The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88.
Design work on this new generation sidearm began in 1994, and the handgun was presented in 1997 with series production commencing that same year. The weapon was first introduced chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. A version in .40 S&W was also developed primarily for the American market and unveiled in 1998.
The pistol is used by the German Police in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Polish Police and the Finnish Army's special forces and military police, where it carries the designation PIST 2003 (Pistooli 2003).
The P99 has a polymer frame and steel slide. The slide is treated with "Tenifer" (a nitriding process) which inhibits corrosion. It uses an internal striker as opposed to an external hammer, with a red-painted striker tip that protrudes from rear of the slide when the gun is cocked, as well as a chamber loaded indicator on the right side of the slide. It should be noted that the striker of the QA variant does not protrude from the back of the slide, unless fired, as the firearm is in a constant partially cocked state.
It also features four internal safeties, sights adjustable for both windage and elevation, tool-less takedown, accessory rail, interchangeable grip backstraps of varying sizes for different users, and an ambidextrous magazine release incorporated into the trigger guard. AS and QA variations also feature a decocking button.
The .40 caliber models incorporate a slightly larger slide in order to preserve the same recoil spring assembly used in its 9mm counterpart. The P99 is available in 3 finishes; a black frame with a black slide, a black frame with a titanium-coated slide, and a military olive-drab frame with a black slide. All three of these finishes incorporate the same black grip inserts that come with every P99. The compact versions of the P99 are only available in all black.
