Lookin for a 9mm as first semi auto.

Here's my $0.02:

If you don't mind lighter polymer guns the glock is OK, but I'd look at a Steyr M9. It has a much better trigger, lower bore axis, better ergonomics, a manual saftey, and funky trapezoidal sights (but at least they are metal not plastic sights). I got mine last year for $400 NIB, there are always a couple on Gunbroker, etc. I've let three different Glock 9mm owners shoot it and they all fell in love with it. It's not a common recommendation but it is a nice pistol.

If you like the feel of a full size steel pistol with great trigger, ergonomics and reasonably priced hi cap magazines, you cannot go wrong with the CZ 75. The have several safety, decocker, DAO, et al., configurations and they shoot very well.

I do not like the trigger on the P99 -- just not my cup of teat I guess. If you do go with the P99, the german ones are better than the S&W ones.
 
After holding the glock and CZ, i dont like the way the CZ feels. Feels slick, too, but this is an old model, like 10 years old at least, so they might have changed the grips since then.

Glock 17 and P99 are my 2 main choices. I may go up to S&W again next week for the shoot, and see if I can rent the P99, and bring the glock 17 and shoot side by side and see which I prefer.

yeah, with dry firing glocks, you gotta rack the slide back, so you cant do consecutive shots.

So my walther gun can to to S&W for repairs. I guess thats ok. Mags are fairly cheap, i see glock for $20, and on that site, they are $30, so the walther are prob a little cheaper maybe.

Rickmeister, can you give me a little more info about how each gun feels in the hand? The glock fit nicely, but seemed a tad fat to get a good grip. Is the walther slimmer? and how do the adj backstraps work?

Also, if the P99 as durable as the glock? i know glocks can be bumped, dropped, etc, and still function well, whereas some other guns might be more finicky. The way i put my hands, my right thumb is just under the slide lockout tab, and my left thumb is right underneath my right thumb. How is the walther for this grip? i tried the CZ in this grip, and it felt just horrible.

Hopefully i'll get to go up and shoot the P99 next time I go to S&W for one of their matches. maybe go early and shoot the glock 17 and P99 side by side and make the call that way.
 
newbie 9mm:

All I can say about feel is that it depends a lot on the shape of your hand. In my case, the Glock feels a tad better in my hand than the P99. Not much; just a tad. The P99 feels good when you get the right backstrap in place, but seems to me was made for slightly smaller hands. I have fairly large hands, so I had to use the smaller backstrap to accomodate my thumb below the second joint.

Durable? Well, I haven't knocked mine around just yet, nor have I read any posts having to do with this. But the P99 looks and feels about as durable as a Glock (has the tennifer finish too). Maybe the absence of bad reviews is some indication?

Your grip style will work just fine. Mine is very similar, but with a twist: Right thumb over left; both thumbs parallel to the slide; left index finger curled around the front of the trigger guard (ever wonder what those grooves were for?). This will give you maximum stability and help you control recoil.

Hope this helps.
 
thanks Rickmeister. I have medium sized hands, so the P99 would prob be the best fit. I hope to be able to shoot the 17 and 99 this week sometime, so i will know better then. if i get the p99, i would prob get the qa because the trigger pull is similiar to the glocks i will be learning on.
 
If you are going plastic, I think you've hit upon the best two. Seems most people who don't like the glock don't care for grip and/or trigger. If it feels good in your hand, then it's an option. Lots of folks do like the grip and trigger of the P99.

I think accuracy is mute for all but the bullseye shooters, differences aren't the large, but the p99 probably has more potential (my factory target is phenomenal).

Grips are about the easiest thing to fix! If that's all you didn't like about the CZ, then ignore it and assume you can find some pach's or hogues to make it right! Lotsa choices out there. If the CZ was close, you should also try out the high power. Class act with great ergonomics.

I'd think that the choice between metal and plastic will be easy for you to settle on after some range time, the handling and shooting is pretty different.

I don't think you can fail with any of the choices that you've considered. Within a certain elite group, it really does come down to personal preference. Hard to form it totally till you've shot a bunch, but not too hard to change your mind later either.
 
Newbie, I think you're on the right track, and you're approaching this the right way. Take your time, and find what works best for you.

That said, IMO, with the P99 on the market, there's no reason to buy a Glock. Check out my website ( http://www.gothammarketing.com/rck/walther.htm ) for photos and a "review" of sorts. This page will tell you a lot about the unique features and design history of the P99: ( http://www.saftek.com/firearms/walther.htm ).

Bottom line is that the P99 is all that a Glock is, and more. Shoot both side-by-side, and let your hand be the judge. Just judge each on its own merits. Don't expect the Walther trigger to be like a Glock, it's totally different, with a much more crisp, decisive letoff.

Let me address a few of your questions, and settle a misconception.

RdB is misinformed. The P99 is all made in Germany. There were some early 40cal models that Smith made, and purportedly, the botch job they did on them caused Walther to pull the agreement, for fear that their reputation be tarnished. Although he was able to swap slides between an SW99 and a P99 tells us nothing. I can put the same gas in my car as I can in a Ferrari, but my Intrepid won't do the same thing with it. :) I can put the slide from a RockRiver 1911 on my Kimber Custom Eclipse, but it won't shoot as well. S/W did manufacture some slides a while back, and although to the naked eye they might LOOK similar, and they might even fit, it's the differences in tolerances and techniques that make the difference, the same way both Cartier and TAG/Heuer use the same basic movement in their watches, but the difference is in the quality of the finishing and assembly. If you look at the machining quality of both slides, you'll see what I mean.

Parts availability? Walther has been in business for almost 120 years, and the P99 is gaining significant ground on the Glock. I wouldn't worry about it. As to accessories, the Glock definitely has the edge in this department, although the P99 is gaining ground in a lot of areas. I'm confident you'll find as much as you need, and more, for the Walther.

Durability? The P99 was partially designed by engineers that 'defected' from Glock. Tenifer finish, similar functional components, but I think in normal human lifespan terms, either will outlive all of us put together. ;) By the way, this should answer any suspicions you have about why the two seem somewhat similar. :D Ok, so ask yourself this... if you were an engineer working for a company, and got a better offer from another company, to come and improve your original design, you'd fix the things you didn't really do well the first time, right? Consider the P99 to be the 'fourth generation' Glock.

If you're up for a road trip to the Shore area of NJ, you're welcome to put a few boxes through mine. I've gone 2800 rounds without a SINGLE failure of any kind, so a few hundred more won't hurt! This is a gun that I can trust my life to.

Good luck, no matter what you decide!!!
 
:)

finally got to the range tonight. Shot a glock 34 and a 17. the 34 felt great, 3rd gen fram with the finger grooves, but the sights, i didnt like. it was illum front dot, and the back had 1 thin white line down the middle of the site, at the bottom of the very wide U. just couldnt get used to the site. the glock 17 had the dot front, and the [_] rear, much better. But then I fixed my grip and didnt really use the rear sights much. we were shooting close, maybe 7 to 10 yards max. glock 34 fit better than the 17 due to the finger grooves, helped in placing my fingers. We shot 8" round plate targets. pretty fun stuff. at the very end of the session, my last 2 clips out of 100 rounds, i was starting at relaxed, drawing and firing and hitting right around 2 sec. my last 2 were just a hair under 2 seconds.

Glock felt pretty good, so i will prob get a glock 17, 3rd gen frame after i get my CCW. cant buy w/o the ccw here. then when i get used to that, i might pick up another.
 
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