Walther P99 AS trigger

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ruchik

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So I've been taking a good hard look at the Walther P99 AS as my next purchase, and possibly for CC. It is one of the FEW guns that fit my girly hands perfectly. The problem being, I can only use it comfortably if the trigger is in the cocked, trigger rearward SA mode, hence the P99 QA version doesn't cut the mustard for me. I love everything about it, except the trigger. It doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever.

In order to put the gun into that trigger rearward SA mode, one has to stage the trigger back halfway, feel the click, then let go of the trigger. I get that it's to get a more accurate shot; but if you need to shoot something in front of you, taking the time to stage/cock the trigger first seems like a bad waste of time. On the other hand, if you are cocking the trigger in preparation/anticipation of a confrontation, then you are putting your finger on the trigger before you are actually ready to shoot. On top of that, every time you load from empty or reload from slide lock, the trigger jumps back forward into the long SA pull, and must be staged again back to the short SA pull. Is there a design intent here that I am missing?
 
The DA mode has a trigger pull weight of 9 lbs. and a trigger travel of 14mm.
The long SA mode has a trigger pull weight of 4.5 lbs. and a trigger travel of 14mm.
The short SA mode has a trigger pull weight of 4.5 lbs. and a trigger travel of 5mm.

The P99 AS is in DA mode after it has been decocked. The DA mode provides the traditional DA attributes of a long, heavy trigger pull.

The P99 AS is in long SA mode after the slide has been racked (either fully or only a fraction of an inch). The long SA mode provides a light trigger pull, but the trigger travel is long, so that a little jerk on the trigger will not fire the gun. This is the real 'anti-stress' mode of the trigger; you have to move your finger a reasonable distance (probably purposefully) to fire the gun.

The P99 AS is in short SA mode after the gun has been fired. The short SA mode provides the traditional SA attributes of a short, light trigger pull.

The P99 is designed to be drawn and fired quickly from the long DA mode. If you need to draw but not fire immediately, you can pull the slide back a fraction of an inch and the gun is in long SA mode. The long SA mode is designed to provide a consistent light trigger pull weight, but with a bit of extra trigger travel to avoid accidental dischages in stressful situations. Nevertheless, you can stage from the long SA mode to the short SA mode if you wish. Once you have fired a shot, the short SA mode provides quick follow-up shots.

See page 8 of this P99 brochure for a graph of the trigger weight and travel in the different trigger modes.
 
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Well I already knew about the different pull weights and lengths. What I am asking about is the part where you stage the trigger from DA to short SA. I am leery of the fact that you are actually pulling the trigger back without the intent to shoot immediately. That, AND that the trigger will reset back to long SA every time you reload and must be staged again if you want the short SA. Essentially, no matter what you do, the first shot of every mag WILL be long SA or DA, unless you cock the trigger first.
 
I think you are over-thinking it. I have a P99, and I just shoot the gun. At any combat distances, whether its DA, long SA, or short SA, it's going to work for you with just a smooth pull of the trigger. Long shots, deliberate, steady pull gets you there. Finger off the trigger any other time. It's a great gun.
 
Walther P99

If there were a better poly gun out there, I'd buy it.

"Had" other poly gun's.
P99's, got 2

Sigbear
 
SharpsDressedMan said:
I think you are over-thinking it. I have a P99, and I just shoot the gun. At any combat distances, whether its DA, long SA, or short SA, it's going to work for you with just a smooth pull of the trigger. Long shots, deliberate, steady pull gets you there. Finger off the trigger any other time. It's a great gun.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have a P99 AS in .40 and don't even think about it. Just pull the trigger. Now I'll have to go unload it and experiment...:p
 
What I am asking about is the part where you stage the trigger from DA to short SA. I am leery of the fact that you are actually pulling the trigger back without the intent to shoot immediately.
Click to expand...

The trigger stages from long SA (not DA) to short SA. The staging is so light - probably a pound - that it will not mess up a shot like a heavy DA trigger, but the action is so long that you will not pull the trigger all the way and fire the gun by accident. In a tense situation in which a twitch of the finger might fire another type of SA trigger, the long SA pull provides a measure of safety. As others have said, staging from long SA to short SA quickly becomes automatic.

The best thing you could do is to find a P99 to test fire before you buy. If you don't like the long SA mode after trying it, or your fingers are just too short to manipulate the trigger in the forward position, get a different gun. The worst thing you could do is to buy a gun that you are not comfortable with because you may never overcome that discomfort.
 
The P99 is a great gun!

I have a P99QA in 9mm made in 2003 that I love and use as my ccw. I love the consistent trigger pull of the QA and at just over 8lbs it's a bit on the heavy side but I prefer a heavier trigger on my defensive guns.

I had an AS model for a while but sold it to a friend and kept the QA. I think the only reason I sold the AS and didn't keep both was because the AS that I bought was in .40 and I prefer the P99 in 9mm. Eventually I'd like to buy another AS only get it in 9mm. However even if I did buy another AS I would still keep the QA as well. As a defensive gun I think I would pick the QA, for a range gu I would probably go with the AS.

IMO you can't go wrong with a P99 no matter what model it is, they are great guns. They are accurate, reliable, comfortable and just plain attractive!

Here's my QA....
P99QA-5.gif
 
Is the length of pull on the QA version the same as the AS in long SA or short SA mode?

Sorry let me clarify: once the gun is loaded and cocked, does the trigger start from way forward like the long SA, back like the short SA, or somewhere in between?
 
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Darn should have been even more clear. I was looking for the trigger pull length, which you answered, but what I wanted to know in addition to that is where does the trigger start from in the QA model. Meaning, is the length of pull for a QA the same as the length of pull of an AS in DA mode? Because I would really like to know of the QA has a length of pull (or starts from a rearward position) like the short SA of the AS, but with a heavier pull.

Too many acronyms for the lose.
 
Darn should have been even more clear. I was looking for the trigger pull length, which you answered, but what I wanted to know in addition to that is where does the trigger start from in the QA model. Meaning, is the length of pull for a QA the same as the length of pull of an AS in DA mode? Because I would really like to know of the QA has a length of pull (or starts from a rearward position) like the short SA of the AS, but with a heavier pull.

Too many acronyms for the lose.
Click to expand...

OK now I know what you're asking.

The trigger weight of the AS decocked DA trigger pull weighs in at 4000g (8.8lbs) with 14mm of travel and the QA is always a consistent trigger pull of 3800g (8.3lbs) with 7mm of travel.

But I see now gc70 beat me to it.
 
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I don't think my question is coming across clearly enough lol.

I know how the long trigger TRAVELS. What am I am wondering is where the trigger STARTS from. In other words, if I load a P99QA, does the trigger look like it's in the DA mode of the AS? Does the tip of the trigger start at the bump inside the trigger guard, or further back?
 
Sorry I must have been adding this as you were typing your last response.

To help clarify you can look at the pic I posted above of my QA. The trigger position in that pic is where it always is, even after the slide has been racked and even after the first round has been fired, it's always forward like that and you pull it back to fire and then the trigger returns to that same position to fire the next round. So the answer to your question is yes, the trigger on the QA does look like the AS trigger in DA.
 
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Ahh thankee! Just the answer I was looking for.

As an aside, there seems to be three modes of carry for the AS. But am I correct in assuming carrying an AS with the trigger in short SA is a bad idea?
 
Your safest bet is not to touch the trigger at all once you rack the slide. Leave it forward and just pull straight through as if it were a full DA. Otherwise use the decocker and it will be a true full DA pull. However setting the trigger to short SA may be a bad idea and unsafe because you could accidentally pull too far which would cause a ND.
 
But am I correct in assuming carrying an AS with the trigger in short SA is a bad idea?
Click to expand...

The P99 AS with the trigger in short SA mode is the equivalent of carrying a 1911 with the hammer back and the safety off - the gun is fully cocked and all it takes is a short, light pull to fire the gun. I think it is a horrible idea, but others will tell you it is okay as long as you have a good holster, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire, and are attentive when holstering the gun. There is validity to that line of thought and a lot of people carry Glocks with the 3.5 pound disconnector, even though I would not do so.
 
The AS trigger was the answer to a question never asked. If they just made a standard trigger on the 99 people would not walk off confused over this gun. I have owned two at different times and I just could not get comforatble shooting them, and I really want to love them. They fit the hand about perfectly, the decocker makes sens to me, the mag drop is well positioned and thought out.... the triggers suck. Plus, it may just be me... but I swear 99s jump like cougars in your hand when fired. I hav shot no other 9mm that recoils like a 99. I never could figure out a way to tame it, change hand position, back strap, grip etc etc.

Never made sense to me... It was like a woman you fall in love with, then the first time you kiss her you realize her nose bumps you to much as you kiss and it turns you off.
 
I've tried a bunch of the poly-9s during the past three years or so and haven't found a single one that comes close to matching the P99. Love set-up, love the AS trigger configuration, love the choice of backstraps to best fit the hand, love the reliability, love the accuracy. I've got a full-sized P99 and a P99C that I'm currrently using as my primary carry gun -- don't leave home without it.
 
Not to Far OT

This is one of the better reviews I have read on the P99.

http://forum.pafoa.org/pistols-41/9149-walther-p99-review.html

There is no doubt that ergonomically this is one of the best SA pistols going,
it has some nice features, and it fits me better than HK, SIG, S&W, FN, Glock, CZ etc. I have tried them all. Number 2 fit is the S&W mid size .45.

QA or AS, AS or QA, I am still grappling with that one.

I am leaning toward the P99 in .40. and a 99c in 9mm.
 
The best course of action with the AS model is to treat it like a standard DA/SA and pretend the AS mode doesn't exist. Chamber round, decock, and put in holster. I think the AS mode isn't really designed for shooting but is a safety device to prevent someone from having an unintentional discharge if they just chamber a round and then holster. Many users have no idea how their gun works and might treat it like a double action Glock. Since it's harder to tell that the Walther is in single action mode because it doesn't have a hammer, the AS pull is an added safety.
 
Just to be sure here, and that I didn't handle a duff P99, whenever the gun is loaded or reloaded from slide lock, the trigger in an AS model always resets to the long, forward SA, correct?
 
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