.40 Walther P99 questions

J

jimmy

New member
At the local gunshop this afternoon I saw what was, to me, the most impressive or at any rate the best-looking new pistol in quite a while: a .40 Walther P99 with olive drab frame. I'm strongly tempted to buy it. But, reading back through TFL threads on the P99, it appears that the .40 model has an (unresolved?) design flaw, insofar as its slide may lock back in mid-magazine. I don't want to spend $600 on a gun with a built-in gremlin!

Does anyone know exactly what causes this malf in the .40 P99? I've had it happen to me in a 1911, when the prong on the slide stop was too long and came into contact with the bullets in the mag. Different bullet shapes seemed to make a difference in whether the malf occurred. Is this also the true with the Walther?

TIA.
 
And while we're at it, have the feeding problems been resolved?
On some strings, the answer is yes. On others, it is no.
I'd like to hear from some who actually own a P99 in 40 S&W.
 
Hi guys,

I have a P99 green in .40. It only has a few hundred rounds through it but it's my favorite handgun. It eats factory and reloads without a problem. I own a couple Glocks and a Sig 229 and like them all. But the P99 is the most accurate, comfortable low recoil gun I've shot it .40. Put it up against a Glock 23C last month. The recoil was lighter, it was far more accurate that the Glock and it feels like it was made for my hand. No, I don't work for Walther. I got mine from Jersey City Armory. www.jcarmory.com . They usually have them in stock and are about the cheapest around with prompt service. No, I don't work for them either.

Craig
 
I've also been interested in the .40 P99, but haven't gotten one because of earlier field reports about premature lock-back. Overall, the P99 is obviously well-engineered, so I'd think that Walther would want to address any problems asap. I can see where one bullet shape might be more likely to nudge the slide stop than another--if this is really the problem.
 
Well, I just bought a green P99 in 40 yesterday at a gun show... I'm about to go shoot it right now, but my room-mate has a black version in 40 and he's never had any problem with it at all, no failures to feed, no jams, and no pre-mature lock backs... Firing his gun was the reason I bought mine... it's a dream to fire...
-Tyler
 
Hello! I have the P99 in black & stainless -
bought it about 2 months ago. I've only had time to put about 300 rounds thru it, but it has gobbled up everything I've fed it. All
factory ammo, but a mix of UMC ball, Golden
Sabre JHP, & Remington High-Velocity JHP. No
problems whatsoever. Very accurate & stable gun. I have short fingers, so I really appreciate the small back-plate for the grip.
I also changed the front site to one of the taller ones provided by Walther, and that brought the POI right down to the POA.

I know 300 is not a lot of rounds (hey, I go
shootin' as often as I can!) but I love this gun! Feel great, looks great, & puts
the lead right where I tell it to. What more could you want? :cool: Good Luck!

------------------
"Skeptical scrutiny can separate deep insight from deep nonsense."
 
I just bought a QA and I love it. The trigger is like a Glock, w/ the exception that the QA doesn't have the take up that the Glock requires to bring the striker into firing position. The QA when cocked has the striker at the position where the Glock trigger stops, just before it drops the firing pin. The trigger feels heavy until it breaks. Walther also makes the P990, which functions like the Glock, w/ the first bit of travel bringing the striker into position, and then the final trigger motion dropping it. It took a little getting used to, as I carry a 17 for duty, but this will be a secondary duty weapon. In the first 1000rds there have been no malfunctions. I love it, probably the best .40Auto I have ever shot, and I have shot the majority of them. I resisted buying the P99 because of the original trigger configuration, and the QA was well worth the wait.

Be Safe
Mike
 
I have an all black one that I picked up last January. The box had warning stickers that stated that the gun could not be sold in MA, as it had not yet been tested or approved. This would make it a very early model.

The only problem I've had is with Aquila ammo. Their 180 gr. FMJ WILL NOT FEED AT ALL! All other brands have feed flawlessly. I love the light weight, and the way it fits my hand. After shooting it, my all steel guns feel like bricks. Great pistol. I highly recommend it.
 
Well, I put a couple of hundred rounds through my brand new Green P99 .40 and had ZERO problems... I LOVE this thing!!! Kinda funny though, my buddy bought a P99 9mm at the gun show this weekend also, and the last round out of his first two magazines didn't feed... He put a couple of hundred more rounds through it with no problem, so I'm assuming it was some sort of break-in issue...
And about that MA sticker on the box, I bought mine thise weekend from AZ Gun Runners, a dealer that has VERY high volume, so I'm positive my gun hasn't been sitting in their inventory for a long time, but I have that sticker on the box also.
 
I've got three and have had the slide lock problem with the firsts two, but it went away after 100 rounds. All have been very reliable. I highly recommend this gun. I'm looking forward to getting me a P99QA next.

Devin
 
I'd really suggest that you try this weapon before you buy. I'm very new to shooting, and I found a P99 in 9mm to have a very confusing trigger. Low recoil, and I liked the way it felt in my hand, but I couldn't get used to the trigger.

Munir


------------------
ahlan wa sahlan
PCV Yemen 1984-86
 
About the slide lock back problem... I experienced this problem when firing my buddys gun the first couple of times... and I'm almost positive that my right hand thumb was sliding up and bumping the slide lock when I was firing... after I became aware that's what I was doing, the problem went away...
 
I appreciate all the responses. Compared with some previous threads about the .40 P99, these posts are more positive overall, leading me to believe that Walther has debugged this pistol. :)
 
the problem on the slidelock on the .40 was a weak spring. It has been corected and is a quick fix for older .40's

This info was told to me by Earl @ Earl's repair.

Chris
 
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