walther p99 9mm

[ballsout]

I have been looking at a Walther p99 9mm AS model for home defense/tactical fun. Will this fit the bill or should I look at a different type of handgun? Not interested in glock.

[John_Wayne777]

I have an older P99 with an OD green frame:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/P99.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMGP0635.jpg

It's an all German gun. I've had it for several years. At the time I bought it, I was looking for a superior alternative to the Glock 19, and the P99 filled the role nicely.

I've never gotten along well with Glocks because I get slide bite and because the trigger on them just stinks....but the Walther didn't bite and the "single action" mode for the trigger is one of the best triggers on a striker fired handgun I've ever tried.

I've put about 5 or 6,000 rounds through the weapon by this point. The only real gripes I have about it are the silly hump in the middle of the trigger guard, the expense of the magazines, the proprietary rail, and the tendency of my big mitts to render the slide lock inoperative when I take a serious grip on the weapon. Some of these issues have been addressed with later redesigns of the weapon.

It's been a very reliable firearm so far...no malfunctions and it's not easy to limp-wrist into a stovepipe like a lot of G19's are. The standard sights that come on the weapon are pretty good and allow for adjustment. (Including multiple front sights of different heights)

It's also a very accurate handgun. I've shot several one hole groups with the weapon in deliberate slow-fire at 15 yards.

Overall I've been pretty pleased with the pistol. I payed $450 for it brand new and I've been very pleased with what I received for my money.

If I was on the market to buy one today, I'd rather have an M&P than the P99.

My 2 cents.

EDIT -- It should be noted that the German made Walther P99 and the Smith made SW99 are worlds apart in quality. The German P99's have a pretty decent record among owners....the SW99 is one of the most problematic weapons S&W has ever put out. They may share a common overall design, but the execution on the SW99 is markedly inferior to the truly Walther made P99's.

You can distinguish the Walther made P99's by the German proof marks on the slide, barrel, and frame of the weapon that you can see on my Walther in the picture.

[Littlelebowski]

Accurate but a funky trigger. Second the M&P recommendation.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

A very under rated gun in my opinion. Walther made a huge mistake getting involved with S&W, IMHO.

[ballsout]

A very under rated gun in my opinion. Walther made a huge mistake getting involved with S&W, IMHO.


which is a very under rated gun?

[Magsz]

The German made p99.

Is it still possible to buy german made new P99's in the US or are they all the S&W variant at popular gun stores?

[ballsout]

i was at the range and guy told me they are no longer importing the p99's. i think i might just got with the M&P felt and looks pretty nice.

[Nimslow]

Right after they came out, I had a green frame German 9mm P99. The trigger could have used some improvement, but it was a great gun.

I still regret selling it.

[Army Chief]

Walther made a huge mistake getting involved with S&W, IMHO.

You're likely right on this account, but it was a wholly predictable marriage from the German perspective. S&W is one of the few American arms manufacturers that makes a legitimate effort to market their products in Germany; as such, their reputation abroad is such that a broader business arrangement would seem to make sense to a firm with minimal direct experience in the American market (I'm not really counting the Interarms era as "direct experience" on Walther's part).

I'm not knocking S&W, but neither would I expect them to be able turn out a product of equal quality to the original P99. Our approach to manufacturing is different, our production standards are different, and our preoccupation with the bottom line is different. Little wonder, then, that the SW99 left something to be desired at the end of the day. On the other hand, I think that the domestic production/distribution arrangement kept the P99 from getting the attention it deserved; especially since American shooters aren't terribly familiar with the firm that gave us cheap P-38s and unholy-expensive P-88s, with not a lot to choose from in the middle -- unless you count the cool, but curious P5.

Chief

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Oh yeah, and the P5 wasn't exactly cheap either! Neat as hell gun though. I think everybody that hasn't bought one of the HK P9s, P7, Walther P5 and SIG 225 going around for relative cheap will be kicking themselves soon.

[Abraxas]

A very under rated gun in my opinion. Walther made a huge mistake getting involved with S&W, IMHO.

I totally agree

[docsprague]

i was at the range and guy told me they are no longer importing the p99's. i think i might just got with the M&P felt and looks pretty nice.

To my knowledge S&W still import P99s. The new models include the P99AS and the P99AS compact. Earl's Repair Service also imports P99s if you dont like the S&W import mark.

I also agree it is very under rated, especially in 9mm.

[DrewH]

I had a SW99, and three P99s (I bought both frame colors and the later, less proprietary accessory rail version), and found little difference among the Walthers and between the Walthers and the S&W.

All were very reliable, only perhaps one malfunction in thousands of rounds, more reliable than my G19s, and I liked the SA (all were pseudo DA/SA versions) triggers on them-they had very short, crisp resets. Shot one in LFI with Massad Ayoob, actually, worked like a champ.

In the end I was not shooting them much. And I thought the pseudo-DA/SA trigger was negating one advantage of a SFA, the same every time trigger pull, IMHO. Accessories tended to be pricy. They were a little bigger for CCW than a G19. So I sold them.

If I bought one now it would be the version with the single light trigger pull. I would check out the M&P and XD first if you are dead set on not getting a Glock, however.

Does S&W still make the SW99s? I would think that would compete directly with the M&P.

[losbronces]

I've shot the P99 with the AST (anti-stress trigger). The first shot has a very long pull and then the trigger pull is more consistent. Personally, I can shoot a Glock better and I prefer the Sigs. I have never used one with the QA trigger that people here are referring to. I have seen one go down hard in competition due to the failure of an internal part. These were German made guns in use in South America.