Walther's most sophisticated pistol, the P99, was first presented to the American market in 9mm, but it's now also available in .40S&W. A full-sized service pistol, the P99 is designed principally for law enforcement and the military. With the proper leathergear, the P99 can be discreetly worn under a suit coat, but it is overlarge for shoulder holster fashions by tuxedo-wearing James Bond wannabes. (But Walther spokesmen hint to us that dimensionally reduced P99s are on the horizon.) The addition of special sights, lights, laser pointing devices and such do broaden the horizons of the P99, but in application all the extra hardware somewhat diminishes its potential as a reactive instrument to keep control of the situation at short distances. There are holsters and harnesses to contain the P99 with all its extras attached, quite notably those executed in ballistic nylon by Shooting Systems. However, for practical concealment purposes the P99 in its basic, unadorned form will be best served by a custom rig from Ken Null or one of the many superior offerings from Gene DeSantis.

Dressed out with a Laser Devices white light and/or their laser aiming device, the P99 becomes a weapon in search of hostile targets on the wrong side of the law, With the addition of AWC's Abraxas suppressor system, in the military and police context, the P99 becomes an instrument to be used in raids, snatches, ambushes, spoiling actions and similarly orchestrated operations. For civilian users-the venerable gun owner and sport shooter who antes up an extra $200.00 to keep it all legal with the government-the suppressor simply adds a new dimension of shooting comfort for everyone within earshot.

It is, in certain circles, the fashion of the day to equip modern design service weapons more or less in the style of the government's SOCOM pistols from Heckler & Koch. As an individual experiment, we initiated a somewhat similar project for the Walther P99, only to discover that much of the notion was already work-in-progress. That took a lot of custom creativity out of the undertaking, but in the end it all worked out rather well. We will begin with an overview of the P99 pistol itself, and then move on to the project enhancements, white lights, lasers and sound suppression techniques examining these components as a system for the excellent pistol.

GUN DETAILS

In many previous shooting tests the Walther P99 has acquitted itself enviably well, as was to be expected, and it conforms to the three cornerstone requirements of a defensive handgun. It is powerful, reliable and controllable. Powerful is defined by the horizons of the .40S&W caliber being the most significant chambering for the gun at this time. There is a variety of .40S&W ammunition including different bullet shapes and weights, and propellant charge formulations to launch the bullet downrange at sub- to supersonic speeds, and there are exotic technology formulations not commercially sold but available to special users. Walther USA has acknowledged that there's a strong possibility that a .45ACP version of the P99 would be available later (and a smaller frame, smaller caliber, perhaps proprietary, chambering as well).

Our test P99 has not malfunctioned in its mechanical action to feed, fire, extract and eject. This conclusion was reached after extensive firing drills before adding the suppressor and target acquisition enhancements. While we acknowledge that accuracy, especially practical accuracy, is NOT a factor of reliability it is nonetheless an important aspect of any gun's performance. Potential buyers want to know that their pistol can deliver shots on target at whatever distance they think they'll be shooting at. That so being, we are pleased to report that the Walther can accurately deliver rounds on target beyond the scope of what's required for realistic personal defense. A five-round group fired at a distance of 25 yards will consistently print within 2.5 inches. Fiocchi 170-grain FMJ groups were about 2 inches at seven yards as were Sellier & Bellot's 180-grain FMJs, Federal's 135grain Personal Defense Hydra-Shok JHP's group tightened to 1.5 inches and their 165-grain Premium Hydra-Shok JHP ragged out a one-inch hole at 5 yards.

The P99 is controllable by virtue of its ergonomic design and engineering, and especially so from the standpoint positioning the hand's grip high on the weapon. With the firing hand near the axis of the bore, recoil management is facilitated and muzzle flip negligible, although the .40S&W round is not all that bad in a full-size service handgun, especially for a competently trained, accomplished gunner. To further enhance control of the weapon in the recoil management sense, there are three easily interchangeable stock configurations. They are neither flashy nor exotic, but rather they are proportioned to accommodate a variety of hand sizes, and indeed a gunner may find one size preferable to another when wearing gloves. The P99 comes with the medium size configuration in place, which conformed well enough to my hand, however I found that the smallest unit felt best to my average size hand.

Control refers not only to recoil management, but also to the ease of manipulation of the gun's switches and levers, including the trigger, and to a certain extent its sights. The sights are three-dot alignment, low profile and quick to pick Lip. The rear is drift adjustable. Walther furnishes four front sights of different heights, which can be changed out by the gunner to correct elevation for point-of-aim/point of contact conditions brought on by various factors including changing the stock size to better complement his hand size. Were a suppressor to be used that partially obscured downrange view (AWC's Abraxas unit does NOT), a different front sight might be appropriate to improve the view, but other factors would also have to be taken into consideration for optimum results.

There are no external safeties as such to contend with on the P99. The slide release is on the left side and can be easily reached by a right-handed shooter's thumb or left-handed shooter's trigger finger. The double-sided magazine release, which drops either partially full or empty Mec-Gar magazines cleanly, can be manipulated by the shooter's trigger finger without significantly relaxing the grip on the weapon. To use the shooting hand thumb, the firing grip must be relaxed and the weapon twisted for easier manipulation; most Colt pistol shooters will be familiar with the practice and do not claim it as an impediment to weapon control.

The P99's trigger face is broad and smooth and did not pinch my finger as do some other maker's double action triggers. Pressed in either the single or doubleaction mode, which can be accomplished in several ways due to the P99's unique trigger mechanism design, there's an unusually good feel to the trigger. With the P99, first rounds fired double-action are definitely not"throw-aways," and with concentration failure-to-stop drills are reliable at 10 yards. Once fired, the P99 cycles and returns to a single-action state, but it can be cle-cocked by pressing a bar mounted almost flush into the upper section of the slide just over the serrations and ahead of the read sight. Right-handed shooters should use the thumb of their support (left) hand; left-handed shooters should use the thumb or index finger of their support (right) hand by reaching over the slide (and not under and around the weapon which is an awkward movement at best).

All this, plus the smooth, clean, modern lines, complemented by appropriate grooving, scalloping and swells, serrations and concentric pebbling (instead of polymer checkering which can be over-raw in extended shooting sessions), contribute to making the Walther P99 a clearly superior weapon in its fundamental form.

The P99 project had other facets to it: sound, or the diminishment of it, and lights, the addition of them in distinctly different forms, and the combination of the two to take the P99 to a higher plateau in terms of a special purpose weapon.

SUPPRESSOR CONSIDERATIONS

For the suppressor we contacted Lynn McWilliams at AWC Systems Technology. Well known to black arts operators across the world, AWC's suppressors are chosen by professionals for handguns, submachine guns and rifles for the quality of their performance and because they are rugged. Unless commissioned to do otherwise, like H&K was for the SOCOM project pistol, arms manufacturers make guns to be fired in conventional situations. It then becomes the task of the suppression scientists to build noise cancellation devices that not only work with but complement the host pistol without disturbing any of its general capabilities. To accomplish all this for our project McWilliams selected his Abraxas (a name which roughly translated means "superior") unit and its concomitant component, a Recoil Regulator to ensure reliable semiautomatic functioning of the weapon. Originally, the Abraxas was developed as an artificial environment suppressor for 9mm handguns, but its internal construction parts lend themselves to equal efficiency with most .40 S&W loads, and with the same compact envelope. Together with the Recoil Regulator, the complete unit adds just over seven inches and twelve ounces to the dimension of the P99. The gun's balance is not out of line with the AWC muzzle device screwed onto the barrel. With a full magazinp in place, the weight is counterbalanced almost evenly. (Note: The P99's standard barrel is flush with the front of the wpapon. AWC Supplied an extended, threaded barrel and thread protector for the project. An owner's instruction manual is supplied with every AWC suppressor.)

When fired dry and with subsonic ammunition, the Abraxas suppressor significantly reduces the report of the P99 to levels that preclude the need for hearing protection, even when the weapon was test-tired indoors in a narrow, short range. American Classic Marksman opened its facilities for our test sessions, and we shot the suppressed P99 close to walls and backstops for audible effect. When the rig was fired wet (with the supplied lubricant which was applied as per the instructions) the reports were quieter still and stayed in that perceived aural range for as many as ten rounds (a full commercial magazine). When fired faster and the Abraxas heated up, noise levels increased; this is merely an indication that the device, when properly used, works as it should. While there is a slight variance of point-of-aim/point-ofimpact with the P99 suppressed, it is not so much as to impede the practical accuracy of the shooter. In point of fact, a professional gunner will have calibrated the variables of ammunition, weapon and system and be aware of what to expect from his equipment before the engagement.

A TACTICAL LIGHT/ LASER

Anticipating the professional user's requirement for lighting enhancements on the gun, Walther incorporated mounting rails into the polymer frame construction just below the barrel and ahead of the trigger guard. Walther USA, following through with the concept, worked out an arrangement with the prestigious Laser Devices of California not only for white lights but also for a laser dot projection module. Laser Devices developed a unique mounting arrangement for the P99 so it can host either the white light or the laser or both of them at once. For target illumination with a white light, there are two Tactical Light options: a three- or a six-volt unit. Either will suffice for its intended purpose with the latter having the increased potential for the temporary retinal bleaching of an adversary.

Both the three- and six-volt units will attach quickly and positively in the conventional manner. If there's a deficiency to either device it's in the area of the switch pole. Rubber covered, this toggle bar flips horizontally and only on demand, that's to say it's not spring-loaded to return to the off position. Ideally, the switch here would have three positions, constant off, constant on and a spring-loaded return to off from on. The switch itself is also difficult to reach although it's in the area of the support hand's index finger. A right-handed shooter may have some difficulty in turning the light off, and this may be even more awkward when gloves are worn. Further, the switch housing to protect against accidental contact had unnecessarily sharp corners.

The red dot laser pointer is compact, lightweight and rugged, but the switch system here is less than an optimum arrangement, also. There are two separate vertical-throw demand toggles, which do operate independently, so a left- or right-handed shooter can have easier access to them with his support hand's index finger. The switches themselves are relatively small, notched and ours were sharper than they need to be, "slide" rather than "flip" into position and they are not spring-loaded.

On the topic of laser and lighting systems for firearms in general and the P99 in specific, Heinz Thummel of Laser Devices confided that the company was looking into redesigning these switches. From this discussion we have the idea that changes for enhanced operator efficiency with the lights and laser will be shortly forthcoming.

There was some concern that the weight of the P99 with the stainless steel AWC Abraxas sound suppressor and the six-volt Tactical Light and the laser module in place might make the weapon unwieldy or clumsy. It does not. The weight merely serves to focus the operator's attention to his tools; it will not diminish his concentration. It was also thought that the length of the Abraxas might cast a shadow downrange by cuffing into the Tactical Light's beam, or that the laser's red dot projection might be blocked. They are not. Neither function of the Laser Devices' equipment is impeded by the suppressor; the white light illuminates the area and the red dot punctuates the intended target.

FINAL NOTES

Any Walther handgun is a classic piece, regardless of its vintage or architecture, and the legacy is not wearing thin. In every aspect the P99 is one of the most outstanding pistols of the modern era, a weapon for the fighting man or the collector of fine firearms. Even higher plateaus are achieved with the addition of high-tech lighting and targeting equipment and low signature devices. The Walther rates consideration for virtually any special operations project demanding first quality handguns.