FTE Stovepipes after the first 100 rds. with my P99

G

Greyhound Dog

New member
Went to the range today to fire my P99 9mm All German made in 1998
I bought it used in 99% cond.
Took 3 different kinds of ammo
All 115 gr, Blazers Win JHP and Win FMJ
First 100 rounds were flawless
After that Stovepipes ,FTE's and the slide would NOT lock back on the last shot.
If I would put 3 rounds in the mag I would have to clear every round and the last round would not lock the slide back. I even went back to the range 2 hours later to see if it was a heat realated problem and the promlem was still there on every shot.
It isn't a limp wrist problem ,I took care to make sure of that.

I called Earl's and he said if you didn't buy it here call Smith and Wesson

So I called S&W and they said they will send me a FED/EX label
to mail it to them no charge. I guess I will have to wait this one out to see if it's a fixable problem I hope so because even after only 100 rounds I like the feel of this gun better than all my other guns.

I have to include a short disciption of the problems in letter form when i send it back .

CAN ANY OF YOU P99ers GIVE ME ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM................I'll include them in my letter

Thanks for listening
Greyhound Dog
 
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This one can't. I wish I could shed some light for you. Mine have always worked flawlessly. But mine aren't that old.

Is it 9mm or .40?
 
One cause might be limp wristing. Ive noticed that when a handgun is unfamiliar to some people, they tend to hold it "looser". I can recall multiple times while letting a buddy try out my pistol they would get a FTE or FTF even though I personally have never had one hiccup with the gun......in fact Ive made guns fail that were 100% reliable to their owners. If the frame isnt held tight, the slide wont go fully rearward due to the fact that the frame absorbed too much of the recoil that is intended to propel the slide back. Grip it tight and lock your arm, it may help. BTW- I had multiple failures with my P99 in the first 200 or so rounds, but not one since.
 
I've read complaints about P99's having problems with 115grain bullets until they're broken in. I've got 500 rounds of my 115 grain reloads through my P99, no failures of any kind. If it's not the wrist thing try some 124 grain bullets. If all else fails get a new recoil spring from Earl($35). Try everything before you send it to s&w. Good luck.
 
greyhound dog, as the owner of a p99 9mm, i have put several thousand rounds through it, the only stovepipes i had were because i limpwristed it.
i'm rather suprised at the reponse you got from earl...i didn't purchase mine from him, but he still worked on it, i had him do a trigger job on it <lighten up the pull> and swap out a cam in the striker block that allowed decocking by pulling the trigger back gently and releasing it. can i ask how you approached it with him??

Adept


ps good luck with the simpletons at s&w.
 
i'm rather suprised at the reponse you got from earl...i didn't purchase mine from him, but he still worked on it, i had him do a trigger job on it <lighten up the pull> and swap out a cam in the striker block that allowed decocking by pulling the trigger back gently and releasing it. can i ask how you approached it with him??
Click to expand...
WTF????
 
hank, i'm not sure what part is not understandable, but i'll try to explain.

having done business with earl, i have found him to be gruff, but personable.

the trigger, he took about 5lbs off the 14lb DA trigger and about 3lbs off the SA trigger mode. the cam, the best way that i can describe it is that the way the striker works is that <obviously> you pull the trigger back all the way and it fires. well, what was happening was that when you pulled the trigger back slowly <and i mean SLOWLY>, you could feel the spot where it engaged the striker and at that point could slowly back it off, there for decocking the firearm. this was not how i wanted the pistol to operate and earl told me he could do something about it.

i hope that this clears up what ever it was that you didn't comprehend.

please feel free to email me any further questions.

adept
 
Don't know anything about P99s, but was the gun clean and lubed before you shot it? I would clean the gun and try it again with hotter loads. Also, I remember that Walther changed the recoil springs to accommodate American shooting tastes for lower velocity 115 grain bullets. Also, since the problems occurred at the end of the shooting session, maybe you were fatiguing and starting to limp-wrist.

Try some of these suggestions before you send it to S&W.
 
Greyhound Dog,

First, I am really surprised and disappointed to hear the response you received from Earl.
While I have not purchased a gun from him, I have spent a few hundred dollars on accessories for my P99's. I have aksed him questions and he has responded with satisfactory answers.
He can be a tad gruff or short as stated but, he is knowledgeable in regard to the Walther line. More so than Walther-USA can be believe me.
I have to think that his attitude may have something to do with the recent announcements by Walther and S&W and how guns will/may be coming into the US. Only a guess on my part. :confused:

Now for your problem.
Earl told me, in regard to a new P99/9mmx19 that I purchased elsewhere, not to use 115gr. ammo for the first few boxes. He suggested the use of either 124gr. or 147gr. ammo until the recoil spring "broke in" some and them use the lighter bullets.
Walther actually makes a lighter recoil spring for the 115gr. loads. To be honest I don't recall the weight of the two but they are measured in Newton. The 115gr. spring is two Newton lighter than the other one.

I put 3-400 rounds of 124gr. and 147gr. ammo thru my P99/9mmx19 when I initially fired it as Earl recommended and then tried the 115gr. ammo. Everything worked 100% and has ever since.

I think your problems may be "operator error" or ammo induced. I would suggest you try a heavier bullet before you send your P99 to Walther/S&W.

Good luck. ;)

BTW, the standard weight is 50 Newton and the reduced weight is 48 Newton.

50 Newton=11.24 lbs.
48 Newton=10.79 lbs.

And, Earl nearly told me today to hang up and place my order on line using their web site. The man has the market cornered as far as Walther parts but...he could be a little more polite when someone is spending money with him. :rolleyes:

Aside from Walthet-USA, does anyone else know of a parts dealer for P99 parts? :confused:
 
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How to buy Recoil Spring

Call Smith and Wesson, Ask for Low Power Recoil spring and guide assembly. They'll sell it to you for $14.
 
EARL

Jim ,

Earl was neither rude or short with me , just when I mentioned warranty work he stopped and said S&W are the people to call
he politely gave me the 1-800 number and said if they can't help you call me back and maybe I (Earl) can . It was that quick and simple. I wasn't aware of S&W's connection as far as warranty work went. And I'm sure I wasn't the first person to call asking about warranty work.

Jim' thanks for your input I will try hotter loads this Sunday at the range.

As far as springs go I couldn't find them on the Wolff site
.......any other source?????????

Thanks again
Greyhound Dog
 
Just ordered a spring giide assenbly from S&W $14.00

Should have it in a couple of days T will keep all you 99ers

posted

Thank again for the helpful input

Greyhound Dog
 
I called Earl's and he said if you didn't buy it here call Smith and Wesson
Click to expand...

This is what you originally posted. I took it to mean that he was kurt, short or rude. My mistake. :eek:

I called Earl today to order a recoil spring assembly (50 Newton), striker spring and another set of night sights. What I got was attitude about not using the web site to place my order and then he questions my ability to navigate the Internet. :rolleyes: Then I get a disgusted sigh because I didn't find the parts that I needed on the P99 parts diagram. :eek:

I ordered the springs but didn't order the nite sites. I called and ordered a set of PT Night Sights for $40.00 less than Earl's sights.

I have one set of his sights and like them very much. It's time to try another flavor however.

BTW, my guess would be that if you constantly use the 48 Newton spring with the heavier loads, it may wear out sooner that the 50 Newton spring would. Just a guess on my part. ;)
 
Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking that the trigger was being used as a decocking lever in some fashion. Never had a P99 in my hands.
 
The P99 I had locked the slide back every mag with rounds remaining. Until walther fixes the bugs it will be a second rate pistol.
PAT
 
pat, as from many posts i, and many others, understand that you had some issues with a p99. i am sorry that you had that experience. i am also sorry that your opinion of walther is based on this experience, as i'm sure that no other firearm manufacturer ever turned out a lemon or 3 during a production run. while i respect your opinion and your right to have said opinion, could you please do me and any other walther enthusiat a favor, stop trying to beat us over the head with it until we change our minds. thank you, have a nice day.


hank, i think it was more of an unintenional happenstance, i would have never realized it if i didn't follow through on a shot, was shooting outdoors, about to fire off around at a target, wind kicked up and i backed off...i didn't fully realize that i engaged the striker until i was talking to earl about it one afternoon and he mentioned it to me.


Adept
 
Interesting thread. A couple of people used to use 9mm P99's in local IDPA matches, but it's been a while since I've seen one. Reliability problems, especially when they get a bit dirty. (Mostly failures to go into battery, but some trigger problems, too.)

Funny how Walther's response is to supply different recoil springs for different loads. All other major manufacturer's guns work fine with one spring for all factory loads from 115 to 147, including standard pressure, NATO, and +P.

(And if your 9mm P99 has fired a gazillion rounds without a burp, fine. I believe you. It's just that it's been my observation that a high percentage are not as reliable as yours...which is the only reason I haven't bought one myself.)
 
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