Walther

I’ve always been a little partial to the less hyped, often higher quality tools, and firearms are no exception. With our state-imposed 10 day waiting period out of the way, I was finally able to stop by and pick up my new Walther last night. Of course, I gave the weapon a detailed cleaning just-in-case before shooting it. Unfortunately it got late and I had to wait until today to take it out. When I took it apart to clean it I was amazed at just how spotless the thing was right from the factory. No gunk, no burrs, no manufacturing hiccups or scratching… the gun definitely lives up to the fact that one should not need to “break-in” a quality firearm. I was also impressed with just how simple it is to take down and clean, and how easy it all fits back together.

Size.

The gun is small, but not cumbersome. My hands are on the large side, and I find the grip and overall feel of the weapon just right. I was also pleased to find that it is practically impossible for the slide to clip your hand on it’s way back, something the Springfield XDs and Glocks of similar size both tend to do. I had originally hoped to be able to pocket-carry the P99c in the side pocket of 5.11 tactical pants, but it’s about half an inch too big – just enough the Velcro isn’t secure. I imagine the gun would fit perfectly in a BDU pocket as they are about an inch taller. Though pocket-carry is quite comfy in the front pockets, a small-of-back type holster is probably best. The weapon should have no issues at all fitting into any number of the optional holsters available for the favored 5.11 and Maxpedition gear.

Thanks to it’s small size, it will fit quite comfortably in a Pelican 1400 with everything you need and room to spare. I have it set up to keep 4 magazines, hearing/eye protection, and snap caps and still have room to cut out a space for ammo.

Shooting.

I am equally impressed with the actual performance of this weapon, it is by far one of the smoothest shooting handguns I have ever fired, and also one of the most accurate. It has a very natural feel to it, making it easy to grip and aim. Unlike the XDs and Glocks of similar size, this gun has quite a bit more metal, thus more weight, thus very little recoil (even using hotter rounds). As promised, it will handle just about anything you feed it without complaint. So far, I’ve not seen a single malfunction or oddness of any sort. The slide and magazine releases are conveniently located and easy to operate without changing your grip or losing the target. It also stayed surprisingly cool when hammering away non-stop, despite the thicker metal of the slide and other components.

Some have mentioned that the magazine release can be a little awkward at first, but isn’t too hard to get used to. I find that it’s actually quite easy to use my trigger finger to eject the magazine…

Another nice touch is the loaded chamber indicator which can be checked light or dark by red dot or by feeling it, and the cocked/decocked indicator, with much the same function…

Now there seems to be some confusion over the actual function of this weapon in terms of using the decocker with a round chambered so that it can be safely carried. The common belief is that one either has to leave the chamber empty, or lose a round to ejection by pulling the slide all the way back to recock. In point of fact both are false. According to the manual, to recock one simply has to move the slide back approximately 1/4th to 3/8th of an inch. With a little practice, this can easily be done one-handed (pictured).

Also included in the box are 3 different front sights (the rear is adjustable), alternate grip (though default is perfect), plastic cleaning rod, manual (of course… READ IT!), the target used in test-firing the weapon, and one of the spent casings from said test-firing. If you live in a state where the box the gun is in must be locked to transport it (I do), I suggest taking your own box and lock since the factory box is inadequate at best.

Price.

These can be picked up for around $600, so while they’re not the cheapest thing out there, the quality of the weapon still makes it a great deal. It does come with 2 magazines, but only one has the extended grip (which I find practically mandatory). The magazines are a bit expensive though, $50 each for the extended grip 8-round (or 10-round for the 9mm) from the factory…

In Closing.

All in all, this is a great handgun. Simple to use, simple to clean, and will handle just about anything you shoot through it. I give it a 4.5 of 5. I only have one complaint. Today was my tightest grouping to date (< 2″ @ 50 ft.). I find the weapon to be accurate enough that I am just shooting through the holes I’ve already made in the paper. I’m going to have to start using those multi-bullseye targets from now on…