Rifleman Review: Walther Arms P99 AS Final Edition

In the late 1990s, Walther Arms introduced one of the most modern polymer-frame handguns of the era. The Walther P99 was cutting-edge in many ways at the end of the 20th century, but today, the era of the P99 has come to a close. To mark the occasion, Walther introduced its P99 AS Final Edition, and here on "American Rifleman Television's" Rifleman Review, we took a closer look at the design.

"Sadly, everything good has to come to an end, and one of the finest pistols that's ever been made by anybody anywhere is the Walther P99. Now this is a gun that I first saw in 1997, and for its day, it was radical," NRA Media Editorial Director Mark Keefe said. "This is the first gun that Walther ever did with a polymer frame. And it had a lot of features that were designed for a German police contract, but also have appealed to police agencies and gun owners worldwide. This is the last year that they're going to do these guns, which is really unfortunate, but Walther has the PDP and some other excellent handguns."

Despite having been designed more than 25 years ago, the Walther P99 still has some impressively modern features and is still eminently practical from a handgun standpoint.

"So maybe the Walther P99 is a little long in the tooth, but it doesn't mean that it's not an outstanding pistol," Keefe said. "This gun was well ahead of its time. What we're looking at here, of course, is one of the first guns to use interchangeable backstraps. Three different sizes come with the P99 AS Final Edition, which stands for 'Anti Stress.'"

Despite some of its modernized features, there are some classic features on the P99, as well as a classic finish.

"There are some old-school features on this. Of course, I love the green. And the green and the black, I think, make this a very distinctive-looking gun," Keefe said. "But it's got some things to it that were really ahead of their time, including the magazine release, which is completely bilateral, but it's mounted on the trigger guard. A very German thing; Walther, HK have used it. Americans, of course, like little buttons on the side."

With the P99 AS Final Edition, the news is in the name. This is the last variant of a pistol that was popular with some folks on the commercial market, as well as law enforcement, but today, the design has been discontinued in favor of Walther's impressive PDP line of guns.

"Again, this pistol was absolutely revolutionary when it came out. And sadly, the world bought some of them, but not as many as they should," Keefe said. "The thing about this gun that I've always liked is, not only was it revolutionary in its day, but it's still very relevant. This is a pistol that you could still use for defensive use or as a duty gun. German police liked it quite a lot, and so did I."

Walther P99 AS Final Edition Specifications
Importer: Walther Arms
Action Type: short-recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Barrel: 4"
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Slide: steel
Frame: reinforced green polymer
Magazine: 15-round detachable box
Sights: adjustable rear; fixed post front
Trigger: 9-lb., 7.5-oz. double-action pull; 4-lb., 14.1-oz. single-action pull
Overall Length: 7.1"
Width: 1.3"
Weight: 24 ozs.
Accessories: owner's manual, two backstraps, spare magazine, hard case, lock
MSRP: $849

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