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Old December 24th, 2007
TonyF TonyF is offline
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Default Re: Walther P99 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by NineseveN View Post
I understand what you're saying, but dry fire practice violates rule #1 on a technical standpoint. The 4 rules are layered, meaning they all have to be broken conceptually for any damage to occur. I understand that your position on that is going to be a lot more strict due to your status as a firearms instructor and you have to look at the lowest denominator, but there are a number of things that according to many instructors are not safe and that opinion is based on the idiots and not the norm.

I hear a lot of instructors advising against exceptionally light Single Action triggers for carry, yet if one follows the 4 rules, it's not an issue that an extra pound or two in the trigger can or really needs to solve. There are and have been many that advise against carrying a Glock or any gun without a manual safety. Some seem to cling to the idea that a DAO is the best way to go and all else is only for professionals (and even then sometimes not).

Regardless, again, one doesn't need to pre-set the P99 trigger, most don't, they simply leave it alone or decock it.

That depends on how anal one is about what constitutes actually breaking the firing grip and also the hand size or thumb length of the user. Again though, it's not an operation that someone would need to do in real life without breaking the firing grip, it's an academic question, not one with any true significance in the firearm's use. The only practical reason to decock on going to low ready is to follow range rules during training or competition; places where safety standards must be anal due to insurance and accountability standards. In using the gun for real, I know of no reason why one would automatically decock the handgun on going to low ready, at least none that would require that the complete firing grip be maintained.

Which was probably not at all necessary, but the requirement was given simply because the gun had that feature, not because it was actually imperative that one use it. People that come to training with Springfield XD's or Glocks don't have to do that simply because they can't. Neither of those pistols is any safer when loaded than a P99 would be when loaded and not decocked.

Except that they didn't build this gun for you or anyone else in particualr. I think both the M&P and the Glock of any variant is garbage compared to the Walther. The trigger is a huge reason for that. I'm glad Walther designed the gun exactly as they did, I use each and every option depending on the circumstances and I wouldn't change a thing about any of them for my personal use. Even though I could personally live without the decocker, some people like it for carry reasons, so to each their own. Some people prefer a thumb safety, some prefer SAO, some prefer light triggers, some prefer heavy long triggers, some prefer a DAO gun and like the HK USP design with all of those variants incorporated. So long as an option doesn't hamper the actual function of the gun, different strokes for different folks.
I dunno.

We teach decocking a DA/SA auto on going to Low Ready. We teach 1911's "on safe" on going to Low Ready. The reason for doing so is that you may or should move immediately upon engaging a threat.

That step needs to be programmed. I can buy the argument that it isn't necessary to decock the P99 but I still maintain a striker fired pistol doesn't need all those features.

This has definitely piqued my interest. If you can make it to the January PMSC / PAFOA shoot, please do bring it with you.
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