Do you guys still like your Walther P99 ??

viescay
I am afraid that your theory just does not hold up to the reality of the 40 S&W. For years I have read that the 9mm operates at about 30,000psi. The 40 S&W depending on the load can approach 50,000psi.
Let us look at the destructive power (on the pistol) from a real life situation. One of the worlds best pistols the Browning High Power had to be almost completely redisigned because it literally started to fall apart when FN first rechambered it for the 40 S&W. A special extra hard frame was developed for the 40 S&W. AS a matter of fact FN never did perfect the High Power for the use of the 40. They had problems with the tremedous pressure actually cracking off one of the rear frame rails. So FN's only solution was to actually saw off this portion of the rail on all the new High Powers since it would have cracked off in use anyway. Very heavy springs had to be substituted for the standard High Power springs which made cocking the hammer or drawing back the slide almost impossible for some women or some older men.
Your statement that the pressure of the two cartridges is almost identical just does not bear any relation to actual real life tests. If the two cartridges had the same pressure FN would not have had to use horrendously more powerful springs in the new High Power and frame rails only came apart in the 40 S&W chambering not in the previous 50 years of 9mm chamberings.
AS far as velocity is concerned there are a lot of loadings out there for the 9mm that far exceed your rather week posting. I have seen some 9mm loads chronograph velocity readings right up to almost 1400 fps. Try that with a 40 and you will probably see it go up like a grenade from the pressure.
If I desire a big cartridge I will stick with the .45acp. But for all round fun, economy , low recoil, high velocity and, much better average accuracy, and longer service life of the pistol I'll stick with the 9mm. I want nothing to do with all the headaches associated with the 40. Just my personal preference. W.R.
 
Dude??!!

Wild Romie,

With all due respect, WHAT CRACK HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING?

Check ANY bullet, powder, reloading gear manufacturer, or whatever's load manual/reloading book, and you'll see your information is WAY OUT OF LINE. The .40 S&W and the 9mm have IDENTICAL max SAAMI pressure readings....35,000psi!

As a matter of fact .40 S&W has NO +P rated loads, whereas 9mm has +P rated loads that reach 38,500psi! And for your information, load data exists that will push an 135 gr. JHP out of a 4" 40 S&W at 1,480 fps at well under 35,000 psi. If you don't believe me, go to www.hodgdon.com and check out the load data for .40 S&W and Longshot powder.

Please get your facts straight before putting out bunk information for all on TFL to read, or at least state your case as an opinion, not as fact.
 
i'm happy with the 9mm. i've shot a number of .40s and haven't seen that much of a difference. i'm sure that i'll be flamed for that, but that's just my opinion. eventually i might have to get a second one, just because i like the firearm.

Adept
 
I love my P-99. Never a problem and it shoots what I feed it.
I have the original Walther not the S&W stuff. Sorry, I am still boycotting till the situation is corrected.:D
 
Wild Romanian,

The 40S&W at 50k psi? That's at what the 9x23 is set at! I am aware that that Hornaday 155gr XTP was pressure checked by the FBI and it was running at a constant 37100 psi. But if the 40S&W is running at 50K, why was a 40S brought out by Triton. That has great capacity, but at the pressure of 50K, the 40S&W would just be HAULING!

When did FN change the HP frame? I just broke my .40S&W HP down (for not liking the .40S&W I sure seem to have enough of 'em) and what you describe (my rails are complete). As far as spring weight, they are only at 20lbs. 10mm Autos had 23lb springs on them (Delta Elite). I do believe that ParaOrdance has the same weight springs in their P16 (which I have and converted to 10mm and I'm using 24lb recoil spring).

Pressure and a tougher spring/frame due to more recoil (heavier bullets moving at the nearly the same velocity as lighter bullets will have more recoil) has NOTHING to do with a round being hard on a pistol. Is the 40S&W then new 10mm Auto? Just jamming a .40S&W slide on a 9mm frame with 9mm springs will lead to trouble, of course, just as firing a converted 10mm (in my ParaOrdnance P16) with the .40S&W springs will lead to problems. It is only common sense that a stronger frame/spring is needed with a harder recoiling round.

The Sig P229 and Beretta M96 are aluminum alloy framed pistols, I have not heard of these pistols having catastrophic frame failures (at least not from anyone other then a glock fanatic! :D Now that ain't a dig, I have/had plenty of glocks in my day).

We all have our own "pet" calibers, and .40S&W is not one of mine, but I'm not aware of any 40S&W being as bad as what you have described.

Derek
 
vieszy: Thank you very much for your reply. It was well written and your veiwpoint is very clear.
In response to your question about the High Power Frame. It was changed in 1994 to a cast steel frame that is much harder than the traditional forged frame High Power. FN could have made a new and harder forged frame but it would have boosted the price of the pistol and they wanted to produce it as cheaply as possible to remain competitive with the other brands of pistols that were in competition with it. The result was a loss of prestige because many purists regared it as only cheap copy of what once was considered the cadillac of the 9mm's. FN did not realize that there were so many devoted followers of their orginal High Power that they would all probably gladly paid more for a new forged frame version . FN also could have kept the 9mm version in its orignal form and brought out either a variation or completely different pistol in 40 caliber.
I apologize to you for sounding rather harsh on my last thread. It is just that if it was not for the 40 S&W caliber the High Power would probably never have been redisigned and this has really angered me. Fn would have been better off simply to have designed a new pistol rather than change the High Power so radically. People who were purists when it came to owning and buying High Powers simply rejected the new gun and people who did not know the difference and bought them were often disappointed in the redesigned weapon. Not all people felt this way but I have heard plenty of bitter complaints from many people in my circle of friends.
I would also like to compare the .40, 9mm and .45 acp. If you notice people shooting even the traditonal .45acp you will find that the majority of them do not shoot full power or extra powerful loads through them.. The target shooters use very mild loads with light weight bullets. This is not simply done because these loads are more inheritly accurate. Many full power loads when fired out of a ransom rest are just as accurate. Why then do the target shooters at Camp Perry and also millions of weekend plinkers use the mild loads. RECOIL, RECOIL, RECOIL IS THE REASON. When shooting for score or just shooting many rounds for fun. People do not like recoil and they do not shoot there best with high power loads.
With the 9mm you can have your cake and eat it too. Even with high power loads it is still a pleasant gun to shoot and if you decide to cut back a little on the power of your reloads a well built 9mm will last much longer than the heavier recoiling bigger pistols. Of course you could shoot mid rang loads through a .40 but if you are going to do that why not just stick with the .45acp and its well know traditonal super accurate mid-range loads.
I guess the .40 appeals to two kinds of people. One group likes full power and heavy recoil and the other group wants something new and different.
I believe if had not been for some of the strange rules in USPSA shooting which gave the .40 an advantage over the 9mm and if it had not been for the Gunzines ruthlessly pushing the caliber for the benefit of the gun compaines who were previously having trouble even giving them away, the .40 probably would have become extinct rather quickly.
Loaded way down to 700 or 800 feet per second the .40 is probably not a bad caliber but why bother when the .45 will do just as well or better.
The 10mm proved a great marketing failure and although the .40 has done much better only time will tell wether it will last as long as th 9mm and .45 have. Both the 9mm and the .45 have lasted almost 100 years, the .40 has some awfully big shoes to fill if it is to do even half as well. W.R.
 
vieczy: Recoil and pressure go hand in hand and have a very detrimental affect on the life of a firearm. Load up a rifle or pistol with more power and the pressure goes up and up and so does the recoil. What does this due to a rifle or a pistol. In a rifle and pistol it puts tremendous strain on the locking lugs of the rifle or the pistol. Excess headspace soon developes from to much pressure. Increased pressure also contributes to the violent rearward recoil of the weapon and in pistols the slide literally starts to rocket rearward. This is the reason for the extra powerful springs in the new Highpower. To much recoil also will eventually crack frames in all pistols or the recoil blocks in the plastic framed pistols. Lower the pressure and you lower the recoil and you increase the service life of the pistol. The Browning High Power was called the high power because it was designed to operate over 10,000 psi more than the .45 at 20,000 psi. It was not designed to operated at the high pressure that the 40 gives.
As far where to look on your high power for the missing frame rails. I do not own a new high power with the cast frame but literature that I have read indicates it is at the rear of the frame. The best way to see the difference would be to strip down a new high power and an old one and then it may become more readily apparant on how they had to change the frame. W.R.
 
I sold my p99 it was ok but most people that I let shoot it were less than impressed. Recoil with 40 sw ammo was heavy. The trigger pull sucked in DA mode and was tollerable in sa mode. IT would malfunction and lock the slide open prematurly until I got a new slide release. The accuracy was acceptable but not great (3 to 4 inch groups at 25 yards with most ammo) some of my handloads would get down to 2 inches but most would not. The worst thing about the pistol was the excessive muzzle flip in 40 sw. IT had a high bore axis and that gun was down right difficult to shoot fast and well compared to a glock. Save your money and get a glock instead in what ever your faviorate caliber is.
PAT
 
I had the P99 in 9mm and .40 and I feel that the Walther P99 is THE choice for carry. I traded my P99 in 9mm to a buddy for a vintage FN HiPower and some cash, not because I disliked the Walther in 9mm, but because I let my friend fire it at a few shooting sessions and he absolutely HAD to have it.

I carry my P99 in .40 every day......Dan in GA
 
I really like my P99 in .40 caliber. It's my 1st Walther, but won't be my last. I've had a chance to shoot 3 or 4 hundred rounds through it without hitch. A friend of mine had 1 jamb, but I think he limp wristed it. It's one of the very few pistols that feels good in my hand. Sold my Kahr K40 and got the Walther. ABSOLUTELY no regrets! I'm planning on getting one in 9mm too.

Which brings up a question. Are there any P99 high caps available to civilians, or were they all post-ban LEO onlys? I've heard two stories on it. If available, I'd prefer to get the 16 rounder.:cool:
 
I got one of the first 1500 .40s&w P99's and I love it. Yes, it is a little hot to handle. And Yes, I did have a few problems in the beginning with premature slide lock. But, after the first 200-300rds, it's been totally reliable.

I must admit, I'm glad I got one of the German made guns. I saw one of the newer models and the new finish looks like hell. Personally I like the smooth Tenifer finish better.

-Red-
 
I've had my P99 9mm in OD green for about 1 1/2 years now, never had any type of malfunction or problem with it. I consider it to be "one of the best"! I would highly recommend one to anybody.

Mike
 
What does QPQ, etc mean???

I love the P99. A buddy of mine has one, and it was fabulous in feel, weight, recoil, you name it. However, I have been shopping around and have seen things like QPQ etc tagged on the end. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? I figure I finally found the people to answer the question. Thanks.
 
Normal capacity magazines are available in a non-LEO version for the 9mm. They are $125.00 from Earl's Repair Service. 978.851.2656.

There are no non-LEO magazines available for the .40S&W caliber P99.
 
As mentioned previously, I have the QA or quick action version in .40 and really like it. I sold my glock 23 to get it.

As Vyper mentioned, the QA version has a Glock like trigger. I like it better than the Glock trigger because it doesn't have the trigger safety getting in the way and it is a wider and smoother trigger.

I recommend that anyone looking at the Walther P99 to check out the QA Quick Action version.

If you want to make the grip even more comfortable than it is, put Agrip on it for that velvet like feel.
 
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