Walther p99 durability

M

mvdemarco

New member
My latest addition to my collection is a Walther P99 in 40 cal. It is one of the most accurate pistols that I own and alot of fun to shoot! I just wonder how durable it is. Are there any P99 owners out there that have done extensive shooting with it? Anything ever break? Just curious.

Mike
 
Welcome to the Evil side

I do not think there are a great deal of long term Walther shooters here due to the pistol being out only a short time. I have about 1000 rnds through mine and it is still accurate. I have not had a slide lock back with rounds in the mag since the 200 round range. I think it was just me cleaning that factory grease off the mags innards.

One piece of advice though, read the instruction man and clean that gunk off of the striker assy. Lube it with whatever, and feel instant improvement over a trigger that I personally love (yet others hate).
 
I had an early 9mm (serial number 9XXX). I had two firing pins break (nuisance) and the barrel lug broke after about 5,000 rounds (catastrophe). Although Walther replaced the barrel under warranty, I sold it.
 
I love my P-99 in .40 S&W. I have however heard of some S&W 99s having a recall on them due to frame cracking. I have not seen the letter but an officer from another department posted a reference to this problem on another web board. I CANNOT verify this but I am working on it.Anyone else hear this?
 
Well, I got them cracks on the frame of my P99. The Walther factory at German said, after examining a P99 with identical cracks, that those cracks are only superficial, won't affect the function of the gun in any way, and won't become any bigger once they have appeared. We'll see... (Other than that it's still a great pistol.)
 
i read recently they have a new updated version that has a faster setting trigger.this would be a great improvment ,most striker fired guns have a very long throw to reset trigger.ie smithn wesson sigma(yuck dont get me started on that POS) and glocks(much better)
 
Walthers are already known to have a short reset trigger, in fact, some on this board have suggested that it is too short.
 
Okay does anyone know if one caliber is showing these cracks more than the other,i.e. the 9 over the 40? What does the factory say is causing the problem? Is it the earlier guns or all of them showing this problem.
 
Whether it's the P99 or one of the Glocks, it helps to know what to expect WRT the short reset. It's a feature that can be used to great effect in "double-taps."
 
FYI, the P99 and SW99 frames are both made in Germany by Walther. The SW99 slides and barrels are made in the USA by S&W. I have heard of both frames cracking. Have heard about a lot of Glocks doing it too lately (mostly G30s). Can show ya a pic of a two piece USP frame.

Have seen 1911 and BHP frames crack too. Even a S&W 586 (topstrap)! :)
 
Just spoke with the Walther Customer Service People and they claim not to have heard of any cracking problem with either the P99 or SW99. Anyone got a copy of the letter that some LE agencies and dealers got?
 
I was just wondering....Are they still having problems with the P99's ?? My dealer has a Military Green one in 40 and it feels pretty sweet but I just dont know....I think the serial # was pretty high something like 409XXX...Would this be an updated version ?? Thanks...
 
I've got around 3,000 rounds through mine, everything from low-power practice loads with LRN bullets to full-power 9mm NATO surplus. No problems and it still looks brand new.

PWL and Wild Bill's Concealment make leather goods for the P99 series if you need a holster.

CDNN still has a few hi-caps as well, as does KY Imports. Expect about $99 to $125 for 9mm hi-caps. Yes, they are legal - Walther shipped in a boxcar load in late 1994 just before the ban, when the pistol was in final development and a few early examples were in the hands of dealers and military procurement judges.

As others have noted about the trigger, you either hate it or love it. I like it - clean out the firing pin assembly (the instruction book shows you how) and put a dab of good grease on the trigger sear and it sweetens right up.

Ken Strayhorn
Hillsborough NC
 
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