P99 Range Report AND QUESTION/HELP

J

juliet charley

New member
I took a new .40 QPC and 300 rounds shooting today (100 PMC 165 grain mid-range FMJs, 50 Fiocchi 170 grain FMJs, 50 Speer Lawmna 180 grain FMJs, 50 Remington 165 grain GSs, 25 Remington 180 grain GSs, and 25 Remington 155 grain JHPs). I had the two factory mags that came with it (both with the MecGar logo and Walther banner). I had not cleaned it but had applied a drop of oil to each slide rail and the top of the barrel.

The pistol performed beautifully except it absolutely it would feed the Fiochhi FMJs (they described it as a "truncated cone" round) which did not really bother me because I only picked up one box for cheap practice. The pistol fed everything else flawlessly and was very accurate (except the Remington 155 grain JHPs tended to be a little erratic.

BUT, I had one major problem that I personally have not experienced before with any pistol. The slide would randomly lock open (not a FTF, the slide catch would engage). It occurred randomly, sometimes twice a magazine, sometime going two three magazines without occurring. It occurred with all the ammunition except the PMC mid-rangess. It occurred with both magazines (my first reaction was a bad magazine). It happened with DA/SA double taps and with with string of SA shots.

I tried to make it happen (limp-wristing, etc.) and could not. I would hazard a guess it was my grip, but my accuracy would belie a bad or loose grip.

Any idea on what's going on or what I should do. I really liked the pistol. I would like possibly to make this my carry gun for lots of reasons but not until it's working better.
 
Try shooting it left-handed. If the same thing happens, it may indeed be the gun. If it doesn't happen, it was your thumb.
 
Mine locked back twice in the first 20 rounds, both due to my thumb being on the slide stop lever. I adjusted my grip for the third mag-hasnt happened since. Try using the "peak" directly behind the mag realease to rest your thumb on.


juliet charley-does your QPQ finish get dark spots or fingerprint outlines that are a pain to get off? It may be my toxic sweat.
 
Dr Heckel -

I'll try adjusting/watching my thumb position. I sort of thought that was the problem though I could not consciously replicate it. I noticed the P99 does have a bit of ledge beneath the slide catch that is supposed to prevent that from happening I assume. I have shots lots of different pistols (including Sigs which have a similarly located slide catch) without a problem. I normally use a rather low thumb grip. I would guess my problem is due to a lighter pistol and hotter cartridge. I did notice that it seemed to "jump around" in my hand a lot, but it did not effect the speed or accuracy of my follow-ups so it was no real problem.

Other than the slide locking back, it was a very positive experience. My real decision now I suppose do I really want to try to retrain my hand for it or just stick with my tried and true P5 for serious purposes. (I was looking at the P99 primarily for the more powerful round and the lower maintenance of tenifer and polymer.)

As to the staining, I did not notice any, but again, this is the first time actually shooting it (though I had been handling and dryfiring it). I brought it strange home from the range, fieldstripped it, squirted it down with MPro7 and let it set. If there were any stains, the MPro7 removed them.
 
QPQ Fingerprints...

Yes! After my first couple of trips to the range, I notice several fingerprints on the sides of the slide that wouldn't wipe off, and did not come off even after a good cleaning. Per several posts here on TFL recommending Flitz Metal Polish for various cleaning tasks, I decided to try it before I got any more upset with my shabby looking house gun.

The Flitz not only took the prints right off the slide, it has so far prevented any recurrance of the problem. The slide looks great now. :D As to the slide lock problem, my .40 QPQ locked mid-magazine one time, on the 4th or 5th magazine thru the gun. No problems since then, and judging from other posts on the subject it is a problem that seems to resolve itself quickly once the gun gets broken in. Mine is still very accurate, the trigger has smoothed out nicely, and it's a hoot to shoot! Best of luck.
 
I have had this problem for a while, my P99 .40 has gone back to Walther 3 times and is there right now. The slide locks back mid magazine about three times out of fifty rounds. But strangely never ever happens with any kind of PMC ammo. With Fiocchi its locks back the most. This problem is haunting me because otherwise I just love this pistol. It is very accurate and fun to shoot when it works right. I am hoping that they figure out how to fix it this time
 
Ditto, Landshark.

Keep me posted on what the factory finally says. I really don't think it is inadvertent thumb contact with the slide lock, but I cannot think of any other possible explanation (and it does not happen with PMC ammo--which I attributed to it being loaded mildly).

Unfortunately, it will be a couple of weeks before I get a chance to shoot it again--the only cheap ammo around here is PMC so I am waiting on UPS (and a weekend). I'm going to try 300 rounds of Winchester Q-loads (white-box) as soon as I can. If that does not work, I am prepared to assume the pistol was just not designed for my hand (unless the factory comes up with something better for you). It is a shame because it is a great pistol otherwised based on my limited (300 mixed rounds) shooting.
 
THere were early reports of this occuring with the first few batches of these imported.

They have since changed the slide lock spring. On models with the old spring, the problem has usually taken care of itself after a couple of hundred rounds.
 
Herr Walther -

I reexamined the P99, my grip, etc., and determined there was really no way it good be inadvertent thumb contact with the slide lock lever. I then field stripped it again and noticed the slide lock lever was very easy to move. To make a long story short, I called Walther-USA and before I had finished describing the problem, the customer service representative had identified it as "early slide lock." He said send it in, and they would fix it. (I'm waiting the shipping papers for FedEx Walther is sending me.) He balked when I asked if it was a common problem. (Actually he said, "I wouldn't call it common.") Anyway, hopefully, Walther USA will fix it and get it back to me quickly. I really liked it--better than any .40 I have shot.

For what it's worth, it was a 100% German gun (proof-marked on the barrel, slide and frame) made in 2000 (AA).
 
Mine is still there, they changed the spring to a stronger one, the gunsmith could not find further problems with it, but one of the customer service reps there had the same problem with my pistol. I think the slide lock magazine follower catch is a little too long and touches the bullets of certain ammo based on their shape and power. I think your theory of the gun moving in your had could also be a factor. As the pistol cycles, the pistols moves in your grip and a certain shape of ammo slides a little to the left impacting the catch. I still think the catch needs to be filed down further it seems to long. The strange thing about this it is hard to believe the pistol is moving around a lot because the pistol shoots so accurately. I told them not to rush I just want it to work right; I have never had these kind of problems with my Sigs. I will let you know the latest
 
This has been a problem with the early models of P99 in 40cal since day one. It has nothing to do with the shooter or how you are holding the pistol. I don't know if Walther has a fix for problem or not. Do a search here and you will find many posts about this problem.
 
Give it time to loosen up a little, the little lady will treat you well. (P99's are definately female). Welcome to the club, the P99 is one of the best pistols (IMHO) out there. Break it down and CLEAN it especially the firing pin area. It is my carry gun and I trust her totally.

By the way, my gun LOVES PMC- I used that to break it in. Now I shoot every thing, but I am especially accurate with 165gr from Georgia Arms.
 
interesting info.

.40 has possible unsupported chamber.........

The slide rails are integrated into the main steel housing of the Steyr, which is a "steel pistol" that happens to be wrapped in a very strong "polymer". This makes it a beefy design. A Glock, H&K, and Walther P99 are conversely "polymer pistols" that mold the metal slide rails directly into the "polymer".

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/review/steyr40.htm
 
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