The pistol field strips down to five basic components. The catch is on the frame just above the trigger and operated like that of the Sigma or Glock.

To field strip the pistol down to its five basic components, first make sure the pistol is unloaded by removing the magazine and pulling back the slide to visually inspect the chamber. Once this has been done, decock the striker. Then draw back the slide about 1/8 inch and pull down on either side of the takedown catch. This will release the barrel so that it and the slide can be pulled forward off the frame.

Field stripping is completed by removing first the captive recoil spring assembly from the bottom of the slide, followed by the barrel. The P99 is re-assembled in reverse order.