RAP4 has made quite a name for themselves with their innovative paintball marker accessories (the AG1 paintballs, AG1 upgrade parts, 24-chamber expansion chamber, to name a few), as well as producing amazing-looking paintball markers (I can't wait to get my hands on a T68 Thunderstrike package -- I'm starting a "Charlie's Thunderstrike" donation fund. Donate today!! 
). Anyway, I've had a chance to toy around with their newest pistol, the .43cal Walther P99 paintball marker. Here's my review:
Product: RAP4 P99 paintball pistol; black; external air (disposable 12g CO2)
Tested: By Charlie McElvy; speedball, woodlands ball, scenario play (mostly recreational)
Review: First off, I can honestly say that I was giddy as a little girl when UPS rolled up to drop off my P99. Seriously, it was that cool thinking about holding this little beauty. I must admit, though, I actually almost didn't end up buying this one. I was leaning more towards the RAP226, a SigSauer 226 replica paintball marker, but the 226 was $50 more at retail & was a little larger/heavier. So, saving $50, I opted for the P99. I don't regret it one bit.. (though, I will be adding a RAP226 to my arsenal in due time).
Ok, first run: I loaded 9 .43cal AG1 paintballs into the magazine (the brochure & website say you can fit 10, but you would really have to cram that last one in there -- for what?? It's ONE-STINKIN-ROUND!), dropped a 12g disposable CO2 cartridge into the air adapter/cylinder, twisted it into the grip, popped in my magazine, released the safety, cocked the slider, and BLAM! Ahhhhh... what bliss.
I tested the marker's accuracy @ 25ft. for starters. It's a good start for lower-power markers (i.e., "pistols"), and it gave me a chance to see how much variance there would be in play for short-range to long-range transitions. Aiming the pistol using the on-top sight alignments is pretty natural, if you've fired a "real" gun before, and the accuracy was spot-on at this range. I was able to unload 6 rounds rather quickly, with an on-looker asking me, "where did you end up hitting?" The answer? The same spot [almost] exactly all 6 times (I was aiming for where I hit the first shot on a piece of fiberboard). Pretty awesome, I'd say (not for me, for the paintball marker...).
I moved to approx. 50ft out from the board. Similar results, though not quite as impressive. I had some veer, with every shot slightly off from the previous one(s), though I was aiming/firing with the same technique as with the 25ft range. Still, most every shot ended up no more than 6in. from the shots furthest from, so I'd say that the marker was dangerously accurate even at 50ft. (Think about hitting a person with a 6in. variance -- you'd only miss a dead-on shot a few times, typically.)
I moved out to just over 100ft. Well, let's say that the advertised "effective range" of 65ft. is pretty meaningful. Not to dis this gun's accuracy at this range, heck it wasn't made to shoot accurately this far, but my shots seemed all over the place. I note this for those planning on making this marker a staple in their arsenal. I have, but I need to note for others that this isn't that reliable beyond 50, to say 75 feet. The paintballs are smaller (.43cal), and the barrel isn't long enough for pressure equilization (it's a pistol, for Pete's sake!), so after the 50-75ft range you get quite a bit of veer. How bad? Not bad enough to mark off point for it: Aiming at a 2'x3' piece of fiberboard, and letting off 9 rounds in rapid sequence, as in the previous tests, 7 of 9 actually hit the board. Two veered badly enough so as to miss the board completely. Of the 7 hits, 5 were within 10in of each other, the furthest two being 26in apart. Again, not bad at all for a pistol.
Ok, that's over. Now, what about the rest of the gun's features? First off, this beast scores mega points for "coolness factor". Seriously, it's just awesome to look at, hold, fire. I could go all day with it in the holster, and still feel manly. The fact that it's a replica of the same weapon used by the new James Bond certainly helps a little...
The real action blowback feature is wicked. I don't know why, but I love this. I didn't think it had this feature, based on the video I saw of it (another reason I almost went with the Sig226), but I watched it kick as my daughter fired off some rounds just today (the blowback feature is really not noticeable when firing it yourself -- you're not looking at the gun!). Pretty sweet. Also, getting this in multiple colours is a really neat idea (the same 4 colours that the real P99 is available in, BTW). I'm thinking of adding a silver or Law Enforcement blue one to my collection... we'll see.
Finally, for mechanical-types: maintenance is NOT for the feint of heart! It requires you to push tiny locking pins loose (6), remove the slider portion from the grip segment (watch out for those tiny, elusive trigger springs!), unscrew 3 tiny screws, and so on down the line. Really, this marker is designed well-enough not to have to worry about maintenance, aside from occasional oiling & regular squeegee work (included BTW). Besides, disassembling voids your warranty. 
And, annoyingly, the pressure adjust screw is BEHIND the trigger! The good news is, you can get a hex wrench behind it to adjust it, but if you're not reading this, or haven't explored that option, you would think you'd have to disassemble the marker to simply adjust the fps. Why they leave little things out of the manual like that I'll never know...
All in all, this is a FANtastic addition to my collection of paintball markers! I recommend it with the highest of praise! GREAT for backup or scenario play!
Rating: 9.5/10
Reasons for Point Reduction (if applicable): that maintenance/fps thing is really irritating. Yes, irritating enough to alone remove half a point.
Product Website: http://rap4.com/paintball/os/paintball-pistol-black-p-2260.html
