SW99 big bore style: "best of the breed," says Petty, especially with a .45 ACP version now available

Guns Magazine, August, 2003 by Charles E. Petty

I was one of a small group of writers who managed to get an early look at the Walther P99 when it was introduced by the now defunct Interarms. The P99 was Walther's entry into the fray with a polymer frame pistol. It was intended to compete with Glock in the law enforcement market, but it also brought to the table some very clever design innovations. To simplify things a lot they constructed a striker-fired pistol that behaved just like the true double-action we know so well.

But what we didn't know at the time was Interarms' days were numbered. Nor did we know S&W and Walther were about to begin a series of negotiations that culminated in S&W becoming the exclusive importer of Walther products. There's more: S&W liked the P-99 design, so an agreement was made for S&W to buy completed frames from Walther and finish the guns with slides and barrels made by S&W. In the process a few cosmetic changes were made to the frame, and the S&W logo magically appeared on the grip. Voila we have the SW99.

The original plans were to follow the 9mm version with a .40 S&W chambering and we were told a .45 ACP was further down the road. Well, we're four or five years out now and the .45 is here. One momentary point of confusion is that all are called SW99s, with the caliber specified separately.

Three-Mode Trigger

Since it's been awhile let's go back and review the interesting features of the SW99 design. The trigger mechanism is a bit different from what we're used to. First of all it is a double-action with multiple strike capability. It has the long stroke we're all used to with a pull weight of about 10.5 pounds. Trigger travel in double-action is about .6 inch. The single-action pull is about 6 pounds, with a travel of .3 inch.

To me the length of trigger travel is more important than the weight. When a cop is in the middle of an adrenaline dump, he isn't as likely to notice the weight of pull as he is the amount of trigger travel.

On top of the slide, to the left and just forward of the rear sight is a decocking button. We're so used to levers performing this function that it takes a mental gear change to learn it. It is probably best considered a two handed operation and it's easy enough to bring the weak hand up to decock.

It is possible to reach the button with the right thumb, but it really requires a substantial grip shift to apply the force needed to decock. Thus the best tactical use will be with the weak hand.

There is a third trigger-related fraction to understand. When you load the pistol, the striker will be in the cocked position, but the trigger will be fully forward as in double-action. At this point there will be a long take-up with only slight spring tension. There's about .3 inch of movement before the trigger reaches the point where further pressure will fire the pistol. This is a necessary artifact of the design and not comparable to "cocked and locked" as we know from the 1911 style pistol.

The P99 has the customary passive firing pin and disconnector safeties. But the decock operation renders the pistol completely safe so we should include it as an external safety.

Ambi Magazine Release

Another really neat feature is the truly ambidextrous magazine release. We're so used to buttons on the frame that this one is going to look strange but, in fact, it is nicely workable. At first glance the magazine release looks as if it is part of the trigger guard, but is a lever that, when pushed down, drops the magazine. It's easily operated by the trigger finger of either hand.

The pistol has cocking and loaded chamber indicators that are both visual and tactile. When cocked, the striker protrudes a bit from the back of the slide. It has a red painted tip that is only visible when cocked. You can also feel it in the dark if necessary. The extractor is almost two inches long and when the hook is pushed outward by the cartridge rim it reveals a spot of red paint on the slide at the back of the extractor. You can also feel that the back end is depressed a bit.

Highly Adaptable

One of the cool features that made the P99 so appealing from a law enforcement perspective was the interchangeable backstrap that offered sizes to fit almost any hand. It is easily interchanged by knocking out a single roll pin and since the backstrap is a separate part with no mechanical function, it is user serviceable.

Another great convenience is the inclusion of a set of four front sights of different heights. These are easily interchanged with the tool provided. This allows the point of impact to be regulated for loads of different velocities. The rear sight is adjustable for windage with a simple screw.

It's nice to have this latitude although most of the factory installed front sights have been very close. That was the case for the new .45 when fired with most 230-grain loads. There is an equipment groove on the dust cover of the frame if you want to hang lights or supplementary aiming devices on there too.

Since the basic design is wide body, the P99 .45 has a capacity of 9 1. Ten .45s is a good thing. It was a bit tough to get the last two cartridges into the magazine but this improved with use. Sometimes high capacity .45 magazines have a problem with first round feed due to excessive spring tensian but that never showed up here. Nor did I experience any of the last round feed glitches that are often caused by a spring that is having to work too hard to lift that last heavy .45 round.