I'm a beginner.....Glock 19 vs Walther P99

Get the Walther! That way when you move from beginner to expert you won't have to trade the Glock in:D (no flames glockers, I'm teasing)

Seriously, as you can tell by my handle I have a definite preference. I second everything Rovert, Denfoote, and others have said. They are reliable, more accurate than I am, and just so damn pretty!
 
Adept,
That was point.
For a new shooter, there is some stress in the learning curve, and I think it is just too easy to negligently press the trigger. It takes longer to learn to be safe with the Glock. Of course, the same arguement can be made with any DA/SA after the first round.
I guess that is just another reason why I also like grip safeties.
Just my thoughts.
 
I own both the Glock 19 and Walther P99 Military. I think the P99 is the better looking pistol, but I think the 19 is more reliable. The P99 can be fine tuned to your personal tastes out of the box because of the three backstraps and four front sights, but the 19 is less expensive.

Wrap your hands around both and buy the one that fits best.
 
I like that you are getting 9mm because the ammo costs half as much!

Don't forget to buy a 22lr sometime as well. Everyone needs one!
Ruger MarkII 5.5" bull. 6.75" Slabside Target.

One vote for the Walther is that they make a pellet gun and a 22lr in the exact same frame. It would be soooo cool to have the same gun in pellet, 22lr, 9mm.
 
I have a g23, the .40sw version of the Glock 19. The g19 is a classic. Good size for CCW, points well, simple to a fault.

The Walther is more sophisticated... better trigger pull, better ergonomics, better sights, and I think the restrike capability is a significant consideration.

So why did I get a Glock instead? Availability of high cap mags, plenty of inexpensive choices in holsters, mag carriers etc., and the GSSF. Also I think the Walther may have just TOO many bells and whistles.

The optimum would be a combination of the two, a g19 with improved grip, better trigger and restrike capability.

Yo
 
I love my Glock 19! I like my guns without bells & whistles. You don't need loaded chamber indicators or external safeties if you adhere to the basics; treat every gun as if loaded and keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot! Glocks are easy to take down for cleaning too.
 
We have a Glock 19 at our house. My wife likes it. It is simple, easy to clean, 'cute', and easy to shoot. I dislike it. It has that odd 5.5 pound trigger pull and I dislike the dot inside a half box sight picture. :rolleyes:
 
Glocks are easy to strip and clean, but so are the P99's. In fact they disassemble just like a Glock.

Bells and whistles??? It is interesting to note that Glock now has a loaded chamber indicator.

The P99 has the added features of being able to change the backstrap to fit your hand. (a nice "bell and whistle" if you ask me). Sights are easily changeable an a P99, to adjust to your ammo preference.

Glocks are good, but P99's are great.

P99
 
Hey, Rovert, yet chain's being yanked... :)

Seriously, I've shot G17s and Rovert's P99. Either would suit you well. I have to honestly admit that I like Walther's ergonomics better than Glock's.

However, IMHO a manual safety on a self-defense gun is asking for trouble when you can least afford it. The safety is something extra that has to be fiddled with and might not be in the position you expect it. "Oops" is not a word you want to say when your back's against the wall :eek:

Hence my choice of a G19 for backup self defense and practice.

Cheers, and safe shooting,
- pdmoderator
 
However, IMHO a manual safety on a self-defense gun is asking for trouble when you can least afford it. The safety is something extra that has to be fiddled with and might not be in the position you expect it. "Oops" is not a word you want to say when your back's against the wall

Hence my choice of a G19 for backup self defense and practice.
Click to expand...

pdmoderator you have lost me on this:confused:

I chose the P99 because it has no manual safety, but has a better trigger (at least for me).
 
Welcome To TFL Angelo-

take your pick! But, I would choose
the model 19 Glock, for several reasons.
1st, there's not much use for a large frame
autoloader thats magazine's only hold 10
rounds, anyway. Unless, the gun is to be
used primarily for home defense, range use,
or hunting. The Walther's can't easily be
adapted for CCW use; whereas the G-19 can.
And besides, in the right hands the G-19
will rival the Walther on the range, any
day of the week. 2nd, I like the G-19's
tennifer finish process; it will hold up
longer, under adverse conditions more so
than the finish found on the Walther. 3rd,
the compact G-19 can be treated as a "go
any where" (that's lawful) type gun; the
Walther on the other hand cannot. Just my
$.02 worth, ultimately the choice is yours.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Hi Angelo,

I had a similar thread in the General Forum.

There is a range in Worcester that rents both the P99 and the Glock 19. http://www.bostongunrange.com

Here is a question for you Walther folks:

What can you tell me about the Mass compliant version of the P99. Or is the standard P99 compliant?
 
As a gunstore employee, I've noticed that most new buyers either love or hate the feel of Glocks. If it fits your hand, you'll fall in love it, but if it doesn't, you will despise it with a passion.

Glocks are extremely simple and reliable handguns, and the P99 takes a good idea and adds to it. The firing pin indicator is nice and the different backstraps are great. The DA/SA mode of operation just seems weird, and the decocker location is incomprehensible.

FWIW, try shooting both guns before you make your decision. It usually simplifies the buying process immensely.
 
PDM, remember that the Walther can work exactly like a Glock or exactly like a Walther... in that you now can load the mag, rack the slide to chamber a round, decock the striker, but still be able to fire that first round, because in the Walther, when decocked, a long heavy trigger pull will still activate the striker and fire the round.

As noted, there are no other safeties, as there were with the Beretta that you didn't care for. There's nothing to go wrong, and nothing to fumble with. You have maximum safety, but with maximum utility in a crisis. Pull the trigger, fire the gun. Great for you. Not so great for the BG.

I think the confusion with regard to the Walther comes in the fact that it's the only striker fired weapon that can be fired DA for the first shot, even if the striker isn't in firing position. To the best of my (very limited, newbie) knowledge, this is the first striker fired gun to operate this way. And given the enormous popularity of the Glock and its operating paradigm, this represents a new concept that takes a bit of getting used to. Hence the confusion.

For you Glockers, let me see if I can explain it a different way, to help clarify.

Picture a day at the range when you've had a round that didn't fire, and your trigger was set back. Normally, you'd have to rack the slide to eject the bad round, which would reset the trigger. Now, picture a gun with a trigger that would reset all the way forward if the round didn't fire, giving you the opportunity to restrike that same round. That's how the P99 works.

Now, fast forward that scenario to a HD role. You rack the slide. You decock the P99, which functionally, simulates the same as having a misfired round. You now have a long, heavier trigger pull, but will still be able to shoot, because a round is in the chamber. All you need to do is pull the trigger. More safety, same preparedness.

HTH.
 
First off I need to clarify something Ala Dan stated. He said the Tenifer finish of the Glock holds up better. Very True, but the Walther has the same Tenifer finish. Also, I've been carrying the P99 for 3 years now and have never had a problem. (I'm not sure what "go any where that's lawful" means.

Second, I need to state something about what Rovert said. The second strike capability of the P99 is true. But, as a defensive measure, this would be a big NO NO. Do you really want to trust your life to a possible bad round. IF the round didn't go off the first time, than tap and rack. If you're on the range and you just want to see if the round will go off with a second strike, fine. But please don't trust your life to this method.

Both are great guns. But make mine the P99.:D

P99
 
P99-

My mention of a "go any where that's lawful"
gun, simply means that you can take any
Glock and throw it under the seat of a car,
include it in your tackle box, or sky dive
with it; and it ain't gonna hurt it one bit.
Better stated, drop it from a helicopter onto
concrete, bury it in sand, freeze it in a
block of ice, or whatever and it will come up
shooting every time; at least that was the
criteria the federal government used for the
"rules of importation".

But on the other hand, if Walther's P99 has
the same tennifer process; it should do just
as well, right? I'm sure the Glock's plastic
frame might suffer some damage when dropped
from the helicopter; but you know how sales
gimmick's go, don't you? Whatever company
that can tell the most lie's, usually wins.
After all, I'm a Sig Man; I shouldn't be
touting Glock's or Walther's, for that matter.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Dan, i'm not sure where you got the idea that you can't get full cap mags for the p-99, i've got a pair of 16rnds. also, when i carry, nobody can tell that i'm carrying. it's a good concealable size as far as i'm concerned, that could in part be due to the fact that i'm not a small person. then again how many small people can conceal a full sized 1911??

both the g19 and the p99 are fantastic firearms and either will suit you well, personally i am partial to the p99. i like the trigger better, i like the multi-backstrap concept, and it just damn well feels great in my hand. my wife hates it, loves the .40cal glock of a friend of our's, only thing that i don't like about it is the trigger, but i've become biased.


Adept
 
I went with the P99. It just feels perfect in my hands, not to mention it's one of the few pistols I can get NIB in this state.
 
P99

>>>Hi Angelo, I had a similar thread in the General Forum. There is a range in Worcester that rents both the P99 and the Glock 19. http://www.bostongunrange.com Here is a question for you Walther folks: What can you tell me about the Mass compliant version of the P99. Or is the standard P99 compliant?

There is an "SW99" a joint effort between Walther and S&W. They are MA legal and $599 at Four Seasons in Woburn. They are also selling the Walther made version for $629, which they also say is MA compliant. www.fsguns.com

Angelo, personally I think some of the older-style pistols are better for range / home use. CCW requirements are a lot different. I like larger, heavier pistols with a visible hammer and manual safety.

Lots of people here talk about CCW, but are you really going to follow through with this? If you have a gun, and the BG has a gun, and he's better than you, you're dead. If you are better than him, and you shoot him under the wrong circumstances, you're looking at $100's of thousands of $$ in legal bills. If you CCW, you'd better be prepared for the possibility that some guy, a bad guy at that, will be sprawled out on the street in front of you, blown apart and with blood, gore, and maybe even his brains all over the place - if he's close, all over you. Don't listen to the Sidewalk Commandos.

Buy a good, accurate range pistol, learn to shoot it very, very well, then make some choices. Smith & Wesson Academy (www.smith-wesson.com)has CCW courses in Springfield - so does Sigarms (www.sigarms.com)in Epping, NH and LFI (www.ayoob.com)in NH as well. If you buy a quality pistol you'll break even or come out ahead. LEarn to shoot, then buy a carry piece. Carry Mace/Pepper Spray, take some self-defense courses, and stay out of places where someone will hold you up at gunpoint. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top