweating as I stole from the collection plate at church. The texture of the frame isn’t very aggressive, and I noticed it slightly shift more and more under recoil. Not significantly, but a noticeable amount. I had to fix my grip every ten or so rounds.
It’s certainly a texture of its era, and it’s noticeably 1997. If this wasn’t a collectible Final Edition, I might argue for a grip stipple job. In a duty defensive role, this isn’t likely to be an issue, but shooting at the range for long stretches certainly proved to be a wet-handed affair in Florida in August.
Reliability of the Final Edition
The Walther P99 goes bang and does so without issue. It’s not picky about ammo, although I didn’t have a wide variety to toss through it. The gun ate its way through a mix of standard factory ammo brass and steel-cased ammo without a problem. Not a single hiccup in 500 rounds.
Some FAQs On The Final Edition
Q: What calibers are available for the Walther P99 Final Edition?
A: The Walther P99 is available in 9mm Luger caliber
Q: What distinguishes the Final Edition from the standard Walther P99?
A: The Final Edition features unique engraving and a limited production run to commemorate the P99’s legacy.
Q: Is the Walther P99 Final Edition suitable for collectors and enthusiasts?
A: Yes, the Final Edition holds special appeal for collectors and enthusiasts due to its limited availability and unique design.
A Worthy Send-Off
The Walther P99 remains a fantastic gun. It never got the recognition it deserved in the States, but it’s getting a worthwhile sendoff with the Final Edition package. It proves that while a gun can often be imitated, it can never be duplicated. The Final Edition should be in stores now, and if you’re a Walther fan, it’s a must snag.
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I have a gen 1 P99 40 caliber .with night sights
I rarely shoot it. The Speed bump on the trigger housing pinches my finger
I have pretty much switched to shooting my ,my Canik
I was able to convince the police dept. I worked for at the time to carry the SW99 for a number of years. Never had an issue with them at all.
I have an original P99 in .40. I’ve had it since it first came out and dad bought it for me for Christmas one year. Been reliable and never had an issue with it.
A family member has one of the original P99’s. She bought it because she’s a big James Bond fan. I wasn’t super impressed just looking at it but after handling the gun and then shooting it I instantly became a huge fan. You’re right that this gun was underrated, it’s a fantastic pistol that was definitely ahead of its time. I just wish I had bought one for myself.
Meprolight makes sights that will fit it…as does Trijicon… I have both… They’re nice. Trijicon has smaller dots.
Thanks for writing this review.