Ah the new Walther...28 years later
Danjaq
San Francisco Bay AreaPosts: 97MI6 Agent
When I saw the Walther P99 in theaters in the film "Tomorrow Never Dies" (which was also the first Bond movie I saw in theaters), I was immediately captivated. It was a style that I've never seen before. Even though the Glock had been around for a decade prior, the P99 just looked so cool.
Now almost 3 decades later, I managed to procure a mint condition early pre-production model of the P99 with no import markings, identical to the one used by Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies and several scenes from Brosnan's later Bond movies.
I discovered from reading "The 007 Armoury" by Mark Hazard that in Tomorrow Never Dies, EON used two deactivated P99s alongside the blank-firing Umarex P99. Those two P99s had the serial numbers V1667 and V1680 ("V" for "Versuchs" or "Experimental" Model). The V1680 pistol was also used in "The World is Not Enough" (when Bond attempts to shoot Renard in the elevator) and "Die Another Day" (When Bond is cleaning his P99 in the virtual reality training session). It was also used by Daniel Craig in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" in 2001.
This one is numbered V1771 so it was less than 100 models removed from the one that Brosnan held in the movies and posters. Haven't taken it to the range yet but I'm willing to bet that if the PPK had a delivery like a brick through a plate glass window, this will have a delivery like a tank through a stonemasonry wall (which Brosnan's 007 also did at one point).😁
Comments
Very nice, congrats on the acquisition. TND was my first Bond in cinemas too, and whenever I think of TND I think of the P99 on a red background. One of the best looking Walthers, with some sharp angles present and looks like it's laser cut. Certainly a favourite amongst fans - nearly thirty years later it's still appearing in Bond media.
Nice catch! So much so that I'd have a hard time taking it to the range. That's what a second, less rare and valuable one is for. 😃
The P99 is the most underrated striker-fired pistol ever produced IMO. Admittedly, I didn't give it a second look until DC wielded one.
I know what you mean! I carry one of Walther's more recent striker-fired models the PPS M2 as my personal weapon. What fascinates me about the P99 was that it is a striker-fired model that is capable of double-action/single-action fire as well. I can see why Bond has stuck with German-made guns in the movies and most of the novels. They make some real state-of-the-art firearms!
For me though, I simply have to experience shooting it for real. If anything, to hear for myself what Bond's P99 actually sounds like when fired! In the movies, the P99 always had a different gunshot sound depending on the movie (I remember in "The World is Not Enough" his P99 sounded suspiciously identical to all the 1911 pistols the villains used). Buying a gun and never shooting it for me is like buying an Aston Martin and never driving it.😁
Danjaq is a long-time friend (we had his P99 for a real "Sunset Celebration" in Key West, but Krest escaped) and I congratulate him that he is soon to have High Tea and High Time to Kill.
Well done, Danjaq!
My favorite detail of the early Gen 1's is the roll marks versus the later laser etchings. The Gen 1 guns overall have such a distinctive sleek silhouette that the Gen 2's (or any of Walther's other striker pistols for that matter) failed to recapture IMO.
Enjoy!
Definitely fire it ! Never could appreciate the idea of owning a rare firearm and just keeping it in the safe. In a similar vein, colleague of mine at work always gave me grief over wearing my Omega to work every day as he only gets his out "for special occasions".. He just couldn't grasp my response in saying, what good is a watch going to do stuffed in a drawer?
I have a later model P99AS that I love. Feels a hell of a lot better in hand than the Glocks I have carried at work for over 20 years. I always opt for carrying it than my duty pistol when off.
Ah, but you've highlighted the difference between true firearm collectors and non-collectors.
I kinda take your attitude with watches, but the shooting experience with a rare pre-ban $4K AKM that devalues with use and is pricey to repair (if you can find original parts at all) versus a current production $400 AKM in the same caliber is generally identical. Guess which one I'm taking to the range.
"True firearm collectors"... I can appreciate the idea.... and certainly to each their own... Guy owns a gun he won't shoot... because it devalues... just like the guy who doesn't drive a classic car and just polishes it in his garage etc etc... but it's funny to think a person is a "true" firearm collector who keeps his "safe queens" pristine.. vs a firearm collector who actually takes them out.. Have worked with plenty of collectors over the years in law enforcement with some really impressive historic weaponry.. who still took them out.. and have known a lot of the "safe queen" collectors through the militaria collectors club that sets up shows here in TN twice a year as well.. to say one is a true collector vs the other is humorous.
😆
Fair enough, clearly the definition of a collector can vary. Museum collections generally don't get fired at all, so there's that.
The example in my last reply is a no-brainer to me. Many collectors enjoy the benefit and luxury of choosing which "tools get used,” and how.
Congratulations. A rare puppy indeed and IMO the best looking of all the generations of P99 pistols. The later gens, cosmetically, were real dogs! Quests are a great thing to participate in. It took me a couple of decades to track down the pre-Bond P99 with a V1635 serial number. Incidentally, V1680 & V1667 were not deactivated. They were converted to blank fire which means they could still cycle rounds although not consistently because of floating barrel issues hence the usage of the PAK pistols.
Mark Hazard
It's the "Use your tools -ethos"...
Firearms is a strange puppy, I remember when we transitioned from the FN-HPDA to P-99 in 2003 as the service pistol in Finland everybody was mostly ecstatic (minus the enthusiasts who wanted "the Glock"). The FN was called "The Piece of Railroad Track" and the modernity of the P-99 was well received. Then came "The Glock" 17 in 2008, and now the enthusiasts were ecstatic. For me the 17 was a little bit "meh", I liked the heft of the FN (9mm is a real pussycat in that) and the feel of the trigger in P-99. But when we got the Glock 19, whooa-boy.... me likey! For some reason, I have no idea why, for my size 11 hands the grip and pointability of the 19 is near perfect. Trigger not so much, a bit "rubberbandy" IMHO. Anyways, now I'm just waiting for the next evolution in hardware which is the red dot sight for the service pistol because these new models seem to have very small iron sights....
-Mr Arlington Beech
The P99 is a very confortable weapon ... Congrats for yours.
But ... I am really linked to the PPK.
The fact is the P99 is not really easy to conceal.